AN OCEAN TRAGEDY.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXII, Issue 9016, 2 December 1907, Page 2

AN OCEAN TRAGEDY.

WRECK 03? THE DUNDONALD. SURVIVORS RESCUED. AFTER EIGHT MONTHS’ PRIVATION. Per Press Association. Invercargill, Dec. i. The Hiuemoa has arrived at the Bluff'having on hoard 15 survivors from the ship Dundonald -which was wrecked on Disappointment Island in March last. . , Twelve of the crew, including the master were drowned. . The chief mate Jahoz Peters, died on the island. The ship was bound to Falmouth from Sydney, wheat-laden. All the survivors are well. Survivors are :—McLonghlin second mate), Kuudsen, Harry Walters, Alf Finlow, Jno. Judge, Santiago Marino, Juo. Puuhoho, Herrimau Querfeit, Gluts. Eyre (A.B.’s); Robert Ellis, Adelaide; Jack Stewart, Waikato; Juo Gratton, Michael Paul, Arthur Ivimoy, (ordinary seaman), Jabez Roberts (cabin boy). The drowned wore Captain Thornburn and his son James, Wm. Smith (steward), Thos Crawford (sailmaker), Edward Lee (carpenter, Walter Low, Sam Watson, Carl Anderson, Holdersen, Immanuel Largerboloom, Naveahi, James Cromarty.

FINDING THE CASTA'WAYS. Mr Crosby Smith supplied the following particulars , including his notes of Chas. Eyre’s story:—_ On arrival of expedition in Port Ross, at Auckland Islands early on the morning "of Saturday the 15th November great excitement was caused when, on sighting the Government depot, it was noted that a white flag was flying at half-mast in token of the presence of a shipwrecked crow. As Captain Bollou, in the Hiuemoa’s boat approached the depict a cheer wont up from at least a dozen men who wore congregated there, and was answered from the Hiuemoa. After a very short ■delay Captain Bollous returned followed by five of the strangers in the depot boat —the second mate (Mr McLaughlin), third mate (Mr Kuudsen), Harry Walters, Chas. Eyre, and another.

From the crew it w r as gleaned that the fotir-masted barque Dundonald, of 2000 tons, left Sydney on the 17th February bound for Falmouth, laden with wheat. She carried a -Crow of 37 all told, in addition to whom tho captain’s sou, a lad of sixteen who was not in good health. '4i£mtrary winds were met rvlth all the way, aud a groat disturbance of the compass had been noticed halfway between Sydney aud the Auckland Islands.

At 13.30 a.m. on Bth March, the ship struck on a reof on the west side of Disappointment Island ,_ of the Auckland group. The night was thick, with half a gale blowing, and the reef was not seen until immediately before the ship struck. An effort was made to wear ship, but it was too late and she was driven stern first right into a crevice in the cliff, which towered up 300 feet above her. ‘ ' In a few minutes the fore part of the ship dropped into the sea, which caused a huge wave to wash along the uecn, carrying ni end sweep ven men, who wore never seen again. Amongst these were the captain and his son. The rest of the crew hung to various fixtures, aud when the wave had bov,,'' by, rushed up the rigging. V .nee men got ashore from the jigger mast, but one of the men slipped back oyer the cliff and met his death. ' ' " " While the men were on the islands two ships passed them, the first in July aud the other later on, but the castaways could not attract their attention as the vessels were a considerable distance p<f.

AN A.B.’s, STORY. Suddenly in thick weather, at 12.30 a.m. on the Bth, land was soon right ahead. Wo tried to wear ship short round, but she would not stay, aud went stern first into a crevice in the cliffs. Orders were given to clear the lifeboats, but it was found to bo useless as there was a big sea and rocks all round us. The captain ordered us to imt jileueits. The steward gave up all hope of saving himself and said “It’s good-bye boys. I am too bad to get ashore. ” He wont into his cabin, shut the door aud soon after compressed air blew up the deck. The mate told us to got under the forecastle head, as the ship must be dismasted. We were there two or three minutes when she started shipping seas. We went ou the foc’sle head. Cue tremendous sea washed clean over us, aud although we all managed to hang on the next one washed us all away. I was whirled round aud round. I caught hold of the foot of the foc’sle, but was instantly torn away. I then caught hold of one of the shrouds, anil climbed hp. John Judge followed me to the fore-top-gallant yard. As it was canted towards the shore we thought it was touching the cliff, but found it to be about 10 feet away. We were going to try to swing ashore on the end of a rope, but found the rope was too short, . Unfortunately, we had dropped the only knife we had, and could not cut another rope to lengthen it. We spent night up there and heard many distressing cries around us. About an hotir before daylight we began to climb down to the foretop, aud found about 13 men there, including the first and second mates. The mate told us to prepare for the worst, as the mast could not stand much longer. He thought' we had better cut a few lines as we might be able'to help one another ashore. Taking the mate’s knife I went up again aud cut away some of the running gear. Suddenly I hoard a voice from the shore opposite aucl'fouud it to he Michael Poole, a Russian Finn. I cut one of the top-sail bunt lines, threw it to him, aud we made it fast albotheuds. By this means we all managed to get ashore. The cliff was about 300 feet high, and at the point just above the mast was a very steep slope which allowed ns to climb up with comparative ease. There were 16 of us out of 28 got ashore. The others were washed away when the big sea swept the ship. We now learned that the "first man ashore, Walter Low, called out to pass a rope but before this could be done he slipped over the cliff into the sea aud was never seen again. We were all very much exhausted, being very hungry and cold. When in the top : gallaut yard, the mate told us thero was a depot ou tire island. Later ou wo discovered filiat there was no depot ou the island. Tins was a great disappointment to the mate, ■Who along with the second mate had been seriously ill from exposure. Wo never expected the, second mate to recover, but ho gradually got bettor.

