The Wimmera.

Taihape Daily Times, 29 June 1918, Page 4

The Wimmera.

SUNK BY DOUBLE EXPIiOSI<jJ£ PARENGA, June 28. The Wimmera survivors at Parenga. arrived by launches from Waiheuheu, where Mr Murdoch Munro, sheep farmer, of Waihuahua station, attended:; to their comforts through the night.* The sufferers had walked and crawled. over eight miles of rough hilly country Every kindness has been shown to them by the people in the Pare;ngarenga district.

The ship was shattered by'a doubleexplosion towards the stern, Completely wrecking the social hall and part of the bathing accommodation. The vessel settled quickly on an even keel, the failure Of the lights 'within two minutes making the work bf leaving; her much more difficult. She settled down By the stern, the bows rising 50ft. into the air before she plunged, to the bottom, Within 30 minutes from the time of the explosion carrying with her a considerable number of her passengers and crew. It was a moonlight night with a fair sea, so that the disaster was at least unaccompanied by the additional horrors of high winds* and heavy seas. This made it possible to launch four /boats \ sucee'skfiilly, carrying 84 souls. One other;Mboat was stove in, and another >fl|j?as

swamped. Most of the people in the four boats were in their night attire and were without boots. The sudden -shock of" the terrific explosions in the earlyhours of the morning before dawn found most of the people sound asleep in bed. They were plunged immediately into the horrors and confusion of shipwreck, and the failure of the lights within two minutes added tothe terror of the situation. The survivors speak of the entire absence of panic, and many instances of cool grit are told. Members of the crew refer particularly to the splendid, bravery of the women and children, who by obeying orders and remainingcalm greatly facilitated the work of loading the boats. Even the suddenness of the disaster, the imminent danger of the. quickly settling ship, the intense cold,, and the difficulty in launching the boats failed ...to ■ .break down the heroic courage of men, women, and children,. „. , } The .captain, the .first. ofacer> the chief steward and several otheA remained on the sinking steamer till the-, last,, and it is thought wentsfdown with her Four people were ijescued. from the sea, including, the chief engineer, who walked off the deck jm the steamer sank. One family .of elers- - and another of seven were amongthe survivors. Most of the "stewards

who were saved climbed through a skylight. A greaser, who was in the tunnel at the time of the explosion, was saved. All the survivors are well and in excellent spirits.

TWENTY-NINE SURVIVORS MANGONUI, June 28. All the Taemaro Bay. survivorslanded here in good health, and Mangonui residents are caring for them* The Waiotahi will pick them all upabout 5 p.m. and leave for Auckland. The names are as follows:—F. W* Mole, Chas. Hodder, T. G. Graham, P< Elliott, Miss Alice Dunn, Miss Ada. Sayegh, L. Hennersen, J. Blockboro, W. J. Giblin, wife and two children, J. Forsyth, Mrs and Miss Browning, T. Grimshaw, Miss Street, J. McCartney, F. C. Bond, Mr and Mrs SydneyJones, E. Gamble, W, B'rewis, R. Murdoch, E. Saville, H. Kenney, J. Donahy, P. McCrewe, W. Roper, S. Yates,, and one member of the crew whoso name is at present uncertain. SPLENDID HEROISM OF WOMENFOLK. PAKENGA, June 28.

In common with many more splendid instances, of courage, the passengers and crew rescued from the Wimmera speak of the help given by Mrs. Robertson, stewardess of the Wimmera, who.' cheerfully helped the ladies and •■children tvith what scanty clothing wasavailable, and with adjusting their lifebelts. She then walked on to the upper deck, and stood by till the boat took her final plunge.

. Mrs. Gould, a grand old lady of sixty-nine, wished to stay aboard and' make room for some younger ones, saying she had lived her life and the .younger women were more use. Later she was taken off, and throughout hours on the water and the trying journey over the .hills to Waihuehue, . with Jit'tle clothing and without boots, she. ajid and Mrs Croft, wife of Captain 1 Croft, ef the Huddart-Parker Co. &$/much;to keep up the spirits of the l Party/ 1 ' ' 'Cbionei Graham and Captain Kell «refusedp to embark o n the boat, anff twent oWn with the ship. The chief engineer . walked off the -Wimmera as she sank and was rescued from the water by one of ,theMlready heavily laden boats. C" One lady, whose, name was not**. tainable, worked at the oars in tlie

"■'• pull to shore, ahowing her ..hands blisterediwiih'theexertion."'- f The assbtaiit purSuer had a trying time on hto journey to Tehapua, where WjjS went, over rough country. on horsewith a Maori guide to give infonnation of the disaster.

, FORTY-POUR STILL UNACCONTED Y FOR.

The latest information with reference to the fourth boat, which landecr at Mangonui with 29 passengers from .-': the Wimmera, shows that there are still unaccounted foT 18 passengers (including one child) and 26 memberg ( pf. the crew. The names of those unaccounted for are: — M * ;Mrs. E. M. V v Kerr, Mrs. Burt, Mrs. Gould, Mr. H. Graham, Mr. Hewitt, Mrs. Jones, Miss, Jones, Mr. W. J. Ma.be, Mrs.,.V McLean, Mrs. McDonald and child, Mr. Peter, Mr. M. Sanndo, Mr. J. San Pedro, Mrs. I. O. Schuberg, Miss "Watson, Miss A. Wyllie. Crew.—J. M. Kell, Master; A. Nich-' 01, chief officer; A. Brookes, third officer; S. Collier, second engineer; Mouat, fourth engineer; H. Verge, chief steward; A. Bomont, Wireless operator; N. Hawkeswood, asst. purser; C. McMillan, stewardess; J. Robertson, stewardess; B< Benson, A. 8.; H. Butler, steward; F. Crosa, nightwatchman J. De Beuze, fireman; B. Edwards, rfthird cook; J. Fanning, fireman; "A. .ifiteary; A. 8., E. Greaves, steward; S. Hawkes, fireman; E. Martin, 0.5.; J. Mulvenna, A. 8., C. Neal, fireman; W. Smeed, steward; F. Tildsley, fireman; C. Woodward, steward. ARRIVAL OF SURVIVORS IN AUCKLAND. CAPTAIN'S COOLNESS COMMENDED. A MODERN GRACE DARLING. AUCKLAND, this day. The Wimmera's survivors arrived here by the Clansman this morning, and were accorded a hearty welcome ■ by the authorities and the public. • : fivery assistance possible was renderled' them. 'All were well excepting a steward named Corner, who had a broken collarbone, sustained by falling timber when the disaster occurred.. One lady was limping owing to her feet being cut by broken glass. 'They were in a great variety of clothins. L " :; v; \ jßlaptain Fleming distributed order's or clothing on behalf "of the Shipwreck Relief Society. The crew were f looked after by the Seamen's Union and Harbour Board.' The survivors are enthusiastic in praise of -their treatment by Maoris ax-, ~.ter they landed, and loudly cheered (! Miss Kelman, a lady passenger, whom they call the New Zealand Grace Darling, because she assisted to row their boat from the wreck to Tern Bowling Bay. • survivors state that Captain Kells displayed the utmost coolness '- and' courage. One of the passengers :i heard him say to the passengers in the *oats: "Stand by; we will have - you back to breakfast in the mornins."