WRECK OF THE TATHRA.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 35, 6 February 1912, Page 8

WRECK OF THE TATHRA.

A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. FOUNDERS WITH LOSS OF 21 ' LIVES. ALL OVE.II IN HALF AN HOUR. cPor Press Association.) Auckland, February 2. Sydney reports to hand contain graphic descriptions. of the wreck of the steamer Tathra off the Ambrym Island, Now Hebrides, on January 4th, when 24 lives wore lost. The survivors included, in addition to the master, Messrs McGuft'og (mate), Lowo (second mate), Palmer (second engineer), Kemp (third engineer), and Coleman (a passenger). The Tathra had left Ambrym for Epi early in the afternoon. Soon after sailing the barometer gave warning of approaching bad weather, and the captain decided to make back. At about 2.30 a.m. the vessel shipped sea over the starboard quarter which caused her to take a list to port. No one supposed she was in trouble, but when she did not right herself steps were at once taken to fetch her round again, and thus givo her a chance. The vessel failed to answer her helm. An attempt to get her away also failed, and she would not , rise. All hands were thereupon called on deck. The list being retained, the boats wore lowered.

The vessel gave her final lurch just as the second boat got clear of the side. All hands wore not aboard at this moment. One of them was Mr G. L. S. Kerr,’ of the firm of Messrs Kerr Bros., who held the steamer under charter from the Jllawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Company. He had jumped clear of the steamer, with his 16-months-old daughter in his arms. The natives hurried to his hell), and grasped the baby jin an endeavour to save both of them. Ho never saw his child again. Mr J. W. Russell, chief engineer, met his death in a most sensational manner after the ship heeled • over, He was seen swimming in the water!, and Mr Kerr sang out to him to try and keep going, and. got aboard the plank which he (Kerr) was on. Russell made a great effort to reach the plank, but the mast of the Tathra was bobbing up and down on the rough water, and just as he was swimming under it tho mast crashed down, striking the unfortunate engineer, and either killing him outright or stunning him. Whatever it did, Russell sank, and Kerr and the natives were left on their little plank alone. On this they .drifted about for over twelve hours. One native was swept off and sank. Mr Kerr managed to swim ashore. . ,1

The captain succeeded in getting 36 of the passengers and crew into the boat under his charge, but tho steamer went down before the mate’s boat could got clear with the remainder of tho vessel’s company. Only nine persons succeeded in getting into this boat. Some of the others were seen struggling in tho water after the ship went down. Attempts were made at rescue, but tho big seas carried the boats away. The mate’s boat reached the island of Malekula at 3 p.m. the same day, and at S p.rn. the captain’s boat reached Port Sandwich, where tho Malaita was at anchor, having put in to avoid the impending storm. Every soul of those saved lost everything. Most of them were asleep in their cabins when the order was given to hurry on deck. Altogether there Avcre seventy persons on tho vessel. There was no other warning of the impending disaster than the list she made. The foundering was fearfully sudden, all being over in from twenty minutes to half an hour. \

Captain Halliday, in tho course cf an interview, said it was pitch dark it tho time. “We did our best,” he wont on to say, “to rid tho imssel of the great quantity of water in the Avcll-deck, hut it was useless. I thenbrought her round to tho wind again, and hove her to in the hope of squaring things up, hut the manoeuvre was fruitless. She was then almost an her beam-ends to port, and all hands had been ordered on dock. i tried to get her away before the gale again, but she ivould not answer, hei helm, and began to go farther over. The lights went out a quarter of an nour before the steamer sank, and we were left to save so many people •u tlio inky blackness. Many of the missing went down with the ship. They never left tho deck. They conic! scarcely move avitli the steamer .on her beam-ends, and the sea washing aboard. AVe saiv her go before our boat got far away. She was right on her beam-ends when she took the final plunge.” Mr Coleman, the passenger among the survivors, dived clear of the vessel as she ivas about to go doAvn, and managed to reach one of the boats.