THE WAIRARAPA DISASTER.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4878, 16 November 1894, Page 2

THE WAIRARAPA DISASTER.

The Enquiry Continued,

I ■ •■ Auckland, Friday. i :At tho. Wairarapa enquiry. Mr Loighton, a passenger, saidlip licavd tho Chief Officer giving orders from tho fore-rigging, and assisted in his endeavour to got a line ashore. Tho look-out man said thoro were 26 in the boat r iu which ho was. Altogether sho might cany 40. At daylight ho could not seo tho wreck, and thought sho had disappeared.. They wero abont half (i, wile off 1 Hound Point, ..■'■'...

; }\v: .Qpopoi", solicitor, hero ro. marked;" I think it will bo seen that tho boat was lying within half a mile of .the wreck, ,jmd people drowning all tho time. My instructions from tho Government aro to. spare no time nor expense in probing the cause of tho to, tho bottom," '.'■''

Tho witness, continuing, dcnioil'Dr Hams', statement as to the neglect of the passengers.

Genml,

Tho salvage operations have had to bo entirely suspended during the last two days owing to the heavy north-west wind. ~:

... .What are thought to bo two bodies have been seen-floating in the saloon | and an attempt will bo made to iccover them. Tho body of a man! was also seen floating m a cave_ adjacent., to tho wreck but in, an inaccessible place A Maori offered to swim into tho ca;e and secure a \no round tho no k of tho drowned niaii, hut as tho feat was such a dangerous one, tho offer was declined, In all 74 bodies. ha\e boon recovered up to date.