The Taiaroa Disaster.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1686, 16 April 1886, Page 2

The Taiaroa Disaster.

FURTHER DETAILS. THE SCENE OF THE WRECK. APPEARANCE OL' 1 THE BODIES. THRILLING STATEMENT BY SER. GEANT GRANT. THE AWFUL TIME JN THE BOATS. TWO DESPERATE BATTLES FOB EXISTENCE. (Post's Special Correspondent.) Kekerangtt, Thursday. Only one other body has been found to-day and that nearly 30 miles away to the north of the scene of the wreok. r Very strong currents seem to have been setting m that direction during yesterday find to-day. The ill-fated vessel lies on a ledge of shingle and boulder* runmug out from Clarence Head about a mile and a half, and within a quarter of a mile off the end of the ledge. Ths spot is marked on tho map ait Waipapa Point, but that is -evidently a mistake, for the resident* of the locality say that the spot they know as Waipnpa is about four miles south of tho scene of tho i wreck. The shoal or ledge on which v the Taiaroa came to grief it ou' ; 'the v »; northern bank of the Clarence River, and is known as Trolove's Point. To* surrounding beach is covered with very large rolling boulders and shifting shingle, up which it would bo very, difficult for anyone to climb, especially;, a man exhausted by a protracted baUle. , ; with the waves. Viewed from the «bor : O; the steamer does not appear to bo very much damaged, although at high water and with rather a heavy sea early this morning tho water was rushing through her bulwarks; over the main deck. The water i« flush with the hatches, and all tho cases iv the hold are smashed to bit*. The saloon is. alao a perfect wreck. Tho three bodies washed: ashore wore an exceedingly healthy appearance, and one, Mr James Powell, js identified as second mate; From 'the appearance of these bodies I am inclined to think these three meti; :were alive whon they reached :shoVe,: hut they were done to death m the.surf. The probability is that tho . pooT-r fellows managed to. gain the shore, out'tlisit m the terrific surf and the howling night they could not gain a footing upon the shingle, and wero dashed to deatli upon tho beach. Powell the lecond mate, is vtry much cut about the head and face. On the Body of/ Alexander Martin, tho police found some correspondence. On* Ibtter was from his father m America asking him when he was going horat. Probably Martin was on his way homo when the accident occurred. M 'Quarter says the ladies were m tho boat with him for a long time, and that they bore up remarkably well for an hour or two, but gradually sank and expired. As the dead bodies of men ai well at women were washing about m tho boat and endangering tho safety of the> rest, they were put overboard, and sow* were washed over. All the ladies' had, life-belts, so their bodies are bound .to float and come ashore sooner or later, * In the boat m which M 'Quarter found himself were about 25 souls, including all the ladies. The captain asked how many were aboard, and he replied 25. The Captain said he thought it should take 30, being the big lifeboat. When the boat capsized M'Quarter fouud himself swimming to sea, and turned for shore, when he saw a boat drifting astern of the steamer. Ho kept up and swam for her, and passed the four women m the water. Twoattempted to seize hold of him. Ho never St. w the women again. All who 'could clung to the boat. It wkb some time bofore they could make room- for him when he commenced to clamber m. The boat righted, but when all got m she was a few inches under water. They tried to bail her out, but the seas constantly breaking over her kept her full. She turned over again, but righted herself almost immediately. The . wreck was out of sight by this time. The chief mate asked how many wero m the boat. He counted and only found 12 out of 25 they started with, as nearly *s he could guest. It was now about half -past 1. They tried to cheer each other up by saying it would, bo daylight soon. Soon after this a passenger died and floated out of the boat. All wero sitting m the water up to their waists. The next to go was the third engineer, who fell uuder the thwarts of the boat. He had a life-belt on, and when he died one of the sailors took it off and put it on himself. Two or three died very suddenly soon after this, the chief officer being one of them. Daylight at last broke. There were then only five left. Several bodies were floating ibout tho boat, and cutting themselves about by beating and knocking apainst the teat* and sides. Tho survivors threw as Many bodies as possible overboard to ease tho boat, which was still at the water's edgo. The chief officer's' body was lying against M'Quarter, who was working with a broken piece of an oar, crying to keep tho boat broadside on, so that she might drift better. The body impeded his movements, and he sung out to his 7 companion to put the body overboard, which they tried to do, but the mate's clothes were caught by a nail or something at the bottom of the boat, and they could not get them away. Soon after this they sighted the sheds on Eekeranga station. Two sailors then diid^ and only three were now, left m tho boat— namely, M'Qnarter, a tail man m tho bows with dark hair (which may havo been Vallance from M 'Quarter's description), and a man m an oilskin coat, whom ho cannot describe but thinks was a sailor. The tall man m the bow died, but his body was not washed out of the boat. The only other man who was now left drew M'Quarter's attention to rocks ahead, and urged him to keep the boat further out if possible. On his companion growing exhausted ho tried to cheer him up by telling him he saw ■people on the shore. M'Quarter stood up m the boat to look round, and as his back was turned he heard a grban^ and looking round, saw his last companion dying, but can't say if the body washed out. The boat was now doss' to tho shore, about 100 yards perhaps, and tho big waves coming m sent the boat along very quickly. He stepped over the two bodies m the boat, and went into tho bowß to watch for an opportunity of getting ashore. He then laid himself down m the boat, and when about ten yards off the shore, allowed the waves to wash him out of the boat, and eventually reached the shore. Ho thought it better to do this than stick to the boat longer, as, if she capsized, be might got a blow or get buried beneath her. Ho was quite exhausted but managed to crawl up, and after a short rest straggled up to within a short distance ofthia station, where he was found by M'Lactu lan, the manager.