THE QUETTA DISASTER.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 454, 15 March 1890, Page 5

THE QUETTA DISASTER.

A TERRIBLE OCCURRENCE. LOSS OF 166 LIVES THE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. DETAILS BY' TO-DAY’S MAIL. By the steamer Mararoa, which arrived from Sydney to-day, we are in receipt of full details of the terrible disaster which overtook the British India Company’s steamer Quetta white on her way from Brisbane to London. The first telegram respecting the lamentable occurrence stated that the Quetta had struck an unknown rock near Mount Adolphus Island on the previous night. It is estimated that 200 people were drowned and about 100 saved. The latter are on a small island. Steamers have left Thursday Island for the scene of the wreck and will return either to Thursday Island or Somerset this morning. The Quetta was a full ship, with over 100 passengers, about 30 European officers and crew, and 95 coloured crew. The passenger list included a number of well-known citizens going home for a holiday, and expecting to reach London at the beginning of the summer. The Quetta was a vessel of 3,300 tons gross, and was valued at about £75,000. She was not insured. THE SCENE OF THE DISASTER. Mount Adolphus Island, which is near the scene of tho disaster, lies between Cape York, the most northern point of Australia, and Thursday Island. The water in the vicinity is studded with reefs and shoals, and altogether appears to bo a most dangerous locality. The Torres Straits separate Australia from Fapualand. The distance across from Cape York to New Guinea is 80 miles. The Straits are crowded with islands, shoals, and reefs, which render its navigation difficult. The 8.1.5. N. Company have a pilot to take their vessels through the Straits, and the present is believed to be tho first occasion on which one of their steamers ha? got into trouble near the place mentioned. The Company’s s.s. Taroba did, however, strike on an unknown rock lower down the Queensland coast, near Mackay, some three months ago. STATEMENT BY THE CAPTAIN-

Captain Saunders states that he was on the bridge with the pilot when the steamer struck. He rushed to the end of the saloon deck and told the chief officer to get the boats out. He rushed forward again and found the ship had already settled by her bead. He then returned aft to try and get the women into _ the boats, but found the ship settling rapidly. He just had time to climb into the rigging and throw himself into the water when the stern rose completely out of the water and the vessel heeled over and went down, the whole occupying nob more than three minutes from the time of striking. He undressed himself in the water and swam about for half-an-liour, when ho was picked up by a lifeboat, already full with people. The water was washing over the gunwales, which were broken. All hands but four jumped out to try and bail the boat out, but owing to the broken state of the gunwales and the wash of the sea they could nob succeed, so they gob into the boat again and proceeded towards the nearest land, reaching it about 1 a.m. Another lifeboat, heavily laden, reached the place before them and was sent away at once to search the scene of the”wreck. She returned full, having picked up everybody visible. At daylight a crew was made up and started for Somerset, reaching there at 10.30. They sent a horseman to Patterson with telegrams about the disaster. Mr Jardino sent out the lifeboat again with provisions and water and his own men to those rescued on the island, and stopped the steamer Victoria when passing Somerset and proceeded in her bo bring off 1 the people. Meeting the Albatross,, however, ho transferred to her, allowing the Victoria to proceed on her way. The men, after the steamer first struck, rushed to the boat stations to clear them. To this the captain attributed their being able to save the two boats, otherwise far greater loss of life would have occurred. Not a vestige of the vessel is to be seen above the water. STATEMENT BY PASSENGERS.

William Gregory, a passenger, says he was on the upper deck when the vessel struck. The impact did not stop or jerk the vessel much, but she seemed to rip her way through the rock. He remained on the vessel until the very last. He was getting right astern when, the vessel disappearing, he was forced to jump overboard. The vessel going down caused a good deal of suction, with which he was dragged down. Eventually he came across a boat upside down, with nine or ten persons clinging to her, being unable to bale her out, as she was much damaged. Having righted the boat, they then made for the land, picking up the captain and pilot en route. A good deal of wreckage was floating about, also poultry and sheep. The cries of the women when the vessel wa3 sinking were heartrending. Another passenger alongside warned him of the danger of the boiler bursting, but fortunately the engineer had opened the escape valve, which let out the steam, making things suffocating for a few moments. H. WORTHALL’S STORY.

