DISASTROUS COLLISION. THE CENTENNIAL SUNK.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 401, 11 September 1889, Page 5

DISASTROUS COLLISION. THE CENTENNIAL SUNK.

NARROW ESCAPE 'OF HER PASSENGERS AND CREW. KANAHOOKA SERIOUSLY DAMAGED.

Somk oxcitomenb was occasioned in Sydney on the evening of tho 23rd, when a reporc was circulated that one of the large passenger sbeamers had been sunk by collision in the harbour. Tho report was brought to town by one of tho Manly Ferry steamers and proved to be only too truo. Tho colliding steamers were the Centennial and the Kanahooka. The former sustained considerable damage and sank almost immediately, tho passengers and crew, numbering upwards of 100, barely escaping with their lives. The Kaoahooka narrowly escaped a similar fabo, her bow being completely wrecked. The Uentonnial at the time of the collision was on her way to New Zealand, having left IV! ell wraith's Wharf at 8 p.m. with about 50 passeugors, includingl a number of ladies, and a largo and valuable cargo, whilst the Kanahooka was inward bound from Wollongong, with coal.

THE COLLISION. According to the statements of some of those on board, the Centennial was shaping a com so to pass through bho we&bern channel. She had got abreast of Chowder Bay safely, when the Kanahooka came up and struck her stem on. The collision was not a violent one, the blow being & sliding one and causing the Centennial to roll heavily. As soon as the Kanahooka gob I clear it was seen that the Centenial had a ! big holo in her bow, through which the water was pouring in. The captain headed his vessel for tho shore, with a view to beaching her, but beforo £he could get her ' into shallow water the tires wero pub out, and the vessel losing way began to settle down. Ordeis were then given to lowor the boats, and barely had the passengers and crow gob clear before the Centennial sank. The captain states that everyone on board the Centennial was saved, ho being the last to leave the ship. The ladies and childien wero got away horn the sinking ship in tho first boat, and the genblemen passengers followed, the crow being rescued by the boats from tho Kanahooka and also from the pilot sbpamei Captain Cook, which, in response to the signals of distress, proceeded to the scene of the di&astcr. The passon-gei-3 lost all their etiects in the vessel, arriving in Sydney with only what they stood in whon the collision occurred. Some of them were temporarily accommodated at tho Sailors' Home.

PASSENGER LIST. Following is a list of the passengers :—: — Misses Sievwright and A. Sievwright, Mis Sievwright, Messrs J. B. Tobin, Julias, H. Lewis, Fiank Thomas, Arthur, Cann, Frank Michie, D. Houston, J. Thompson, Air and Mrs J. Montgomery, Mr Montgomery, jun., Miss Montgomery, Mr Kierle, Mrs Kierle, Mr B. Johnston, Miases Johnston, M. Johnston, Messrs G. B. Humphries, R. (Jillespie, A. Wal&h, R. Fitzpatrick, and 31 in tho steerage. I The Kanahooka, after the collision, pro ! ceeded up the harbour and bertned alongside the 11,I 1 , and 0. R.M.s. Victoria, bringing up a number of the passengers and crew of the Centennial with her.

CAPTAIN LESSING'S STATEMENT Captain C. G. Lessing, of the Centennial, states :— " 1 left the wharf at BAQ p.m., bound for Wellington. We had on board about forty passengers, about half of them being steerage. The vessel leit Pynnont Bridge at 9 o'clock, and proceeded down the harbour at half speed. The weather \va& fair, but cloudy. We passed several vessel?. The whittle was kepb going, and all went well until P. 30 p.m. off Chowder Bay, when the vessel collided with another vessel — the Kanahooka, a steam collier, bound up the harbour. The Centennial was struck heavily on the starboard bow, and had a big hole knocked in her bow. 1 She began to settle clown at once, and I tried to beach her. The boats were got out and tho crew and passengers were all saved. One of the ciew was injured. 1 believe it was the butcher. She went down 20 minutes after she was struck. Tho pilot boat and another vessel came to our assistance and did excellent service. The fires weie put out by the water, otherwise I could have beached the vessel. I was on the bridge and had the second officer on the lookout. The crew numbered about 26 all told."

CAPTAIN MILLARS STATEMENT. Captain A. Millar, of the Kanahooka, states that his vessel left Wollongong at 5 p.m. for Sydney with a full cargo of coal ior the K.M.s. Victoria. Sho made a good run up the coast, and by 9 o'clock was inside the Heads. When the collision occurred the ships were abreast of Taylor Bayj point. The Kanahooka had been stopped, and her engines were going astern when, she struck. The shock was not a violent one. The Kanahooka had her stem completely wrecked and but for the water tight compartment she might have foundered. As soon as the Kanahooka got clear and it was found that the ship would tloab boats were lowered, and a number of passengex*s and crew of the Centennial were rescued. Blue lights woie burnt as signals of distress, and the pilot steamer and another boat came to the scene of the accident and rescued some of the people from the Centennial. No one was hurt on board the Kanahooka. One of the men from the Centennial, rescued by a boat from the Kanahooka, had his leg fractured. The Kanahooka'a lights were burning brightly when the collision occurred.

