SURVIVORS' NARRATIVES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 18, 15 February 1909, Page 2

SURVIVORS' NARRATIVES

A PASSENGER'S STORY. Wolliiigton, Saturday Night. R. Bridge, of Wellington, son of H. B. Bridge, Oriental Bay, who was coming from Picton to attend his brother's funeral, was amongst those saved. The vessel, he said, left Picton at about six o'clock lust evening. All went well till about a quarter to ten, when A OIUNDING CRASH was heard. A few moments later it was apparent that Ihc vessel was about to siiilc Arrangements were at once made by the captain to get out the boats. The captain gave orders from the bridge. There was an ENTIRE ABSENCE OF PANIC, even amongst the women. The lireboats were tirst launched, and the women and children placed in them. SO. 1 LIFEBOAT WAS SMASHED, to atoms almost as soon as.it reached the water. The .second boat'also got stove in slightly, but managed to get clear of the ship. Shortly after, however, it capsized. Mr. Bridge himself got <«i board one of Ihe in f Is. These were absolutely THE LAST TO LEAVE THE SHIP, the captain lumseli remaining until the end. He managed to catch hold of an upturned boat. l T hc conduct of everybody from the time the ship struck un- i til she sank was A MAOMFICIvST DISPLAY OF HEROISM. Those on board: the two rafts—eleven on one ;lnd twelve on the other—had a trying lime. One raft was completely overturned on threi' occasion® during the wild and stormy night. The other was OVERTURNED FOUR TIMES. Strange to relate, the passengers and members of ihc crew who left on the rafts were saved. Charles <A.B.) was one of the saved, and whom a reporter found at Mr. -lohu McMeuamcn's house on the Terauihti station. 1:1 c gave a graphic account of the wreck. When the vessel struck tlieic was a suund. like TlfK RENDINf; OF A (TIGANTJU PIECE OF CALICO. "I. knew at once, that the steamer hurt struck, but we kept £oing for a. while, it was soon discovered that the water was making very fns-t m the chain locker and fore eahin, Tu a short space of time Nos. } Miid 2 lifeboats were ready for launching with women and children. The , SEA WAS RUNVTNC MOUNTAINS UK;H, ami tlie ta-ik was a diflicult one. Oreat waves thundered against the sides of. the snip and the boats, One boat, after it was launched, was SMASHED TO PIECES. No. I lifeboat, however, got clear of the ; ship, but owing to the cruel building , it was found she was leaking. This time I was with the second o/lieer leaping to launch another lifeboat. We had got the boat out of the davits when a tremendous sea struck her under the | bottom and she capsized', j "At this time the ill-fated Pe;iguin | was rapidly settling down. Alt the. female. passengers had left by this time. ' There was NO PANIC. Everybody strictly obeyed the orders given by the captain. The men were huddled about on deck and the raplaiu still occupied his place mi the bridge. We had a full complement aboard, and \\«re ju>t drifting away from the ship when the boiler burst with A TREMENDOUS EXPLOSION, and the ship slipped out of sight. Fortunately we were a >nlVicient distance from the vessel to prevent our being sucked under. The other raft had also managed to get deav. By .

A STROKE OF LUCK wo managed to secure two oars. With these we guided the direction of our frail craft during the long hours of the night. We drifted for three hours and at about three o'clock saw LAND LOUMINC UP through the haze and mist. A TKUIidILK XKillT. "I -hall never forget that night as long as I Jive. We overturned on three oceasi,.n>. Once I got awav from the raft about 20 yards, a-.id again my ability as a swimmer wa., responsible for saving my life. It was KKAUA' PITTAJJLK when the raft overturned l„ see the mm struggling in the water. It was magnificent, however, to see them helping each other to a place of safety. About three o'clock we drifted and worked our way -pretty close to bind. The raft ('HASHED INTO THK POCKS, I and 1 we all found ourselves making for the shore. While we were drifting 'we had occasional glimpses of Captain Xaylor, who was clinging to a damaged boat. He was accompanied by a passenger, a young man between iij and 3U years of age. Jty means which lam not aware, this poor fellow had one of his HANDS TOliX FUOM MIS AK.\l! I .myself saw the captain taking out his handkerchief, binding it above the. poor fellow's wrist. The eaptahi managed to reach the short alive. His companion did not. His dead body is now lying on the beach. A.\ HKKOIC WOMAN. "if anybody acted heroically it was Mrs. ilnmian, the sole female survivor out of a passenger list and crew numbering lull. When the damaged lifeboats en me ashore, the men oa the beach turned them over and under one of the boats they found Mrs. llannan and a youth named Kllis .Matthews, previously referred to. Mrs. llannan, whose father is a resident of Kelson, was nceom.pa-.iied by her husband and four children. All were drowned. THE .MOST PATHKTIC INCIDENT

