The Chief Officer's Narrative.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4885, 5 September 1884, Page 2

The Chief Officer's Narrative.

Terrible Privations. The Chief Officer, Mr Neale, supplies the following particulars :—The Lastingham sighted the coast of New Zealand about eight o'clock on Monday morning last, and «in a little over 12 hours afterwards she was a total wreck, almost on the spot whore the steamer Eangitoto was lost. Heavy weather prevailed at the time, and continued, the vessel being driven ashore daring a gale of terrific force. Bain fell heavily for some hours previous to the accident, and the land was not visible for more than a mile a-head. Great efforts were made by the officers and crew to prevent the vessel going ashore, but at 10 p.m. she struck, aud became a total wreck in less than two hours. The crew and passengers endeavored to save themselves in various ways, some of them plunging into the boiling sea and striking out for shore, others springing from the vessel's side on to the rocks in the vicinity, while others attempted to float ashore on anything that would bear their weight. The scene was one of indescribable confusion—the wind howling, rain falling, people rushing about shouting and screaming, and the sea breaking over the ship's side. About midnight a muster of the survivors was made, when it was ascertained there were eighteen missing, all being no doubt drowned, the captain and his wife, and the whole of the passengers (five in number) being among those lost, A miserable night was spent, and on Tuesday efforts were made to find a habitation within a short distance from the shore, but without success. Three of the men, Chalmers, Wood, and Alvarey, continued on their journey in hopes of discovering inhabitants, and were not seen afterwards by those of the survivors wno are now in Wellington. It is difficult to say whether they will be found alive. The survivors, fourteen in number, endured great priva* tions while in the neighbourhood of Jackson's head, owing to their not having saved^nything. The captain endeavored to save the log-book, ship's papers, etc., but as he lost his life in attempting to reach the shore with his wife, it is not likely that these articles will* ever be recovered. The only srticles which came ashore were 4lbs of pickled pork and two packages of oatmeal and cornflour. The shipwrecked ones stopped their hunger by gnawing raw meat and drinking an oatmeal mixture, fresh water being found close to the wreck, This was all they had until rescued. The men had to run up and down the beach to keep up the circulation. Wednesday was fine, and clothes were laid out to dry, and the survivors obtained needed rest, having been without sleep for 36 hours. Each nigbt the men huddled together under the rocks to keep themselves warm, aud on Thursday morning discovered a small vessel passing; a piece of a blanket which had come ashore was fixed to a pole and moved to and fro. The signal was observed, and a boat being lowered, the survivors were soon on board the ketch, which proved to be the Agnes, from Pelorus Sound to Kaiapoi, with timber.

Capt. Jensen attended to the wants of the shipwrecked mariners, and then bore for Wellington. At the time of rescue the men had almost given up the hope of being rescued, as on Tuesday and Wednesday no less than five steamers were seen passing close to land, and though signals were made, no one on board seems to have noticed them; at any rate no effort was made to rescue them. He stated that when the survivors were taken on board they were thoroughly exhausted, and he was of opinion that had they to stop another night on the coast, some of the party would have succumbed through the privations suffered. Those saved are : John JVTeale, (chief officer); John Burton, (se«ond mate); Biddle, (Steward; Robertson, (carpenter); and Groves, Coubaire, Chambers, Munro, Donaldson, Chalmers, and Alvarez (seamen); and Thomas and Fryer (apprentices). ,The whole of the passengers were drowned. Their names are as follows:— Messrs Meakin, Purserll, Naish, McGinn, and Davis. Nope of them were married men,

and it is understood that they had narsv been in New Zealand before. The names of the officers and men drowned were :— Alex. Morrison, master; Henry Groves, third ': officar ; Peter MoGuire, cook ; John Murray, sailmaker; A. B. Barnard, Lambert, Groudon, Mathers, and Watson, seamen; and Sharp and Pearce, two of the complement of four boys which the ship carried.