PARTICULARS OF THE DROWNED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1686, 16 April 1886, Page 4

PARTICULARS OF THE DROWNED.

Captain Thomson has been about 11 years m the Union Company's service, having joined it when the purchase ot Messrs M'Meckan, Blackwood & Co.'s vessels was effected. At that time he ; was second mate of the Tarania, which, as our readers will recollect, was subsequently wrecked at Waipapapa Point. He afterwards occupied a similar . posi tion on the Arawata, and subsequently he was promoted to the chief ofncership of the Wakatipu. During the illness of Captain Wheeler about 18 months ago he wasplaced m temporary command of the Wakatipu, and on Captain Wheeler resuming duty Captain Thomson wasmade captain of the Taiaroa, a position he has occupied for ab~ut 14 months. Hft bears the reputation of] being an excellent sailor, and much sympathy is felt at his misfortune. Mr Powell, the second officer of the Taiaroa, who was amongst the drowned, was about 35 years of age, and unmarried He had been on the Taiaroa for four years, an unusually long period for any officer to remain on any one vessel belonging to the Union Company. His connection with the boat was so lengthy, m fact, chat his friends ware m the habit of telling him that he would end his days on her, a prediction which has unfortunately proved only too true. Mr Monkman, the chief officer, was also a single man, but had not been connected with the company so long as Mr Powell. He came out to New Zealand as chief otheer of the Takapuna, now lying at Port .Chalmers. . •Mrs Browne, the stewardess, was the wife of Mr Brown, at one time chief officer of the Maori, but now employed on the Taupo. The Taiaroa narrowly escaped being wrecked on . two occasions some years ago. One time she got ashore on Dog Island, off the Bluff, and on another occasion she nearly foundered while going down to Fiji, from Auckland. On the latter occasion she was heavily laden, and was caught m a very severe gale. Tremendous seas were shipped, and all on board feared their last hour had come. She managed,, however, to; weather the storm, but sustained a good deal of damage. Captain M'Gillivray was m charge at the time. Inspector Ward arrived m the colony about three months ago under a two years' engagement with the Defence Department as instructor m torpedo work. He was an able and , experienced officer, whom, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replace,, ; We Jearn that he took part m the Arctic expedi-. tion ander Sir William Nares and Cap-, tain Markham. He also served for 17 years, on the Torpedo school ship Vernon as instructor and artificer. In his particular branch of defence work there are few who could surpass him m skill, and he was thoroughly acquainted with all the details of the manufacture and use of torpedops). Deceased leaves a widow and six ch\ldron m England, who were expecting to follow him to this colony at an early date, and one aon, about 17 years of age, who is. now m Wellington. A telegram received from Kekerangu this morning states that Mr It. H. Vallance's body has been found at Flaxbourne, and been taken charge of by his brother. Wellington, This day. Mr Dalrymple, chief engineer, identifies thre body, of No 1, as Robert Irvine, a fireman, abont 45 years of flge, and belonging to Newry, Ireland. He h.aß been m the Taiaroa for.fourteen mouths, single. He also states that the body supposed to be Stratford, engineer; and on whose body wan found a considerable amount of money, could not be him, as Stratford had only a pound or two. The carpenter states if number three is the man who relieved Jones, his name is MePhee, a married man with 2 children.