Tiie mate, however, after finding lie was not, ou the main Auckland Island was disheartened. Ho sank rapidly and died on tho twelfth day after the wreck. Ho was over CO years of ago. By this time wo had discovered that wo were ou Disappointment Island. After the mate’s death wo shifted over to tho eastern side of tho island because tho water where we struck was very bad. The first day after getting ashore wo ate raw uiollyhawks. Tho matches amongst ns wore wet and it, was three nays before wo could get them dry. When wo once got a tire going wo banked it up, and kept it alight for seven mouths. Until May'wo covered ourselves up with canvas we got from the ship before she disappeared, but snow and hail came on and wo started to dig holes iu tho ground with our hands. About tho holes wo built up sticks and put sods ou top forming huts about six feet long and four foot wide. We managed to scrape through tho winter all right by living on sea, hawks, Molly hawks, and seals. When wo saw the seas first bobbing up on tho water wo thought wo had got tho sea serpent all right. We did not know how to kill them at firSt. we used to whack" them ou the buck with a stick, but one of tho fellows happened to hit one of them ou tho ujso, ami it rolled over, so after that, wo had no difficulty in despatching thorn. In the ln'«inu|ug wo used to cook everything by putting it on tho flames, nut utlerwavda wo made a mud oven, and cooked food ou a spit. Wo know the depot was on the other island about six miles distant, so it was decided to build a canvas boat. We had cut up our clothes for sails and blankets, ns we had soarooly any clothes on, when wo got ashore mao the ship. In July three num built ft boat of canvas and sticks. To du this we' had to put in pieces of our clothes and blankets and sew them together and the task was all the harder as the saihuaUer aud carpenter wow,' both drowned. Wo sowed with a small bone from one oftko hlrdv.with ft hole bo*od ■ , \ . irt vrtw. iiiaaiM

in it, and used a little hit of wire wo had. On 31st July a start was made in the boat for the main island which was reached all right, hut as they could not find the depot they acme hack on the bth August. They had six matches witii them and used four while over there. A second boat was built in September. and another party started for the maiu island, hut the boat was smashed by the sea before it could get away. Wo built a third one in October and started again—Knudsen, Walters, Gratton and myself. We got over to the large island but as we reached the shore wo struck a rock and the boat was smashed, sending us all into the water. We scrambled ashore again hut the mishap put out a fire which wo had carried in the boat on a sod in order to save our two matches. These got wet and evou after drying them for three days we could not get them alight- . . . , On the fourth morning wo started in search of the depot, and after walking across the island and about 15 miles through the bush aud scrub wo struck right on it. There was a good boat at the depot, hut no sails, so wo cut up our clothes to mate a, sail, so that wo cotiltl return to Disappointment Island for the rest. On the next day wo tried to sail round for them, but the weather was too bad and wc had some difficulty in returning to the depot. On the following day we made another start aud got there about three o’clock. Wo had found clothes at the depot aud exchanged them for what we wore wearing aud we had also cut each others’ hair aud beards, which during the seven mouths had grown so long that wo looked like a lot of spring poets.

As wo got nearer our old camp, our mates did not know us in our new toggery, aud thought wo were sealers. The next morning wo put half the men ashore where wo first lauded with the canvas boat, aud loft them to make their way over to the depot. Tiieu wo took the second officer aud the others round to the do : pot. Wo had been seven months on Disappointment Island. Wo saw from a piece of paper in the depot that the Tatauokai had been there on the Ist February and that some other Government boat would call in aliont six mouths, so wo were on the look out for a boat every day after wo got to the depot. Yon can imagine our delight when wo saw the Hiuemoa. After talking with the castaways Captain Bollous supplied them with some additional stores and told them ho would call for them on his return from the Bounty aud Uamuboll Islands in 10 or 12 days, At 5.30 in the morning of the 28t$ Captain Bollous weighed anchor in Port Ross, and steamed for Disappointment Island,' to land the members of tho expedition for a few hours. They saw tho frame of tl>q canvas boat first built. A more rag', god structure could not be imagined." It was all elbows and knees. It was built of veronica olliptica, which' rarely lias two feet of straight wood lu it. Tho wonder is that the iueu had sufficient patience and ingenuity to build it at all, and how such a boat reached its destination, propelled by oars made of foiked sticks., with canvas tied round them, is if miracle. : Four of the weijt oyer tho lull to their first to exhume tho remains of the mate. Tills tools ft couple of hours. . About 4.30 tw-o boats put off from the Hiuemoa containing all tho passengers aud the ships’ company, which landed to attend i!ie funerag The party numbered about GO. Tlu} service was a most impressive one.' Tho captain read the Anglican Church funeral service aud tho body enclosed in a sea chest was lowered to’ last 'resting place by tho second aud third mates of t ie Dunclcuald.