A TERRIBLE TIME.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 19, 16 February 1909, Page 2

A TERRIBLE TIME.

EXOrXJiKIi JiL'JvK'.s KxriSUIEXCKS.' now Till- WUMEX WEHK LOST. Tin; only who not ashore w.-i^ Mr. W. Luke, second engineer, w ho was in i-lwrge of 1 li<! engine* when the ship struck. Mr. Luke had l an exceedingly trying time. and .suH'oml <M>7isidoral>ly. 'lie got home 'to his house in Tutehev street on Saturday afternoon. and was for .some tinuv in a very bad war. lie spent a troublesome night, but had -considerably recovered by Sunday afternoon, when lie was seen by a Times representative. L\ THE ENGJXE-BOOM. Ur s Luke'.i story was an interesting one. lie went to the engine-room to the charge of the engines at about 8.2') p.iu. The vessel was then getting well ou.t of her way lie wa.s visited by the captain, who told hiiu. that the vtvssel was going well on a southerly passage. At two minutes to 10 there was a loud grmdiiig noise. He knew very well what that meant, and immediately formed tlie I opinion that the vessel had struck fore | | and aft. 2so water was made ill the engine-room just then, however. The third ollicer came down to ask if there I was any waiter, ami Air. Luke toid him i that though none was showing he had the pumps going full power fore and aft, and the water was gaining iou iheui. The chief engineer (.Mr. Lmpihart) ' then came* down, and told him to ask if water was coming in aft. Tim ship was making water fast in the after part. Mr. Luke went, and told this to Captain Xaylor, who said: "Go and tell the chief L will ling up in a few minutcis." He raug them up right away, and the men in the engine-room then went on deck, having lirs-t of all drowjied the lircs.

A TOUCHINU EAR K WELL Bld'oru they left tfu* engine-room the two engineers hade each other farewell—nut knowing whether it would be lor a few hours or for ever. ''Not a word was uttered," said Mr. Luke. "The chid' and I clasped each other's hands, | and wu looked straight into each other's I eyes. That was ail. We then went up 'ou -deck. I 'never saw the poor old chief [ agai.ii,"

THE BOATS LAUNCHED. I All hands set to work to launch the boats. Mr. Luke, was in charge of No. 2. He had her almost free ol the ship when hhc struck. It was so dark that he could not see the releasing gear, «o he called out for a knife. Mr. Mclutyre, chief oliicer, who was on. the bridge, threw down a pocket-knife with a razoredge. and with onei slash Mr. Luke freed his boat. About thirteen or fourteen women and children were placed in it, and she got clear of the ship, but not before she had been smashed a little against the side. Mr. Luke got a steer-ing-oar out. With him were a sailor, a lireman and a young man passenger, wh;o were to pull. The passenger used to -be an assistant pursei" in the Union Company's employ, and was lately employed at I'icton. Mr. Luke could not remember his name. This man was probably X. White. Mr. Luke put the boat's head out to sea, clear of the wreck, and had got away a ship's length when

CiKJiAT SEAS broke over l.hom, and the hunt rolled about in an alarming extenj. Mr. Luke and tlic other men took uiV tlioir boots, and gave thorn to the "vvomon to bale out with, and baler was improvised from a lamp from which the glass was taken. .lust as the JVugurn wont down the boat went over with tremen;!ou-. force. hurling Mr. Luke about 20 yard* away. A.s he struggled back to ..he upturned boat, a woman called out to him from the darkness to save her. As he turned round >to catch hold of her she disappeared. "It was awful," he said, "to hoar the women calling out all round in the. agony, ami to be powerless to do anything for them."

A DKSI'EKATE STKUIiUMi. Then commenced a desperate struggle for life. Air. l.nko went down time after time, but at last succeeded ill grabbing the upturned boat, lie got his feet in the life-lines on the boat's side, and held ou to the keel with his hands. The young fellow who had been in the boat also got hold. The two hung ou for what seemed an eternity, each alternately cheering the other. Mr. LuKe told the young jnan that he could not hold any longer, and must lot go. His coin-' panion, however, was more cheerful, and told him to hang on, ami they would soon got ashore. "But the poor fellow j never got through it," said "Mr. Luke.' '• lie hud to let go, and H was 1 who, reached the shore." I AMON T <; TilU HOCKS. ■

I After hanging on to the ooat for a. long time Mr. Luke frit it. strike a reef, lie did not see the rock, but felt it ("crunching.'' lie thou lost the boat, and started to swim, ile is an exceedingly strong swimmer, and to this he owes his • life. Ik woat under water twenty or i thirty times, hut always managed lo I struggle again to the surface, lie was f swimming for what must have been an hour and a half, although to him it seemed a great deal longer, lie then struck the beach, and crawled ashore. . Daylight was just beginning to appear,. Mr. Luke having been in the wal: i r more than live hours. "What happened then.'' Mr. Luke told tho itporter, " I really do -not know. ] crawled nn lo beach and dragged my>elf up on in h ledge, where I was found hv William 1 look, one of M:\ McMenamin's shepherds. I low I go I there I don't know, i I have not Ihe recollection of :i:iyihiiig that happened afler I got out .of the water." Mr. Luke then got to McMeuauiin's, where he was soon siilli/lenlly restored lo 1m; able lo set out for Wellington. TllK SKA. Such a sea Mr. Luke had never soeii in all his life. "It was not a sea," he averred; "it was simply a seething, swirling, boiling mass. Had it been a 'sea.,' no ' matter how bad, the boats might have had some chance, but nothing could live in the awful turmoil that was there." I!KMAUKAI>LI£ DISOPLINK

" I could not belici* that there eolildi he such discipline," continue,l Mr. Luke. "Tiler" was not tile slightest panic, there not being so much excitement as I here usually is on a vessel leavig Hie wharves. The women and children behaved splendidly. One or two children cried a little, but the stewardesses. Mrs. Hope and Mrs. .'Jacobs, ran around: amongst Ilieni and comforted them. The women did not seem to realise that, the 'ill'air was so awful as it tiiiMed out to he for them. The ollicers stood by splendidly, and the captain deserves the greatest credit for (lie way he managed affairs.''