SHIPPING DISASTER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3107, 3 February 1909, Page 5

SHIPPING DISASTER.

WRECK OF THE CLAN RANALD. I SURVIVORS ARRIVE AT ! EDITHBURGH. THE MATE'S STORY. Received February 2, 8 a.m. ADELAIDE, February 2. The survivors of the Clan Ranald arrived at Edithburgh last evening. The mate states that all went well till two o'clock on Sunday afternoon, when the vessel took a sudden list and became unmanageable. All hands came on deck and remained on the high part of the ship. They lost two of the boats, and the other two could not be launched as the vessel was drifting towards tne shore. The vessel foundered at ten o'clock at night. All hands were thrown into the water. The second officer was in charge when the vessel listed. THE CKEW. The crew consisted of the following : - Captain Gladstone. Mr Rose, first mate. Mr Campbell, second mate. Mr Wilson, third mate, Mr Stewart, chief engineer. Mr Fordyce, second engineer. Mr Walls, third engineer. Mr Patterson, fourth engineer. Mr Stewart, chief steward. Mr Shaw, carpenter. In addition there were 54 Asiatics. The names of the survivors are Messrs Rose, Fordyce, Shaw, Wilson and 20 Asiatics. Heartrending cries were heard as the men were cast into the sea. The Clan Ranald was bound for Durban (the first port), and carried a South African mail. TRYING EXPERIENCES. Received February 2, 9 a.m. ADELAIDE, February 2. A teature of the disaster is the fact that only those members who could swim reached the shore. The first mate and second engineer were an hour in the water before they reached the shore. '; ? he latter came across an upturned boat and clung to it. One of the Lascars stated that six cr seven died during the night, after landing. Shaw, who is sixty years of age, swam ashore with the aid of a lifebelt. He states that the vessel was about five miles from the shore when a wove struck her. From the time she took the first sheer till she sank, six or seven hours elapsed. j Two of the boats were washed away with the two others were smashed in an effort to launch | them. It was impossible to get at j ;he other on account of the extreme ! list of the steamer, j Ample warning was given of the j impending danger. Everyone was on deck when the ship took her final plunge. Shaw had been eight years on the ship and had never known her to behave in such a fashion before. He could not say whether shifting cargo caused the disaster. It certainly was not the bad weather; the Clan Ranald a splendid sea boat. "On approaching the beach," said Shaw, "the surf carried me 300 yards. Three others were carried up the beach in similar fashion. There were some people ashore when we got there. They had a fire burning to warm us, and had plenty of water, bread, butter and brandy. They made us as comfortabl3 as possible. I noticed the captain on the rail just •before the ship went under." One body was found on top of the cliff. The man had climbed up and then died from exhaustion. Thirty bodies have already been recovered.

CABLE NEWS.

United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph Copyright