THE TARARUA DISASTER.

Kumara Times, Issue 1440, 10 May 1881, Page 2

THE TARARUA DISASTER.

THE OSIEF COOK’S STATEMENT. ♦ The statement of Antonio Miccallief, the chief cook of the Tararna, is perhaps the most succinct of the survivors as to what transpired from the time the doomed vessel struck the reef till not a vestige of her was left, and we therefore give it in full. He said: I am chief cook of the Tararna. At 5 a.m. on Friday, Mr Ellen, the chief steward, came to me and gave his orders for the day. I dressed and went on deck, and heard the ship bump and strike. About ten minutes later she struck again, and the captain told the second officer to call all hands, which was done, and he afterwards gave orders to stop the engines. Mr Munro, the chief engineer, asked me to take care of his little boy. I kept the child for about half-an-hour, and then Mr Munro took him from me. I then went to the saloon and assisted the steward to get out the passengers. There were about five ladies and some children. Four of the children belonged to Dr and Mrs Campbell, who joined at Christchurch. The passengers were then removed from the poop to the smoking cabin, as the vessel was breaking up aft. Before this the captain had sent the second officer away in the boat to seek a landing place, and had fired two guns and three rockets. The chief officer’s boat was then got out, and she left in in charge of Mr Lindsay, with his boat’s crew and two passengers. When the ride went down Captain Garrard asked me to go below and cook some meat. I did so, and served out meat, potatoes, and coffee. Mr Ellen afterwards directed me to get some meat, bread, coffee, &c., ready for landing to supply to the people, and I did so, and as ray galley was filling with water I went on deck. About 2 p.m. on Friday the ship was fast breaking up, and had driven further in shore. The captain then gave orders to carry the females to the forecastle head. He carried them himself from the smoking room to the bridge, and we took them forward. We afterwards got on the forecastle, and the captain said, “ I have done all I can ; I have no boat available. The tide will be out in another half hour, and I will try to do the best I can.” Immediately he ended speaking, a heavy sea came and carried away the dingy and cutter. We stood on the forecastle until another heavy sea struck her, and as there was a rush of passengers to the side the rail carried away, and I and about 1G others fell overboard. The captain exclaimed “Oh, God, what are we to do now !” I picked up a young lady, a Hobart native, and managed to keep her afloat for about five minutes, calling out for a rope, when a big sea

struck ns, and she was washed from ray hold. I saw her no more. I then made for the shore, and encountered a lot of wreckage floating about. I got clear of it with great difficulty, and before I reached the beach I was nearly exhausted, and called out to one of the passengers ashore to help me. He pulled me out, put me on a sleigh, and laid me before a fire where I was supplied with a drop of brandy. After resting at the fire for half-an-hour I was taken to the farm, supplied with dry clothes, and put to bed. This was about 5 p.m. on Friday. As I left I saw a lot of people in the rigging, viz.} Mr Ellen, chief steward, James ren, second steward, William Smith} pantry man, the second fore-cabin steward, J. Davidson, and the boy “Tommy.” James Collins.; the forecabin steward, was drowned. I saw some firemen in the lugging. The Sailors left on board were George Home and Hugh Poison. The captain made for the rigging. The engineers were ort the forecastle head. The third engineer, Mr Alexander Sutherland} had his leg broken in the morning by a sea. t am anxious to thank the kind people (■sVho were So kind to us all) for their generous treatment. Since his transference to the Union Company's s.s. Taiaroa, by which boat he takes a trip to Wellington to see his friends} Miccallief has supplied the following additional particulars to the reporter of the Press : —He stated that when he was washed overboard the steamer Was under water aft as far as the mainmast} her forecastle-head only projecting above; The women and children were huddled together right in her bows, and all were crying. A little boy, who he took to he one df Dr. Campbell’s children, was holding out his arms endeavoring to keep hie little sisters from falling down to leeward, and the cook described in most feeling language the little fellow’s conduct, The tears were rolling down the poor fellow’s face as he related the woeful story of the scene on the deck} and he became quite interested when our reporter told him that the body of a boy had been washed ashore, and re j marked, “ Why, it must have been that little Campbell. lie worked so like a man to save his little brothers and sisters.” As has already been stated, wave after wave swept them one by one away. The men on board, who were then up in the rigging, are said to have been perfectly silent and motion--less, and novnr heeded the cries of the cook for a line when he was endeavoring to rescue the Hobart Town girl, as already re-* ported in his statement. He said that he had been wrecked once before on the West Coast. He was a good swimmer, having practised it from his infancy at Malta, his native place, and he swam frOiri the Tararua to the shore, having his full clothing, coat, vest, and trousers, upon him at the time, though, as be observed, he had lost his slippers when he was in the breakers on the beach. He said he would have stood by the ship in charge of the women and children until relieved, had the sea not swept him overboard, and from the manner of the man his greatest regret would seem to have been that he was unable to get back to his post oil board the sinking steamer. He also said that it was, after all, a pity that Captain Garrard had not sent everybody out in the five boats which were on board, and let them keep at sea until picked np, instead of looking for* a landing place. The water was pretty smooth from 5 a.ra. to 8 or 9 o’clock, but then the sea began to rise. The captain was, he said, fully persuaded that the steamer would hang together until assistance came, and so were the passengers ] insomuch that when the first boat for the shore was launched, and the captain called out, “ Who will volunteer to go in her 1 ?” only two of the passengers responded. After ten o’clock in the morning, says the cook, no boat could lie alongside the steamer, nor could another steamer have come near her, the sea had risen so much.