WRECK OF THE STEAMER QUETTA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2019, 13 March 1890, Page 2

WRECK OF THE STEAMER QUETTA.

(Otago Daily Times.) I Melbourne, March 4. f

The most dreadful calamity i n colonial waters since the wreck of the Tararua at Waipapa iPoint is reported from Northern Queensland. The British India Company's steamer Quetta, a fine, powerful vessel bound Prom Brisbane to London, was making her way along the coast near to Cape York when she struck on an unknown *ock with such terrific effect that one side of the vessel waß torn out, and the ihip went down in about 3 minutes Dfaere was a full passenger list, which vith the crew made up a total of 282 ouls, and of this number more than talf were swallowed up in the waves Phe number saved was 137, so that i majority of 145 have gone to a I mtery grave. There were 33 saloon 'assengers, but only six have been aved. Of the 65 steerage passengers lit only nine are accounted for ourteen out of the European crew of

28 are rescued. A remarkable feature is the large proportion of lascara whose lives are saved. Of the total of 93 coloured crew 59 were saved. The catastrophe took place at about ""* 6 o'clock on Friday night- The weather was fine moonlight, and the ship was going at a high speed. The captaia and the pilot were on the bridge at the time. The captain ma de an effort to get the women into the boats but before he could do anything he found the ship going down, and had to jump overboard to save himself. The ship's stern then rose in the air, and the vessel gave a lurch and slid down into deep water. Among the few passengers rescued there are only two ladies, but a young girl child has also mysteriously passed through the ordeal.

The shock of the collision with the rock threw the people into a state of intense panic, and there was no time to recover. Two boats were got out and these were the means of saving practically all the survivors. No one was able to do anything but strike out for bare life, where "they had the presence of mind; where they were paralysed for fear and shock they simply went down with the vessel, shrieking, to their death. The suddenness of the alarm and the instant doom that opened up before the affrighted passengers produced a fearful scene, but the struggle was short, and in a few seconds later not a sign of the Quetta could be seen, except floating wreckage, to which men and women ~* clung in their despair. The boats made several trips to an adjacent island and landed their freights, and all who could be found in the vicinity of the wreck were rescued. A party then got ashore to the mainland and sent off a horseman to Somerset with a message, and relief steamers were promptly sent off to the spot. During Saturday the sufferers were brought away and treated with every kindness by the residents. THE CAPTAIN'S STATEMENT. Captain Saunders states that he was on the bridge with the pilot when the steamer struck. He then rushed to the end of the saloon deck and told the chief officer to get the boats out. He rushed forward again and found the ship already settled by the head. He then returned aft to try and get the women into the boats, but found the ship settling so rapidly that he just had time to climb into the rigging and throw himself into the sea when the stern rose completely out ot the water, the vessel heeled over and went down, the whole thing occupying not more than three minutes from time of striking. The captain undressed himself in the water and swam about for half an hour. He was then picked up by a lifeboat, already full of people, with the water washing over the gun- .J wales, which were broken. All but four jumped out to try and the boat out, but owing to the broken state of the gunwales and the wash of the sea they could not succeed, so they got into the beat again and proceeded. to the nearest land, reaching it "a¥ about la. m. Another lifeboat heavily laden had reached the same place before them, and they sent her away at once to search round the scene of the wreck. She returned full, having picked up everybody that was visible. MISS nicklin's statement. Miss Nicklin makes the following statement:—" The ladies were singing and practising for a concert in the music saloon when the ship struck. Mrs Lord and the youngest Miss Lacy and my mother were in their cabins. Captain Wish and Miss Waugh were in the saloon writing letters. I believe all these rushed on deck when the vessel struck. The noise caused by the vessel striking sounded like a tank going overboard, then there was a grating sound, then the smell of the water from the engine room. I ran down to my mother, who returned > with me to the deck. I then heard the captain say, < All those who want to be saved go aft.' My mother asked father to go down and try to help Mrs Lord up. He went down and we \ never saw him again. We rushed aft and just had time to get upon the railing over the stern so as to avoid the awning when the ship went down We did not jump off. The ship U seemed not to sink, but the water™ seemed to rise around us. The vessel went down suddenly at the last moment, leaving 200 people all huddled together in the water treading upon each other. When the vessel went down I lost mother, but I do not kuow how. I sank twice and then floated for a while, as I could swim. I then caught hold of a grating, to which the purser and two or three Javanese were also clinging. Another Javanese came and tried to get on to the grating,

