WRECK OF THE TATHRA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 183, 1 February 1912, Page 8

WRECK OF THE TATHRA.

A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. FOUNDERS WITH LOSS OF TWENTYFOUR LIVES. ALL OVER IN HALF AN HOUR. \ Auckland. January 30. Sydney reports just to hand contain graphic descriptions of the wreck of the steamer Tathra off the Ambrym Island, New Hebrides, on January 4, when 24 lives were lost. The survivors included, in addition to the master, Messrs. McGuffog (mate), Lowe (second mate), Palmer (second engineer), Kemp (third engineer), and Coleman (a passenger). The Tathra had left Ambrym for Epi early in the afternoon. Soon after sailing the barometer gave warning of approaching bad weather, and the captain decided <*o make back. At about 2.30 a.m. the vessel shipped sea over the ■tarboard quarter which caused her to take a list to port. No one supposed she was in trouble, but when she did not right herself steps were at once taken to fetch her round again, and thus give her a chance. The vessel failed to answer her helm. An attempt to get her away also failed, and she would not rise. All hands were thereupon called on deck. The list being retained, the boats were lowered.

The vessel gave her final lurch just as ; the second boat got clear of the side. All hands were not aboard at this moment. One of them was Mr. G. L. S. Kerr, of the firm of Messrs. Kerr Bros., who held the steamer under charter from the Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Company. He had jumped clear of the steamer, with his 16 months old daughter in his arms. The natives hurried to his help, and grasped the baby in an endeavor to save both of them. He never saw his child again. Mr. J. W. Russell, chief engineer, met his death in a most sensational manner after the ship heeled over. He was seen swimming in the water, and Mr. Kerr sang out to him to try and keep going, and get aboard the plank which he (Kerr) was on. Russell made a great effort to reach the plank, but the mast of the Tathra was bobbing up and down on the rough water, and just as he was swimming under it the mast crashed down, striking the unfortunate engineer, and either killing him outright or stunning him. Whatever it did, Russell sank, and Kerr and the natives were left on their little plank alone. On this they drifted about for over twelve hours. One native was swept off and sank. Mr. Kerr managed to swim ashore. The captain succeeded in getting tlirty-six of the passengers and crew into the boat under his charge, but the steamer went down before the mate's, boat could get clear with the remainder' of the vessel's company. Only nine persons succeeded in getting into this boat. Some of the others were seen struggling in the water after the ship went down. Attempts were made at rescue, but the big seas carried the boats away. The mate's boat reached the island of Malekula at 3 p.m. the same day, and at 8 8 p.m. the captain's boat reached Port Sandwich, where the Malaita was at anchor, having put in to avoid the impending storm. Every soul of those saved lost everything. Most of them were asleep in their cabins when the order was given to hurry on deck. Altogether there were 70 persons on the vessel. There was no other warning of the impending disaster than the list she made. The foundering was fearfully sudden, all being over in from 20 minutes to half an hour. _ Captain Halliday, in the course of an interview, said it was pitch dark at the time. "We our begt „ he wen( . Qn to say, "to rid the vessel of the great quantity of water in the well-deck, but it was useless. I then brought her round to the wind again, and hove her to in the hope of squaring things up, but the manoeuvre was fruitless. She I was then almost*on her beam-ends to port, and all hands had been ordered on deck. I tried to get her away befV the gale again, but she would not answer her helm, and began to go farther over. The lights went out a quarter of an hour before the steamer sank, and we were left to save so many people in the inky blackness. Manv of the missing went <lown with the ship. They never left the deck. They could scarcely move with the steamer on her beam-ends, and the sea washing aboard. We saw her go before our boat got far away. She was right on her beam-ends when she took the 1 final plunge. Mr. Coleman, the passenger among the survivors, dived clear of the vessel as she was about to go down, and managed to reach one of the boats. °