THE SYDNEY COLLISION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 317, 7 January 1909, Page 3

THE SYDNEY COLLISION

IOABLE NEWS Cable—Press Association,—Cop.v i right.)

; AX INtJUIKV OKDEKEI). Sydney, January 0. Tile loiv-liii;. between tim launch ami Ihc pinnace was (io feet lung. Tnc , steamer lirst struck this, ami almost immediately after fouled the pinnace. Hi;' captain of Hie JJ nore states tiuiL he was going dead slow. When he saw mi accident was inevitable he wdcred the engines to he reversed, u:id the \esscl was almost at a standstill when it struck the boat. i'he survivors, after the first moment's consternation durai" which a muubiT of those in the water were pushed under in the struggle, had no chance to rise. They displayed groat coolness and performed many acts of heroism, those able to swim helpim.the non-swimmers. ° One man managed to swim ashore, i Ihc rescue boats from the warship' were on the scene within three minutes. An inouiry was opened on the Jincounter and adjourned. Mr Fisher, Federal'i'remier, sent a message of condolence to the Admiral. THE FUNERAL. SOLEMN AND IAII'KIiSSIVE SH'IiUTACLE. Keceived (I, 0.25 p.m. ti f , , ' S '>' d, "T' >**<- Nigh'. The luneral of the fifteen bluejackets who were drowned took place this -iftermron Jt was a solemn and impressive spectacle. UclHcen four ami five hundred naval men dressed in white, first assembled in a temporary chapel at Warden Island, where the coffins of their, comrades lav. A brief service Has Jield. The wive* of the captains in charge of the naval depot and the captain of the Encounter deposited two beautiful wreaths in the chapel to the memory of tile men. After prayer the assembled men sang in u.iison the hyiuu, "Brief life is here our portion." Strong men brushed aside tears as the service for the dead proceeded. The service was concluded by the singing of the hyiuu, "For those iii peril on the SC a," a ud the white-robed sailors stood as the "Dead Jlarch in Saul' was played. Then they filed past the row of coffins out into the sunlbdit to take part in the landing and burial of their dead.

At the man-o'-war slairs the bodies were landed and the marines with fixed bayonets formed a guard. As the coffins, covered by the Union Jack, passed, the marines stood to attention and the bugle-call sounded, It was the last solemn salute to the dead. The corte-'c then started. Dense crowds thronged the route to the Redferu railway station, whence the bodies were taken to the necropolis.

Hushed stillness pervaded the great | throng. Flags were everywhere at halfmast. ■Colonel Wallace, A.D.C., represented the Governor-General. Detachments of the military forces were present. Representatives of all the shipping .jj, lc , attended the funeral. NEW ZEALAND'S SYMPATHY. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Sir Joseph Ward has asked His Excellency the Governor to convey to-Ad-miral Poore the sympathy of the Government and people of New Zealand in connection with the disaster at Sydney, wjiere so many brave men belonging to the warship Encounter lost their lives. Palmerston N., Wednesday. During November a large squad of the Encounter's men were in Palmerston for several days taking part in the military tournament. To-day the Mayor, on behalf of the townspeople, despatched a cable to Captain Tyler expressing regret at the calamity that had overtaken the ship.