H. Worth all, from Townsville, states that he was sitting on the front hatch with his wife and children, when the vessel struck. The captain called all hands aft, but the second steward said, “It’s all right; its only the anchor dropped.” Terrible confusion ensued, especially amongst the women. The coloured men were particularly poisy aqd unmanageable. The forward hatch was blown several feet into the air by the pressure from below. Qne lifeboat was lq\yered to the water’s edge as the vessel was sinking, but it was rushed by the Javanese, causing it to swamp. My wife jumped off the ship into the sea, and I followed shortly after with the child in my arms.. I never saw my wife afterwards, When in the water I was held by a coloured man, and

IN THE STRUGGLE LOST MY CHILD, who was drowned. I got hold of a boat to which a large number of persons clung, and assisted to get her upright. When the water was baled out, all hands, numbering about 70, got in. There were plenty of oars about When pulling ashore we picked up two white men. After landing us the boat returned to assist the other boat with the captain and others. The land was over three miles away from the wreck. The officer on the bridge at the time of the disaster got lifebuoys and threw them overboard just as the ship was going down. The officer and his rnen did their best. When pulling ..ashore we met several Javanese clinging to wreckage, which' they refused to leave for our boat. Immediately after striking, the vessel heeled over to the port side and settled down forward. Then she suddenly disappeared.altogether. \Je suffered much from cold during tlie njgbt off the islands, pp'hrcs could'bff lighted, and we lnd to re-

main in our wet clothes. I believe the ropes of the boat were cut as the vessel was going down. J. Morphy get to the boat, bub, owing to the number of coloured men and their quarrelsome attitude, he left it for the cowshed. While supporting himself .on tho latter. Dr. Poland came up, and JMorphy gob him up several times, but ho was too weak to hold on, and fell off’. He was never seen again afterwards by Morphy. Four other whites and one coloured man afterwards joined him on the cowshed, which drifted near the shore, and the occupants were rescued by the boab. MR ASELFORDS ACCOUNT, Mr Aselford saw the hatches blow up. When the vessel was settling down he got hold of the rigging, and felt a woman with his foot, but was unable to save her, as she, with many others, was under water. He swam to the boat, which was covered with Javanese. They got the boab righted, and baled out. A steerage steward named G. P. Shalterd then came up and threw a child he had picked up in the water into the beat. The child was apparently dead, bub was carefully attended to and is now safe. The steward left the boat and swam to the cowshed, followed by Morphy, as he was the only white man among over 60 coloured men with the boat. He cut away a calf which was tied in the pen, and he was eventually rescued from the shed by a boat about 3.30 a.m. Every man spoken to states that the time from striking until the vessel sank was not more than three minutes. The carpenter was badly bruised, as he gob jammed by a boat when the vessel sank. Fortunately, the boab became free, and he rose to tiie surface, and is now safe. One European lad and four coloured men drifted to another island, from where they were rescued yesterday, the lad being badly scalded with steam. When the vessel struck she passed over the rock, or reef, going 12 knots. The engines at once stopped and way stopped almost immediately, and the vessel at once sank. The passengers are all carefully provided for, as also are the crew. All the engineers were drowned. IIOW SOME WERE SAYED.

