NIGHT OF TERROR

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 460, 30 June 1937, Page 3

NIGHT OF TERROR

WAIRARAPA WRECK Ate Grass For Two Days ■With her engines running at full speed, the steamer Wairarapa, inward bound from Sydney, crashed on to the rocks -at the Great Barrier in a thick fog on October 28, 1894. Memories of this tragedy of the sea are recalled by the death in Auckr iand, at the age of 80, of Mr. M. F. Hardeinge, of Herne Bay, who « £ a fireman on the ship and was believed to be one of the last survivors of the disaster. Mr. Hardeinge, was born in London on March 31, 1857, in the shadow of Big Ben, -and he came to the Dominion as a young man. He was connected with the sea for most of his life, and had been employed for some years by the Northern Roller Milling Company until he retired, about six months ago.

Mr. Hardeinge had joined the Wairarapa at Auckland on the last trip she ever completed. The return trip from Sydney was without incident, until the steamer ran into foggy weather off the New Zealand coast. At 4 a.m. Mr. Hardeinge had gone to his bunk in the fo’c’sle, and, tired out from his hard work in the stoke-hole, he fell asleep immediately. “We Are on the Rocks.” “The first thing I knew of the wreck was feeling one of my mates. 1 shaking me and telling me we were on the rocks,” said Mr. Hardeinge in an interview with a “Star 1 reporter 'on the anniversary of the wredk 43 years ago. "The crash of the ship on the rocks.” he added, “had failed to awaken me, but I lost no time i.i getting on deck. I remembered’ that I had forgotten my lifebelt, so i went to the wheel-house and' got one. I went to my boat station, but the Steamer had taken a heavy list and we had a chance of launching the lifeboat. I could do nothing at the time, so I grabbed the handle on a ventilator and hung on, Jhe ship’s carpenter, who -had gone overboard, was washed on to the side of the ship and J managed to grab him and help him to safely.” While he was hanging on to the ventilator Mr. Hardeinge noticed one of the lifeboats trying to get away from the ship. Full of water, and almost gunwale under, the boat had II men in it, and they were working desperately to get the boat away. The painter was tied to the side of the ship, and the boat could not be cleared. Seeing their plight, Mr. Hardeinge plunged, into the water, slashed the rope apart, and the boat was free with the men striving their utmost to make use of the oars. There were but a few inches of freeboard, and when the men sat down the water was up to their chests. For nearly four hours the men sat in the water'and rowed, and at dawn they saw a spot near Miners’ Head, where some of 'them thought they would be able to get ashore. others thought differently, and during the argument that followed' the boat got broadside on to the waves and capsized. Thrown into the sea, the men scrambled on to the bottom of the boat, wherdupon it rolled over. They succeeded in getting inside once more, but the boat rolled over a third time.

Nightmare Swim Ashore. “We’ll have to swim for it!” shout- ' ed Mr. Hardeinge to the men, and with several others he struck out for the shore. He ha'd' only a hazy memory of the last half of his nightmare swim. He lacerated his hands on the rocks as h e landed, staggered o n to the beach and collapsed. Only one of the 12 men in the boat had reached the shore. Mr. Hardeinge ate grass for two days to keep himself alive. With other survivors he was rescued later by a party of natives and taken to Copper Mine Bay. Ninety-three of the 230 people on the Wairarapa were drowned. Mr. Hardeinge. wa £ associated with i the Salvation Army for many years, and played in many of its bands. Of late years he had been connected with the Congregational Church. His father was a captain in the Indian | Army, a nd took part in the fighting at | the Indian Mutiny. He Je/aves an I adult family of four, there being two 1 daughters, Mrs. C. Kean, of Ponson- ; by, end Mrs. G. A. West, of Pirongia, ■ and' two sons, Mr. G. Hardeinge, of Devonport, and Mr. William Hardeinge, of Henderson.