'UNRIVALLED SEAMANSHIP’

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 242, 3 January 1928, Page 1

'UNRIVALLED SEAMANSHIP’

jner Niagara Saved Crew of Burning Schooner Doris Crane RAGING INFERNO IN MID-PACIFIC fST as the master (Captain Hill), of the liner Niagara gave the order “Full steam ahead,” three blazing oasts, all that was left of the burning schooner Doris Crane, toppled into the waves. The final impression of passengers by the Niagara, who had watched, in mid-Pacific, the little wind-jammer burn in the early morning hours to the water’s edge, was the farewell salute as her flaming masts struck the ocean.

. FEW technical details as to lati- ® tnde and longitude—jotted in the spit's log—and the Doris Crane that lengthy list of ships that jj a *rer reach port. HR. LEON GORDON’S VERSION n« rescue of the crew of the Sooner, prior to the liner’s arrival at jdiolulu, was the thrill of the Nia•n’s trip across the Pacific. Leon Gordon, the well-known -topprodui er. who was a passenger, S* be never saw a finer exhibition • rtsmanship than the rescue of the ‘ gbip’s boats from the burning ves"by the crew of the Niagara. •They deserve every he M ld, “as moutainous seas were nalng at the time. As a matter of fget it took nearly three hours to bring the boats alongside.” » the Niagara had not seen the an in the sky 20 miles away there » not the slightest doubt in Mr. onion’s mind but that all the men of • Doris Crane would have perished, hi next boat on this course was the onngi. She would not have passed rq three weeks later. “There was r a hope in the world, for them," he The fire was observed shortly after an. on December 20. A yellow light nitrated Mr. Gordon’s cabin with a Ollring glow. There was a feeling r oomething was wrong. Hastily lining an assortment of garments „ gboe. one slipper, a sweater over ptanas, and for no apparent reason, jrnama hat! —the actor was soon on **ol the deck, he said, other figures Hlßed his in oddity. Sleepy minds, Ribrce, had to grasp the fact that the ■ts Crane, a schooner without wire- ■ equipment, copra-laden and three H out from Fanning Island to San Bdsco, was burning to the water’s Tit the masts still stood desperately pjjgbt in the early morning light as Tifying the persistently devastatI lames. It was obvious that no human beings MU live in such an inferno. A yel. nr rocket shot skyward a quarter of •fia from the blaze. The Niagara lug westward. A tiny red glow apund on the water a thousand yards lid to the east. R was soon discovered that two HR from the Doris Crane were being BflOQSly tossed on the menacing KIM. When dawn came one boqt riU be seen plainly from the Niapn. Almost unbelievable skill eventatty prevented both shells from belt imashed to pieces on the sides of liner. SCRAMBLING TO SAFETY 1 *Blx natives were in one boat With a white man at the helm. His moke-stained face was blacker than any Ethiopian. The display •I Mamanshlp in the rescue was •finest magical to watch. A rope tadder dangled perilously over the •Ido. Success. A native sailor •wambled to safety. Two A.B.’s Joined the smoke-stained tw in the boat below. In good time boat of the Doris Crane was ■aid to safety. la elderly man was at the helm oi h second boat, unperturbed and unMsd, giving orders. There was a Hf in the bottom of this boat —an inman. In less than half an h® ll !* fciecond boat was safely lashed Seird the Niagara. The gallant little •i of men was saved with the ex- ■ Won of one, who at that very mo■Ht was being cremated a few hun- •< yards to the left. To quote Mr Gordon again: "No toorda can describe the gameness the elderly English master he forced himself to smile • they pulled his scorched boots from feet that had helped to %it fire and water since 8 o’clock morning.” ft Was then that the Doris Crane PI her final salute. As the Niagara Maway from the scene of the disaster flaming masts toppled headM into the ocean. Jos master (Captain H. C. Davi- • and his men slept the sleep of ■nsted stupor. The native mem- & of his crew, child-like, celebrated P deliverance by weird native tts. ■ addition to the man who was toed to death, another was severely toed on the left leg. The crew of *ere taken to Honolulu, and there •in the care of the British Consul. • natives were brought to Suva. Gordon successfully organised a in aid of survivors, which re{•d in 1,000 dollars being received a few minutes of his appeal. 2*as eating breakfast when the •toent happened,” Captain Davison at Honolulu. “We just naturally •busy and stayed busy until there 'no more to do and then w*e had to Hively to save our skins. member of the crew and the leers behaved gallantly, and there ■ never a moment of panic. We ’•jarything we could to save her, L~ e fire spread too fast for us.” *ne captain’s son. H. C. Davison, was on watch. The other offi 2 *nd the crew were eating break “The first I saw of the fire was when ■tame shot through the hatchway the engine room. Then Rerei « inaibo. who were in the engine- ****** dashed out on deck, fighting

their way through flames,” First Mate Davison said in describing the scene. MAN MASS OF FLAMES Rerei was a torch of flames, the sur vivors declared, dying soon after the first outbreak from the burns he had received. "AH hands were on deck in a flash," the captain said. ‘‘We used extinguishers, water and everything We could get our hands on to save the ship. We closed the room up tight and smothered the flames with blankets and clothing wherever they broke out.” The bronzed, wiry-haired natives, tatooed and wearing brass ear pieces, unable to speak a word of English, presented a queer appearance as the survivors were snurrounded by Honolulu shipping men and bombarded by camera men. Captain Davison said that they ‘‘came through in the best of shape” during the hectic hours of the catastrophe, displaying courage and obeying orders unquestioningly. When the men set out in hopes of reaching one of the islands in the Hawaiian group, they armed themselves with provisions and water enough to last two weeks. “It wasn’t banquet grub,” Captain Davison said, hard biscuits and nothing much else. The men left the ship in such a hurry that they were at’ 3 to salvage but few odds and ends of clothing and personal belongings. The master of the lost ship pointed out that he was “sporting Captain Hill’s clothes.”