The Penguin Disaster.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9373, 16 February 1909, Page 5

The Penguin Disaster.

ANOTHER SUPPOSED PASSENGER. Press Association. / Auckland, February 15, Mrs Derham, an Auckland resident, has received a telegram stating that her brother, James Collins, passenger from Westport, was on the Penguin, intending to visit Auckland. His name does not appear in the lists published. BRINGING IN THE BODIES. Wellington, February 15. An awe-strioben crowd of people gathered at the Garrison Hall in Buoble Street to witness the infinitely pathetic spectacle of loads of bodies being brought in from Miramar in vehicles. The faces of the drivers of the vehicles spoke of the seriousness of their mission, and as the crowd parted to allow the vehicles to pass into the shed through the folding doors, |mere curiosity gave place to reverence and hats were doffed and women paled and stood appalled. The police kept the door sternly, and no one who was not a relative or friend of any of the dead was allowed to enter, so that those of morbid tendency and others desiring an unprecedented sight were debarred. Inside there were improvised tables running the whole length of each side of the Artillery Hall. All the corpses had been carefully sewn in blankets, sails, pieces of canvas, and other coverings that were available, and so happilyiit was impossible to see the poor faces that were Druised •' and discoloured by tbe terrible buffeting the victims had undergone previous to death.

Dr. Freugley and a staff cf helpers attired in white over-alls, were busy spraying the corpses with a strong solution of formalin, and the fact that it was absolutely necessary to • treat the occasion as one for businesslike promptitude and quiet effort had a calming influence on those unhappy people who were permitted to enter in order to see if among the many unidentified bodies there were any of ..their loved ones. All the afternojn there were conveyances coming and going through the folding doors, and each one bore a of heartrending interest. Sometimes an express came in with a load of coffins, then there was one containing the bodies of four little children. Corpses were being loaded from the tables to the carts, as undertakers arrived to take charge of bodies for friends or relatives of the deceased. It is remarkable that among the many women who visited the temporary morgue none showed any weakness in the actual death chamber, but many having once got outside, utterly broke down and sobbed convulsively. Strong men, too, were prostrated, and some were leaning up against the fences in Buckle Street, trying with indifferent success to appear unconcerned. In some oases, both men and women were led away by friends whose physical support was necessary. There were tense moments when some of the numerous undertakers undid the sewing of a cover in order that an inquirer might see the features beneath, and decide if possible whether they were those of the dead friend they sought. The full list of those identified (51) will be available later. COMPLAINTS OF DELAY. Complaints are appearing in the press, both signed and anonymous, of delay in dealing with the bodies washed up on the beach. Those who went out to look for friends contend that the corpses should cot have been left for two days exposed to the weather and insects, and that there was ample opportunity to bring them in yesterday. To this the Union Company and the police, both of whom have been attacked, point [out the obvious course was to bring them by water, seeing that the bodies were scattered over miles of coast and the difficulties of transport were very great owing to the rugged and mountainous country. The weather, however, was too rough up to last night to permit this A large number of police went out as soon as it became definitely known tnere was likely to be considerable loss of life. HEROINE OF THE WRECK. .AFLOAT IN THE DARKNESS. DRIFTING BENEATH AN UPTURNED BOAT. Without a doubt, says the Dominion, Mrs Hannam, the sole woman survivor from |.the wreck of the Penguin, is one of the bravest women that ever lived. Not only did she walk to the homestead on the shore when she was released from the boat, but on Saturday night she rode into town, and when seen at the Trocadero on Sunday evening, she was as calm and collected as though the horrors of the wreck had occurred months ago. “Yes, it is better for me to talk,” she said. “When lam alone I keep seeing it all happen again, but when there is anyone with me, it does not seem so clear.”

For some time past Mr and Mrs Hannam, with their four children, had been living in tents at Tadmor, near Nelson, where Mr Hannam was working on the line, and it was partly because of a strain received there that Mr Hannam determined to go to Rotorua, taking with him the whole family, the eldest boy aged ten, the second five years old, the little girl of three, and the baby of two. Both these t little girls delicate children. The journey from Nelson began in good weather, says Mrs Hannam, hnt [they knew when they left Pioton that it would be rough in the straits, and they encountered a terrible sea there. One of the children in the steerage was alarmed with the violence of the waves, which broke right over the boat three times, and came down into the cabins.

“We felt it very much in the steerage. Every wave broke with a great thump just by my head, and perhaps that was why I hardly realised the difference when we bumped on the rock, though that was just by my head, too. We bumped three times. I did not at first get out of my hank. The stewardess behaved magnificently. She had been heartening some of the children through the storm, aud when the boat struck she was as brave as she could be, taking care that everyone had a lifebelt on, aud she helped to put the women aud children in the boats. Site was quite brave, even jolly about it. I think she and the other stewardess went in one of the smaller boats. We did not see them again. My hasbrnd put my lifebelt on.