A STROKE OF LUCK, wo managed to secure two oars. With these we guided the direction of our frail craft during the long hours of the night. We drifted for three hours and at about three o'clock saw LAND LOUMINC U' through the haze and mist. A TKUIidILK XKIIIT. "I -hall never forget thai night as long as [ Jive. We overturned on three oceasieii.-. Once I got away from the raft about -ill yards, a-.nl again my ability as a swimmer n-a., responsible for saving my life. It was KKALIA PITTAULK when the raft overturned l„ see the mm struggling in the water. It was niaguilieent, however, to see them helping each other to a place of safety. About three o'clock we drifted and worked our way -pretty close to bind. The raft

UK ALL. was the death of her youngest baby, wJioiu she strapped to tlio liieboat before it sheered oil from the Penguin. Wheu Mrs. lUnnan was discovered under the bout and realised that she ]iad managed to roach land she at once enquired for the baby. The men 0:1 the beach knew that the child was dead and >vere untying the knot which held it to the. boat at the moment the mother made enquiry. "Oil, let me untie it .nysell'," the poor woman said, believing the child was alive, "f know how 1 .ixed it up." Unfortunately, however, the little one was dead. .Mrs. Uannan now lies in Mr. Julnt MoMenamen'.s .louse at Terawliiti in a state of collapse. , }

TUK PURSER'S STOHV. 73 PERSONS MIS.NINO. Wellington. Last Night. Mr. A. 1!. Thompson, purser of the Penguin, has now been twice wrecked in the last eighteen months, lie was in the ill-fated Kawatiri lost last vcar on the Tasmauiau coast, when six'persons were drowned. He savs: "There were sixty passengers and forty of a crew on he Penguin when ,l,c lefr I'ieton „,, I'riday evening. It s us to uie onlv 7 Imve got ashore alive, leaving 7 3 a's the number who have .rone ) w . lv ,>„),. partly dressed when the ship 'struck •wis were was g aboard f„r«,,r,l „ s Uie Penguin began to go down | IV the "end. and all the passengers were sent •'": The sailors and male passengers assisted in getting out the boats \, we *>l tnese out, and |,.t the rafts adrift, the ship went down. •IT'S ALL UP, Now SWIM tor IT™lled the chief ollicer. and it was like w"hs«-."' tU S| ™'°' S ""'' " lmM ? ""P "Klcvenof usgotouarafl.aiHl we had trrilie tune. ,),„• leg, W ere paralysed tl' cold, and ,t was blowing hard and I.".""' " m ? turtle, but each time we all ,„>t back again. At last we got into the breakers and jumped lor it, and all got safely SENSATION tip DROWNING. The last I saw of the poor chief eii"ineer was when | 1( , Wl(s 11)ytvill , T ft,, gangway. ']t might come in useful to someone to cling to,' he said. "Even when ashore, the survivors had an awful time, finding it almost impossible in their exhausted slate to climb the. almost perpendicular elilfs, Finally the men reached MeMenamen's station, and were treated most hospitably." THR ONLY WOMAN SURVIVOR. •WIDOWED AN" I) Cm LI) LESS. HER RAISES DROWNED BEFORE HEP, EVES. A HEARTRENDING NARRATIVE. THRILLING ACCOUNT OF HER ESCAPE. Wellington, Last Night. The oiilv woman survivor of the Penguin wreck was Mrs. Joe Ilannnn, and TMirtienlarly heartrending is lier story. Her Your children were all drowned liefore her eyes. She told a most pathetic | story to a Times reporter who interviewed her at Mr. Mcjlciianicn's station. She savs: "My husband was working on the railway down South, and ho lately "onlracted consumption, so we booked our pas=:n'es bv (he Penguin, taking 'inr four children with us, our intention being to go to I'ntnviin to see if it'.vonld do inv husband any good. At about. 10 o'clock nn Friday night, wo heard a bump and a little later the stewardess same down and' told us to get ready, as the BOAT VTAX SINKINC. We all rnsbed on deelc. and I was told to get into otic of the boats, which wis being got ready, I refused to lean

