FEARFUL COLLISION IN HOBSON’S BAY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2248, 1 September 1891, Page 3

FEARFUL COLLISION IN HOBSON’S BAY.

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE,

Melbourne, August 28. The steamer Gambier, which left Sydney on Tuesday last for this port, came into collision about one o’clock this morning with the steam collier Easby in Hobson’s Bay, as the latter was leaving for Newcastle. The Gambier sank in a few minutes, and about 25 lives were lost. The Easby had her bows stove in, and put back to port. The collision occurred at the Heads, and the Gambier had just entered abreast of the Pope’s Eye Fort when the Easby struck her amidships near the bridge. The effect of the contact was terrible, and water poured into the Gambier in immense bodies, and she disappeared in seven minutes. Immediately after the collision heartrending scenes were

1 enacted. The passengers, who were in their cabins at the time, rushed on deck in their night dresses. The women huddled together on the deck, while the men rushed hither and thither seeking safety either in attempts to launch the boats or by clambering aboard the Easby. There was, however, little or no time to launch the boats. The Easby, after standing by the scene of the accident, steamed back to Melbourne, where she I early this morning. ~The passengers who left Sydney in tne Gambier for Melbourne were :—Saloon — Misses Grotty, Woodling, Russell, Harrington, and Mittal, and three children; Mesdames Derwin, Gibson, and Thome ; x Messrs Struthers, Simms, Milne, Jefferson, Hull, Robinson, H. McMillan, Johnston, Maloney, Thorne, Walker, and Shaw. Second saloon—Mesdames Leslie and child, M’Oarthy,Davidson and child; Messrs Christison, Bennett, Thomas, Gainor, and daughter, Green, Lovely, Dewyer, Logan, Martin, Williamson, Paul, Donohue, Bannan, Miller, Quinn, and Dennis. In addition to the above

list there are a number of through passengers from Brisbane whose names have not yet been ascertained.

The Gambier was a vessel of 1030 tons, owned by Howard Smith and Sons. Slie was built at Dumbarton in 1874.—This was Captain Bell’s first trip in the Gambier, though he had had temporary charge of other vessels. Lateb.

The following is a list of those drowned in the collision Saloon passengers—Mr and Mrs Trevethack, Mrs Thorpe, Miss Woodling, Mr Johnston; steerage, Messrs McArthy and child, Franklin, Turner, Kelly and child, Gainor and daughter, Miller, Quinn, Mesdames Leslie aud child, Davidson and child ; crew, Shaw, Brown and McDonald.

August 29. One of the life boats belonging to the ill-fated steamer Gambier has been picked up three miles away from the scene of the disaster. It contained three corpses, that of an old man, a young man, and also a girl. Captain Prideaux, of the Easby, says : “ I never dreamt that the Gambier would attempt to cross me as she did, for she was far on the Queenscliffe side, and I have no occasion to go on the Queenscliffe course. She went out of her course when ali a nmctQprl m p Mr Buckley, chief officer of the Easby, stated it was his watch and he was on the bridge with the captain at the time of the collision. The Easby was on her proper course, and the way the Gambier attempted to run across her bows he considered the most extraordinary in his experience; he had never known anything like it. The Easby being in ballast stood well above the Gambier, but the shock by the collision, he says, was not a very great one. He considered it was the strength of the collision bulkhead which saved the Easby, otherwise she too must have gone to the bottom. He helped to get out boats and get the rescued people on board the Easby. The scene he described as the most pitiable one he has witnessed in the course of a long experience at sea. Mr Jackson, second officer of the Easby, states he was below at the time of the accident. He rushed to the deck, lowered one of the boats, and taking charge of it rescued a boat-load from the sinking vessel His crew also manned one of the Gambier’s boats which reached the Easby, and went back to the wreck. Captain Bell, of the Gambier, says: u I directed the sailors first to launch the working boat and fill it with women. When that was done two of the engineers were placed in charge of it, while I superintended the loading of the port cutter. The starboard lifeboat was put out, but that capsized. At this time the water was up to the level of the steamer’s deck and in an instant afterwards she sank. I was drawn down with the suction and washed beneath a ledge. When the ship. touched the bottom I tried to rise and found the ledge obstructing me, but being an expert diver I managed to free myself and rose to the surface. I then divested myself of coat and vest, and stauck out for the Easby which had drawn off from the collision. There was a strong ebb tide running, and presently I found myself half a mile from the Easby. Here 1 discovered a boat close to me, to which I swam. In it were five or six others, and they pulled me in. Just as the second engineer was sweeping out to sea on a saloon box we caught and saved him, also a woman who was lying on a spar. Regarding the cause of the accident all I have to say is that I steered a correct course, and complied in. every way with the regulations.” Captain Bell complains that no boats put off from the Easby at all, and that when he himself was saved he had to implore the sailors of that vessel to man the boats and go to the assistance of persons then struggling in the water.

