FRENCH STEAMER WRECKED.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 November 1915, Page 8

FRENCH STEAMER WRECKED.

EUPKRATE ON THE ROOKS. The French mail steamer Euphrate, one of the finest of the Messageries Maritimes Line, has been totally wrecked. News of the disaster reached Sydney a few days ago, and came as a surprise, as the liner was expected to take up running in the Australian service this month. The Euphrate was bound from Marseilles, via Colombo, to Haiphong and Saigon, and, in addition to a full general cargo, carried 585 passengers. They were-'composed almost entirely of French and Annamites. The particulars to hand show that the disaster occurred on September 17, when the vessel ran on a submerged reef situated about three miles south-east of Cape Ras IXresseh (which is the most easterly point of the island of Socotra). The vessel grazed the reef, with the result that she was ripped open below the water-line almost from stem to stern. The sea began to pour in at a tremendously rapid rate, and soon the holds were filled and the boilers submerged. "When morning arrived," said one of the passengers, "were were able more definitely to ascertain our position. All around us were the rocks, and close at hand could be seen the tops of the boilers of the P. and 0. Aden, which went ashore at the same spot some years ago. At about eleven o'clock that (Saturday) morning—the sea still showed no signs of moderating—the captain decided to send for help. We were about fifty miles from the usual track from Aden to Colombo, and, what with the heavy sea, the high wind, and the strong currents, the task of seeking succor was a perilous one. For eleven hours the ship's boat battled with the sea, and at about ten o'clock in the evening they were sighted and picked up by the City of Nagpur. The City of Nagpur at once sent a wireless message to us—we were able to receive though not to send messages—in these words: "Venous a votre secours' (We are coming to your assistance). The City of Nagpur had got into wireless communication with the Tambora and the Collegian, and both these vessels hurried to our assistance. All day Sunday the heavy sea continued, but, despite this, we were successful in transferring 94- passengers in three of our own boats. Not a single life was lost, but some of our boats were dashed to pieces in the efforts which were made to lower them. "On Monday we succeeded in safely transferring nine boat loads containing in all 270 passengers. Of these 140 were transferred to the City of Nagpur, CO to the Collegian, and 51 to the Tambora. The last-named vessel left the same evening. Still other boats were damaged during these operations, and on Tuesday morning the Collegian made an effort to send out her boats to us, and as a result of the skilful handling, the remaining 02 persons on board were saved. In the last boat to leave were the captain, the officers, the engineers, and most of the European sailors." The Euphrate was a steamer of 0887 tons, built at the M.M. Yard at La Ciotat in 1905. Advices received in Sydney state that her place on the Australian line will be taken by the Gange, a sister ship.