my husband and children, but tlicy forced 'mo to get into the boot, separating me from Mr llaunan, although my children were wdtli me. The. boat was filled with passengers, and one sailor was also ordered in. THE TACKLE FALLS GIVE WAY. "Just iw they "went to lower the boat, tho tackle falls gave way, and the craft went down HKAI) FIRST INTO THE OCEAN", all my children being drowned except my youngest baby, two years old, which 1 had lashed to one of the seats. No- | body seemed lo hare time to rescue the children, but I suppose that could not be helped. There were six women in the boat, and 1 should think somewhere near the same number of men. We got safely away from the ship, and the saloon stewardess (ill's. Jacob) helped us before we got into the hot. My word, she was A 11RAYH WOMAN. She did everything, got blankets, iind wrapped me up. and was calm and collected and diil not Hurry in the least. ■•Oh, MAMMA, 11EU' US.'' "When the tackle falls gave way, 1 heard one ol my children calling: 'On, mumma. niunima, help us,' lull. God knows we were HAYEK LESS TO DO ANYTHING. My husband was oa the deck, and 1 | said lo him when we parted: "Clieer up, old mail.' He replied: 'lloud-bye, 5 and

I have' not seen him >imr. "We drifted about, and during the night we saw oiw oi tile rat'U quite close to ih. We i-00-eed, aud tried to get up to it. tan. eould not, We must have been *onie hours in ihe boat. A\« could see tile rocks ahead of us. and we ivied to keep oil' Uiem, the sailor who was ia charge doing his best to avoid the reefs. We DRIFTED ABOUT, it seemed for hours, everybody snaring at the oars, and trying to avoid the reefs. My poor little baby was then still alive, and 1 realised that it was all I had in the world. The boat was lining with water,

LEAKING BADLY, and those not rowing kept baling out the water for their dear lives, 'out we could not check the follow, and we realised that it was only a matter of time when the bout would be right awash. UPSET IX THE SURF. "We knew by the roaring of the breakers that we were close on the reef, and pull as we could wc were unable to,.;keep the boat with Jicr head to sea. Suddenly, I don't know how it happened, an enormous wave struck us side on, and tlni boat capsized. Everybody was instantly THROWN INTO THE SEA, but I managed to grasp a rope, and God alone knows how I hung on- A young boy, Ellis Matthews, was iloating near me, and I got a rope to him and helped him to make himself secure athwart of tho capsized boat, and we were right UNDERNEATH THE BOAT, but the air must have forced the water out, and while the bottom of the boat stood out of the water wc clung on with out heads towards the lloor of the boat, and wc were thus enabled to breatiie. \Ve were really IMPRISONED between the. keel of the boat and the seats, the boat still Iloating all ths time upside down, it seemed that we floated for hours, until dually we were washed up on the beach, PINNED BENEATH THE BOAT. We were, you must remember, still under the boat in its capsized condition, pinned, in under the thwarts. Oi course the water was very shallow, but the spent waves continued to lap right up to our bodies. We had NO WAV OF GETTING OUT. My poor little baby had in the meantime died from the shock and exposure. I thiuk the life-belt must have choked her. While losing my all, I had SAVUD A STRANGE BOY, ■ Matthews. Tho terrible experience had ' told on him. and he lay by my side un- ■ conscious. I made up my mind to get out from under the boat, and 1 started to scratch away at the shingly beach :• to make a hole to creep out. Then : 1 HEARD THE VOICES of the station shepherds, who lifted up the boat and got us out, and wc were taken to tho homestead. 1 '-The names of the children I lost were lionaTd -Edward (aged 10 years), George Alexander (aged 5 years), Amelia (aged :t years), and Rubv May (aged t i years).