Bell, donkey man of the Gambler, had a thrilling experience. After describing the launching of the starboard life-boat he says ££ As the Gambier sank, the davits, sinking with her, caught the boat fore and aft and forced her and her occupants under the water, and when the boat got free she came up considerably lightened of her human load, but there were still more on board than could be carried with safety, so the life-boat capsized to rid herself of a few more, principally women and children, who were too feeble to cling to the upturned keel. Bell, who was left behind on the vessel, was up to his waist in water for a time, and the steamer was going down under his feet before he left the ship. He looked over the side and watched the eddies formed under her ‘by the force o the suction. As he watched he saw a boy's face upturned and white, staring out from the centre of a vortex, though already far below the surface. Then a wave flowed over and the maelstrom closed. The donkeyman watched no longer, but plunged in and struck out for the Easby. Before he had gone far someone clutched him round the neck and bore him under a fathom or so. He straggled to the top again with difficulty once more, but was again clutched and for a second time borne down, but he came again to the surfate, and finding his fellow sufferer not to be reasonable he turned on his back, and for dear life’s sake let out a couple of kicks which finally got rid of his unfortunate shipmate. Swimming on he came to a woman floating with her back up and her head down under the waves. She was dead. He got hold of a piece of hatchway, and was half swimming and half drifting with the current, which was setting out of the Heads, when he came across a woman who was evidently proving a considerable burden to a seaman who was supporting her. Bell placed his piece of hatch under her left arm, and passed his right round the woman, while the seaman changed a fish-basket which he was using as a life-buoy to his right hand and put his left hand under the woman’s head. The seaman and donkeyman then took turns to gall for help, and tried to cheer up their charge with promises that a boat would soon reach them but the woman was speechless, and foam was oozing from her mouth, while they themselves were growing weaker, till a boat with two men arrived, and they were rescued.” A-pathetic story, was that of Mr Thorpe, a passenger, who had only been married five months. He states that .after j patiently waiting he found a boat being (lowered. It was soon crowded with passengers, and as it looked as if it would

be swamped every minute, his wife and himself decided not to go in it. He adds ; “Knowing that my wife could swim, and trying to comfort her, I said, * Never mind Bertha, give me your hand, we will jump overboard and swim to yonder boat.’ At that time I could see a boat some distance away. My wife gave me her hand and we jumped clean from the ship into the water and struck out for the boat. As it was not far away we soon got up to it, but found it nearly full of water. There were a lot of people in it and others clinging to the sides, with their feet dangling in the water. There must have been fully twenty people, either in the bpat or clinging to it. We were both taken in but through some means the boat knocked up against a spar and capsized, and all the occupants, who were in their night dresses, were pitched into the sea. The boat righted itself and both my wife and myself were among those who got into it again. Twice more the boat overturned, and for the third time I regained it. Each time it righted itself, however, the number who regained it was lessened. When I secured a seat the third time I saw a lady struggling in the water near me, and close to the boat’s side. She called to me, “ Save me, save me, oh, save me.” I pulled her into the boat, thinking it was my wife whom I had rescued. I said, ‘ Bertha, thank God you are here again, safe.’ But on closer inspection I found my wife was missing, and that the lady I had saved was a Salvation Army lass.”

1 Mr McMillan, one of the saloon passengers saved from the Gambier, states that after the collision everything on board the ill-fated steamer was most orderly, and that Captain Bell was perfectly cool. The survivors, he asserts, tell that it was owing to the coolness and bravery of the captain that the loss of life was not greater. Although the Easby sent up rockets no lifeboat came, nor was any notice taken of the signals of distress.

The Gambier was insured for £15,000, of which £7500 is in the Southern Insurance Office, and a similar amount in the Commercial Insurance Company. Both companies are re-insured and almost all the insurance offices in Melbourne are interested.