The steamer Memo England returned to Thursday Island at 10 o’clock on Monday, bringing the saved saloon passengers. One of the rescued party states that tho Albatross started at the first streak of day north of Mount Adolphus Island. Her boat was sent ashore, brought four natives and one Hindoo, who stated that the chief mate, Mr Gray, who could nob swim, was with him on a raft made of an oar, being on that several heure. The native bold the mate he would swim ashore, have rest and come back for him. He was, however, too exhausted to get back, but saw the raft pass and saw it no more. Going further, a group of people was met at the north corner of the island. On the way there an object was seen in the water and the vessel steered for it. The excitement was great when io was seen to be a white person alive supposed to be a young man. A boat was lowered and tho person was found to be Miss May Lacy, saloon passenger. She was greatly exhausted, being in the water over 30 hours. Proceeding, the steamer found 15 coloured men on tho island. Dr. Poland and a saloon passenger, name unknown, were washed ashore. We saw a lugger searching, and it was stated people had been seen to the north. I instructed the captain of the lugger to search low woody island. The Albatross proceeded to examine this wreckage and found a boab bottom up. The boab was righted and taken in tow. Those on board then saw a lugger, which proved to be Jardine’s boat, lb had 10 of the saved on board and proceeded to Somerset. After this the boating parties were met and they reported finding one Javanese alive, together with the bodies of a child and a woman, which they buried. STATEMENT BY MISS NICRLINAn interesting story of the wreck is told by Miss Nieklin, one of the survivors. She says : The ladies were singing and practising for a concert in the music saloon when the ship struck. Airs Lord and the youngest Miss Lacy and my mother were in their cabins. Captain Whish and Miss Waugh were in the saloon writing letters. I believe all these rushed on deck when the vessel struck. Tho noise caused by the vessel striking sounded like a tank going overboard ; then there was a grating sound and then a smell of water from the engine-room. I ran down to my mother, who returned with me on to the deck. I then heard the captain say, “ All who want to be saved, go aft.” Mother asked father to go down and try help Mrs Lord up. He went down, and we never saw him again. We rushed aft, and just had time to get upon the railing over the stern so as to avoid the awning when the ship went down. We did nob jump off. The ship seemed not to sink, bub the waters seemed to rise around us. The vessel went down suddenly at the last moment, leaving nearly ‘2OO people all huddled together in the water treading upon eqch other. When the vessel went down

I LOST MOTHER, BUT I KNOW NOT HOW. 1 sank twice, and then floated for a while, as I could swim. I then caught hold of a grating to which the purser and two or three Javanese were also clinging. Another Javanese tried to get on to the grating, and frightened me so that I let go. I floated a little longer, and then caught a dead sheep, to which I clung until I got hold of a plank. I was alone. I called out to the boats, the people on which could hear but not see me, as the moon had gone down. 1 tried to swim and paddle away to the shore, which I could plainly see, and got near the shore, but became coo weak to work any longer. I then vyaited for daylight, and fell partially asleep several fames while lying upon the plank. At daylight I swam towards the shore, still holding the plank, and reached land in about three hours’ time. When I got into shallow water an Indian cabin boy, who was the only person on the island, helped me ashore, as I was too weak to wall?. When I first got on to the plank I tore off my skirt. My arm and neck are much burnt and I now feel very weak.

THERE WAS NO WATER ON THE ISLAND. I saw Dr. Roland give my mother a plank before the vessel sank, and he advised her to take off her dress. When screaming for the boat I heard Miss Lacy, who asked if it was I, and telling me to hold on, and I would most likely be washed ashore, but I never saw her. All through the night I could hear people calling out for help, and I could also hear boats. I think most of the ladies were caught by the awning when sinking. Mother could not swim. Mrs Lord, just before retiring to her oabin, \yriting to her husband, and had cut off a lock of her hair and plaited it to send to him. - Upon some one saying, “ Anyone would think it was a sweetheart you were sending your hair to,” she replied that ho was far, dearer to her than a sweetheart. Sho then retired to her cabin. , I then met Miss Prentice, who asked me to'joiy her in a fetroll on- deck, but just as we gob upstairs the ‘vessel struck. I never eavy Miss Rrantice afterwards. • \

THE INSURANCES. The insurances on the cargo of the Quetta as far as ascertained are as follows : National of New Zealand, £2,745 ; United, £2,000; Queensland Lloyds, £3®,000 ; New Zealand, £1,303; Standard of New Zealand, £928 ; Victoria, £790 ; Commercial Union, £800; Pacific, £BOO.