“When tbe people went on deck they were wonderfully calm. No one made any fuss. They were all quite brave. I did not want to go in the boat, but they made me. It was the second boat we went in. The first, I think, got away, didn’t it? I was under the impression it got clear away. Well, when we went down the boat tipped up at one end and some of the women .and children were thrown into the water. I was thrown out and the baby that I had in my arms was washed out of them, but I felt round and gob hold of its clothes, and got it again, and then I got back in the boat, and I managed to help other woxneu into it. “I could see my three children In the water, and they called out to me ‘Oh, mother, mother,’ and I called back, ‘I will help you if I can,' and I tried to get the men to get hold of them, hat they had so much to do keeping the boat clear of the ship that they could not save my children or anyone else. I could see my husband standing on the deck watching it all, and he called out good-bye to me, but I would not say good-bye, because I thought it would be too much for him. There was a bright light as long as the steamer stayed up with her searchlights and the deck lights, though the cabin lights went out pretty soon, and we could see the captain in the light up on the bridge. He did everything he could, and sent up rockets. Our boat was a huge one, and I said to a sailor that we should out away the mast, which was no good to us, and so make more room for the women. We did this. We were up to our knees in water all the time, and while the sailor cut away the mast I bailed her out. The sailor said the boat would not swamp. We had no officer in oar boat —only the sailor and some men.

“My little baby kept talking to me, and I tried to shield it with my arm from the waves. After the boat had nearly gone down her mast-light showed for a time, and every time we rose to the top of a wave we could see it. They thought it was the light of another steamer, and we began to cry hurray, thinking it was coming to help us. It was very dark when the steamer went 'down, quite dark, but we could see the breakers as they came towards us, at first like a dark cloud and then with their white -heads showing. I talked to the women near me, and asked them questions, but could not get them .to say a word. They were all quite dazed and silent. ' / “It was a little time after the steamer disappeared that our boat went over. A huge breaker came. We could see it coming towards us like a huge mountain, and |it tipped the boat right over. I had ray baby in mv arms, and I hung on to the seat,' How I did it I don’t know. Someone was clinging to my dress, and another person was hanging on to my feet, and the boy Matthews was holding to my hair. What happened to the others 1 don’t know, but at last ther.a were only the boy and the baby and me. Yes, I was hanging under the boat like the tongue of a bell,- and gradually I got my feet up on to a seat, and I was sitting partly on a seat just_ by where the mast goes. I had a little air, for every now and then the boat lifted high on a wave and the air came underneath. After a time I took my baby and tied her on to a seat. I took her lifebelt off and put it under her like a pillow. knew before we reached snore that she was dead, for I felt her face and her clenched teeth when I tried to put my finger into her mouth. I managed to save the hoy. “It was daylight before we reached the shore. As the boat lifted I could see light under her. And after a while I felt seaweed; I got a bit of it in my fingers, and I said “Thank 'God we are near to shore. ’’ And I tried to mb my legs for I thought ic would never do if, when w© got to shore, I was too stiff to move. After a while I put my feet down and felt land, and then we were thrown up on the beach. I tried to scrape a hole under the boat and as fast as I scraped it, the water silted the sand up again, and I broke off bite of stick and poked them underneath so that people would know there was someone there. Then when I heard voices I cried out to them to break the boat open with an axe and let us out. They were four shepherds, ana together they turned the boat over and let us out. And afterwards X walked up to the homestead, ihe peonle there were very kind to us. Mrs Holder had a big fire, and sue did everything she oould for us. Mrs Hannam, who is quite _a young woman, well under thirty, is the daughter of Mr George Whiting, of Pioton, and her parents were down at the Pictou Wharf to say good bye as she passed through.

THE LAST TRIBUTE. Wellington, February 16. The narrow streets round the Drill Shed in Buckle Street were packed this morning with people anxious to see the public funeral accorded to the victims of the Penguin disaster. First in order was a lorry with four coffins containing the remains of the Maguire children. On the lorry was seated a little boy, the only one left of the family. It was preceded by a band and foliQwed by a large number of personal friends. Behind these came five {lorries, each with two coffins, all covered t in flowers. These fourteen were all that started from the hall, but numerous private funerals are arranged for the same time, and also other hours throughout the day. Government was represented by Dr. Findlay. The ' *Mayor and officials of. the Union Company were also present, and a long cortege of cabs, expresses and people on foot, made up a train half a mile long. Caskets containing the bodies of the following left tire Drill Shed E. Gale, J. Rafferty, Miss Richards, William Ernest CJrooke, Keith Cape Williamson, Barnes, Wood, T. Woodford and Felix Woolward, and four others, making fourteen in all. Through the crowded streets, headed by the Mission Band, the procession jwent. After the band was a lorry drawn by two horses, bearing four white coffins, draped with colours, and decked with wreaths. Five waggons succeeded, each bearing two black coffins, also shrouded in the naval ensigns. These were chiefly members of the crew lost in the wreck. They were followed by their sailor friends hareheaded. The procession was brought up by {a large number of cabs containing leading citizens and the relatives of deceased. Many people followed afoot and many walked alongside. The large crowd was very quiet, very orderly, and intensely sympathetic.

people had gathered and the police had considerable difficulty in keeping the way clear for the cortege. The bur’al services were extremely brief, the whole ceremony being carried out as quietly as possible. In addition to the names telegraphed there were a number of private interments. r 1