TRAGICAL OCCURRENCE AT TOWNSVILLE.

Waikato Times, Volume VIII, Issue 454, 15 April 1875, Page 2

TRAGICAL OCCURRENCE AT TOWNSVILLE.

The " Cleveland Biy Express," 30th January, reports that of ibe^l 99 Chinese who landed at Townsville from the" mail steamer Brisbane, on Tuesday morning last, about 150 took passage for Cooktown by the A.S.N. Qonipany's boat "Victoria on Thursday atternXom * The shipping of these Celestials,, as it turned oat, was, a task beyond the powera of" the A.S.N. Company. They were duly booked,, and paid their fares for deck passages to Cboktown,. but when they reached the Company's wharf,, they found that the only means of transport provided was the small steamer Swift, with two of the Yiotoria's boats^ leaking at u every plank,, tn> taw. The Chinamen jibbed at the means of transport provided, and hesitated between the dread: oflbslngf their passages and losing their lives. The former/ fear, prevailed, and they swarmed into the- boats; until, even had they been water-tight and seaworthy, they were scandalously overcrowded, but this wa» not all r the tow lines connecting thesecond and third boata were so, ridiculously short that ther&waa not room for them ta ride indepen-, dently, even witfh the small swell that prevailed and the consequence was that when just attachingto the Victoria the midjstte boat -was capsized, and the whole of the passengers and!: swags sent floating; over the waves. As; a. matter of course every effort was made to save those who> were thus suddenly immersed. In this efibrt Mr A. Ross, Gaptain of the Swift, especially distingui sheet himselfBut it is yet a matter of doubt how many w.ere actually drow,n*d. So far as, we have been able toascertain onlyxtwo young men,, aged respectively 22 and 23 years, erf those booked as passengers, lost their lives, but even the Celestials, like Europeans,, have friends 6*f their own blood and nationality, and the suspicion is that several of these, who were giving their friends a convoy,, have been drowned.