and frightened me so that I let so I floated a little longer, and then caught a dead sheep, to which I clung until I got hold of a plank. I was alone- I called out to the boats, the people on which could hear but not see me, as the moon had gone down. I tried to s Wlm and paddle away to the shore, which I could plainly see , I got near the shore, but became too weak to work any longer. I then waited for dayhght, and fell half asleep several . times while lying upon the plank. daylight I swam towards shore, still holding the plank, and reached land in about three hours' time. When I got into shallow water an Indian cabin boy, who was the only person on the island, helped me ashore, as I was too weak to walk, When I first got on the plank I tore off my skirt; my arm and neck are much burnt, and I now feel very weak. There was no

other person on the island. At about four o'clock a boat came in and took me to Mr Jardine's place, where we could not have been treated with greater kindness. We reached Somerset about half-past 11 ou Saturday night, and were taken on board the Merrie England on Sunday afternoon, and landed on ihursday Island this morning. I saw Dv Poland give his wife a plank before the vessel sank, and he advised her to take off her dress. When screaming for a boat I heard Miss Lacy, who asked if it was 1, and told me to hold on and I would most likely be washed ashore, but I never saw her. All through the night I could hear people calling out for help, and I could also hear boats. I think most of the ladies were caught by the awning when sinking. Mother could not swim. Mrs Lord, just before retiring to her cabin, was writing to her husband, and had cut off a jock of hair aud plaited it to send to nim. Upon someone alluding to this and saying ' Anyone would think it was a sweetheart you were sending your hair to,' she replied that he was more dear to her than any sweetheart. She then returned to her cabin. I then met Miss Prentice, who asked me to join her in a stroll on deck, but just as we got up stairs the vessel struck, and I never saw Miss Prentice afterwards,"

EESCTJING- STJEVIVOES.

Mr John Douglas, the Government Resident at Thursday Island, when news reached there of the wreck, sent out the steamers Merrie England and Albatross to rescue survivors. The Eev. A. M'Laren, who was on board the Albatross, tells the following story of a surprising rescue:—Captain Eeid, who never left the bridges for an instant, but, with glass in band, scanned the sea in every direction, suddenly saw something not much larger than a cocoanut floating out to sea, and he at once steamed towards it, and as he drew nearer he saw that it was a person swimming. Just once a hand was lifted up, but before this a boat was out, and the poor lady, as she proved to be, was lifted in. One of the sailors took off his flannel short, and wrapped her in it, but she had in the meantime fainted, and wq at once recognised her to be Mies May Lacey, 16 years of age, the eldest daughter of Mr Dyson Lacey, of St. Helen's station, Mackay, and she was much exhausted ; but, thanks to the care of Dr Salter, she is fast recovering, though she is very weak and burnt from exposure Miss Lacey's story is that she was writing a letter to her mother when the terrible event happened. She rushed to get her youDger sister, who had gone to bed, and brought her on deck, but thev went over together. She afterwards was dragged into a boat or raft, where she was very kindly treated by the purser, and remained on the raft till the afternoon of Saturday, when, the purser tells me, she determined to swim to ' shore. She must, therefore, have been swimming about, She wag seen by Captain Keid at 10 minutes to 8 this moruing. Her rescue is almost miraculous, as she was drifting out to sea away from Mount Adolphus Island, and she could not possibly have held out much loDger. Perhaps her rescue and her marvellous self-recollection are among the most wonderful of the melancholy incidents connected with the terribly sad calamity. The current carried her away, and she then resolved to keep afloat, being thus without any support for over 20 hours before she was picked up. The following is the latest statement of those onboard the Quetta :—Saloon passengers 33, saved 6 ; steerage passengers 65, saved 9 ; deck passengers 62, saved 48 ; white officers and crew 28, saved 14 ; colored crew 93, saved 59 ; pilot 1, saved 1 ; the total number on board 282, saved 137. *