HEROISM OF A SHIP'S OFFICER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10041, 11 May 1910, Page 7

HEROISM OF A SHIP'S OFFICER.

The , rnry of the Imperial Mer- : chant : Uuild has just received a comma -ealion from Captain J. Peters 1 he steamer Hatumet, who render . v.-h signal services in rescuing--; .■■•...vr circumstances of a very peri lot ture—the greater portion of ti • on board the wrecked steamer i.i. a: — "S.s. ■ -tsmet, Monte Video, February --V 1910. We, the master anil ciii:-w ox the S.S. Hatum°t, fee! it .-v.r .iuly to make known the eonapii "jc ;; bravery oi Mr I. Nicholsew, chief . i3cir uf the Lima. We do r.ot ki.; 1 whether he belonged to , the Gu i : r not, but we do know that i : .i j Imperial Merchant Service Guild i.: . vajs glad to record anything ti \g to the honour of the B:icish Merchant Navy. From the time -h Nicholson first came alonga:;:.: rur ship (Hatumet) when we anc-.! there, until he met his death, ;;ev:r for a moment did his co a rag: wi/ver. He was every inch a hero, asi'J jrked from beginning to end with an amount cf z*al which, had there been any laggards, would •have rous.id in them evory atom of manhood and eoergy they possessed. He is now beyond the reach of earthly reward, but never was the highest award for vabur more nobly won than was won by him. At daybreak on the second day Mr Nicholson, instead of remaining comfortably on board the Hatumet, as he might have done, persisted in mar.ning the two boat 3 with his own crews, about twenty of whim were on board {Hatumet), in preference to our lascar crew —he in charge of one boat and his boatswain in charge of the other. These in the boats had

great difficulty in clearing the ropa connecting the two ships, on account of it having got foul of the rocks at the bottom. Eventually, after great perseverence, Mr Nicholson and hiaciew succeeded in making the connection between the two ships with another rope. Unfortunately, by this time a breeze had sprung up from the north-west, also a current, whicb carried the bight of the ropes so far to leeward as to be useless, unless the Hatumet was shifted further to windward, which was dune. Mr Nicholson with his boat wa3 then the first to approach the atsrn of the Lima, and, after several daring attempts, succeeded in getting the end of the small line from the Lima, which was to be used in hauling the people through tha water to the boats. But before anyone had passed from the ship to the boat at heavy ! swell went which appeared to throw the boat clean out of the water, and she fell bottom up. The second boat went to 1 the rescue of the boat's crew, but were only successful in saving two men, who had managed to climb on to the bottom of the boat; the others, including Mr Nicholson, had been swept away, and, according to the statement of the second boat's crew, were cot seen again by thein. All praise is also due to the brave fellows comprising the crew of Mr Nicholson's boat. Their courage was not lacking, and we hope their bravery will be acknowledged m a suitable manner, by the society or community to whMffl they belong." JSBk