STATEMENTS OF PASSENGERS. Among the passengers who '* put up *' at the Sailors' Home were two friends, Messrs J. L. Lewis and E. P. Tobin, who were going to New Zealand under engagement to a gentleman who took passage earlier in the week in the Ringarooma. Less excited than the majority of tho rescued ones, they gave a very coherent account of the colli&ion. Their story is as follows : — The Centennial, delayed in departure owing to some cause unknown to them, left the wharf about a quarter to 9 o'clock, and got out from the shore all right. From the first, however, she seemed doomed. She struck the Pyrmont Bridge with considerable force, putting the gearing out of order and somewhat damaging the woodwork. The vessel sustained a few scratches only. Then good seamanship only saved the vessel from colliding with one of Howard Smith's steamers, which passed within a few yards of her bows. The Centenniai then went down tho harbour steadily, reaching the vicinity of Bradley's Head without mishap. Mr Lewis and his friend wera walking aft on the starboard side of the ship talking, when they noticed a steamer coming towards them at right angles. The Centennial was just then rounding the point. Mr Lewis says he noticed the red light of the approaching vessel, but being unacquainted with the "rule ot tho load," did not think anything of it, but gazed at the steamer merely out of curiosity. They lieard an order, but did not' know what \t was. Then

CAME THE CRASH SUDDENLY, and directly af terw.ards both vessels seemed to straighten out their bows, being each pointing towards the Heads. The other .vessel appoai-ed. >to settle down and fora moment it looked as if she was going to sink. After going right ahead for about 20 yards the Centennial began to sink. The captain of the latter, called out to tho collier for her crew to lower a boat, and one of the Centennial's boats was put afloat from tho port side. A second one was lowered, by which time the Kanahooka's had reached the side of the sinking ship. The passengers got into the boats as soon as they were launched. The Centennial's third boat had just reached the water when she gave a dip, and Lewis and Tobin jumped over the side. Two of the .remaining passengers then jumped, but fell into tho water arid were only dragged into the boat with difficulty. Tho Centonnial must have been a little over 100 yards from the land when the third boat was launched, and only a small portion of her was visible. The captain and officers were the lnsb to leave the vessel, and to Mr Lewis it seemed j as if their boat had a narrow escape of being

SUCKED UNDER WITH THE SINKING VESSEL. The captain and officers worked well to get the passengers off in safety, bub the crew, or ab least some of them, acted on the principle of " every man for himself," and seized the lifebuoys for themselves. Several, too, got in the boats besides those needed to uso the oars and steer. Everything was in confusion, the male passengcxs lost their heads, and tho women made a considerable noise. With the exception of the officers, and ono or two experienced passengers, all seemed greatly excited The third boat launched from the Centennial, in which the narrator? were, was picked up by the disabled Kanahooka and the occupants brought up to Circular Quay and landed ab the I. and 0. steamer lying there, "Anything saved?" — "No, not a thing," was the reply. " Everyone lost everything bub what they were dressed in. Some escaped from the vessel in their shirts only. No one had wine to look for any of their belongings. Only about beven minutes elapsed from tho time of the collision to the disappearance of the steamer. We helped," continued Mr Tobin,

"TO PUT THE LIFEBELTS ON THE LADIES, and I have gofc some ugly marks on my arm where they clutched me." When Messrs Lewis and Tobin weie being rowed to fche Kanahooka only a small portion of the vessel was visible, and when they left the scene they could see only the masthead light shining just above the water. The butcher of the Centennial, who was taken off in tho third boat, had his leg broken and his right arm badly cut, and another occupant of the boat — one of the stewards — had been hit in tho eye with a piece of wood or something \ery hard, to judge from the appearance of the contusion. One of the passengers, it waa stated, was also injured — in what way or to what extent was unknown. Several got wet through, and the second Centennial boat had a narrow escape of being capsized, but skilful management saved it. " Yes," concluded Mr Lewi?, " I supposo we must stay at the Home tonight. We've lost both our clothes and money. 1 bought a new suit yesterday, and haven't had the satisfaction of even trying it on."

A NARROW ESCAPE FROM DEATH. The butcher of the Centennial had a most miraculous escape from loting his life. He was in the forecastle when his ship was struck, and made his escape through the hole knocked in the ship's bow. He then struck out, intending to swim to ono of the t«o vessels, when he was struck by tliG propeller of the Kanahooka and had his las fractured. In his crippled condition lie cried out for help, and a boat from the Kanabooka, in charge of Mr Lee, being promptly lowered, he was rescued and brought to town on boaid the collier. On arrival alongside Dr. Powell, of R. M.s. Victoria, wenb on board and set the fractured limb. The doctor states bhab the unfortunate man has a,i terrible gash in his leg where he was struck by the propeller blade of the steamer. He was removed to the hospital. An examination of the Kanahooka on her arrival alongside the Victoria showed that her injuries were of a most serious nature, and the wonder is how she ever kept afloat. The stem of the vessel is a complete wreck, and the heavy iron plates in the vicinity have been torn and wrenched adrift, leaving a hole over 61 1. in length in the bow.

STARTING ON FRIDAY. Mr Tobin, who with Mr Lewis, elsewhere mentioned, jumped into the third boat just as the Centennial was sinking, dislikes starting on a journey on Friday. He says he spoke to the captain at the tea table, telling him that he had a sailor's supersti- ] tious dislike to starting on a journey on a a Friday. The skipper replied that Friday ended at 6 o'clock. (This was about 6.30.) But the young man persisted in affirming that he believed something would happen during the voyage. And ifc did. " Why do I dislike Friday ?" said Mr Tobin. " Well, it has always brought me ill-luck. Travel ling by railway, I have noticed that if I begin, my journey on that day something happens. The train gets off the line, collides, or has an accident somehow. Then I arrived at B i*o ken Hill on a Friday. Soon after I lost everything in a fire." And j% brought up other case 3 in which Friday and misfortune seemed to go hand in hand.