The Quetta Disaster.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, 14 March 1890, Page 2

The Quetta Disaster.

♦ INTKitEsxiKG Details.' ' ■ ' ' The Evening Post's correspondent wires from Bvisbaue. The insoir anees on the cargo of the s. s. Q,uetta are distributed over about twenty different offices. It is impossible to go into details as to tha insurance but it is estimated that the total amount reaches £50,000. The Quetta !effc Brisbane on the 18th February. The present wreck makes the third vessel foundering in about a year, of this company's trading steamers. The Duke of Buccleuch in February of last year, after collision with the ship Vandalia, went down in the English Channel with all hands ; and the Olonclurry wag run into by the steamer Maple Aranch on the Br<s of January last, and sank in Suez Bay, off Point Tewfik, in 80ft, all hands being saved. The Ray. A. M'Learn states: — As I was on board the Albatross, resouing steamer, together jwith Captain Keating, I can give a detailed account of the four dayi' movements since the wreck occurred. Captain Reid steamed at once for Adolphus Island, and when he came within sight of the jflland fpurmen were seen on the rocks waving some white articles and walking np and down, and they were brought on board and taken care of. We then steamed along the island, and sent a boat off at the other end to search for them. The Albatross callod for the boat later in the day, and took on board the one man found. We then steamed towards the Three Brothers Islands, when Captain Reid suddenly saw something not much larger than a cocoa mat floating out to tea. A» he drew noarer he saw that it was a penon swimming. The" poor lady, as »he proved to be, was lifted in. One of the sailors took off lm flannel shirt and wrapped her in it, but she hud in the meautime fainted, and we recognised her to be Ifiss May Lacey, 16 year* of age, the eldest daughter of Mr Dyston Lacey, of St. Helen's Station, Mac. kny. She was much exhausted, but is fast recovering, though very weak and burnt from exposure. Miss Lacey's story is that she was writing a letter to her mother when the terrible event happened. She rushed to get her younger atster, who hud gone to bed, and brought her on deck, but they went over together. She afterwards was dragged into a boat (r raft, where she was very kindly tre-ited by the purser, and remained on t'>e raft till the afternoon of Saturday, when she determined to swim to shore Her rescue is almost miraculous as she whs drifting out to sh, away from Adolplns Island, and she cmld not possibly have 1)41 out much longer Perhaps her rpscue and her nvirvt-llous self-po session him among the most wonderful of ih» melancholy i-ici-dent* connected with this terribly sad calamity. Pilot Keating, who had charge of the Quetta, is one of the three pilot s

jmploye'dl by th« company to take iheir boats horn Brisbaue to Thursday Island, and hitherto they have been so successful that disaster on sitlier of the passages was the last thing thoughtrbf. Keatiug is a sober and careful pilot, and better acquainted wi'.h the coast, perha[)B, than any other man in the trade. The last port of call for the Qnetta before reaching the point where she caniefo S9 calamitous an end was Cooktowtt Faesing through thew seas in dayliglif , m&st of the Quetta 1 * passengers would l»v« been on deck for they are amongs* the most picturesque of these tropical waters.