THE DISASTER TO THE KILLOCHAW. COLLISION IN THE CHANNEL. (English Mail via Brindisi.)

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 353, 23 March 1889, Page 6

THE DISASTER TO THE KILLOCHAW. COLLISION IN THE CHANNEL. (English Mail via Brindisi.)

A disastrous collision, involving terrible los& ot life, occurred in the English Channel on Sunday night, February 3. The .vessels concerned were the bteam collier Neried, bound from Newcastle to St Nazaire, and thesailing shipKillochan, which left Lyttelton on October 1 with a cargo of wheat for Quecnstovvn. On reaching- Queenstown the Killochan was instructed to proceed to London, and sailed accordingly on February 1. Sho experienced very heavy weather crossing the English coast, and passing Beachy lload the steam tug spoke to them, and followed slowly on her port quarter up the channel, evidently hoping ior the job of tugging her into the Thames. Meanwhile the Nereid was approaching down channel, and could bo seen some considerable distance oil on tho starboaid bow. The ships held on till they wero close. Now comes tho divergence ot testimony. The men sailing the .ship declare they held steadily to their course, but those of the steamer deolaie that tho ship did not hold true to the channel cour&e, and that the tug being almost abreast ot the Killochnn, tho Nereid had the steamer to avoid as well as the sailing ship, and that this caused the accident. Tho steamer struck with a terrible ciash. Theie was a i ush of the crows to get out theiv boats, but befoio a single one could be launchod from tho wheat-laden ship t>he heeled over on her side on which she had been .struck, and wentdown within two minute, whilethe .steamer could launch only the boat befoie she followed her to -the bottom in three minutes inoie. The btruggleis in the water weic desperate. Every man lought tor his life. Some wero good swimmers, and struck out for what was wreckage floating ; others sank helplessly in icy cold water. Tho crew ot the tug Red Rose &tio\e resolutely to rescue all who weio to be lound. The bkipper, with some of his men, launched the beat aud pulled about over the spot, pickina up all they could sec, while the steamer's boat brought most of her ciew. The following aie tho names ot 17 men lost fiom the Killochan : — William Man^on, captain ; J. Al'Lood, cook ; James Reid, carpenter; Win. Anderson, boatswain : Peter Palblo, John Kobcits, Rlchaid Young, Antonio Silva, John M'Cuagh, James Thomas, William Barrett, Oscaison, ablo seamen ; Harold Bell, ordinary seaman ; Peter M'Kinna and Robert Finnigan, apprentices ; Harry Newell, cabin boy. John Stevens, able seaman, died after he was picked up. The following eight wero saved lrom the Killochan : — John S. Day, fit&t mate ; (Jhatles H, Smith, second mate ; Xl'her, sailmaWer ; Carl Anderson, Niven, and Frank Pain, A.B. ; li. Brown and J. Caddy, oidinary seamen. Six ot the crew of tho Nereid wero lost, including the hr^t j mate.

DISASTER TO THE LARGS BAY, Another maritime di&aster occurred in the channel on the night of February fl th attended with even more shocking loss of life. A large Glasjiow barque, the Largsßay, bound from London foi Auckland, came into collision of Beachy Head with a large iourmasted steamer, and the latter ve&sel foundered within a lew minutes. So tremendous was the forco of the collision that the bows ot the barque were stove In, her bowsprit, jibboom with all gear attached, together with mainstay, gallantmast, and mizzen-topmast head all carried away, and the foremast was broken off short at the deck, killing an apprentice as it fell. The crew ot the barque had thetefoie no time to think of the other vessol, their own immediate pressing duty being to clear away tho wieckage which lumbered her decks and made it almost impossible to move. The foie compaitment was full of water,and a number of men had to work on the pumps. The steamer was seen settling down alter the collision, and within eight minutes completely disappeared from view. There is little reason to doubt that the steamer foundered, and that not a soul on boaid could have escaped. The weather was thick with snow showers, a strong wind was blowing, and theie was a heavy sea on. The vessels were close together before they could see each other, and the collision followed within a few minutes of the rirst sight. Thoso on board the Largs Bay had time to notic6 that the stranger was a four ma^tei, and from her size and the lights she earned concluded fhe must be a passenger \ essel. The Largs Bay, with a hugh lent in her bows, drifted slowly cowards the Isle of Wight, and her signals were not observed until she 1 cached a point 60 miles suth-casb of St. Catherine's. There her signals weie answered, and she was towed into Cowes roads for £100. The Largs Bay belongs to Halfield, Cameion. and Co., of Glasgow, and is an iion barque of o\er 2,000 tons gioss, classed 100 Al. There is no doubt entertained by Lloyds or by the owners that the steamer which was sunk of! Beachy Head by the collision with the Largs Bay was the s.&. Glencoe, of the Glen line, a vessel of 3,000 tons gross. The Glencoe was not reported passed Portland till at Ip.m. on Monday, and consequently would have ariived just at the point of collision when the disaster took place, and she has not been roported since. She had no passengers, but carried a crew of 29 British soamen and 23 Chinese. It is difficult fo ascertain the exact circumstance of the collision. According to the statement made by the pilot, who took the Largs Bay to Cowes, tiio unknown steamer tiied to pass between two sailing vessels going in opposite directions when the collision occurred.