WRECK of the PENGUIN

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2426, 15 February 1909, Page 4

WRECK of the PENGUIN

APPALLING marine disaster. FIFTY-TWO BODIES WASHED ASHORE^ mkl LOAD OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN SWAMPED. She struck where the white and fleecy waves . Looked soft an carded wool, But the cruel rocks they gored her sides Like the horns of an angry bull.—Longfellow.

FIRST NEWS OF THE DISASTER.

ing to secure a sheltered sea for the launching of the boats by turning the' vessel broadside on to the waves ° 'AVe managed to do this once ” he said, “but could not do it for the boats on the other side.” T} Ki j ;0a £ was settling steadily by the head, and at last took a plunge and went down.' His watch stopped at 10.53. The captain is not clear about the boat that was smashed alongside, blithe believes that all were got' on board again. The women and children were got away in two boats, that- were well clear when the steamer sank. The man the captain picked un in the water was -a steward off the'Lateen a . The boat rolled over twice with them and the man was lost. The two rafts had 11 and 12 occupants from the crew, all the passengers being in boats. The missing boats are copper tanked. and would float if swamped, but the danger would be in capsizing. Apart from this they migul!\ get round Terawliiti into one of the ~ma|LL The Penguin had five life-bo££?.~ Three are on the beach; the fourth is smashed up; and the fifth is not accounted for. There was a rumor that a boat had reached Ohau Bay, but there is no confirmation whatever. The purser, Mr Thompson, who was acloug those saved, states that the ship’s papers have been lost. He estimates that not more than half-an-hour elapsed between the time the vessel struck and when she sankn The Postmaster at Picton a dv£yv’ r the Postal Department: “Cay tarn* 3 Carey, of the s.s. Blenheim, inrerms me that both the Blenheim and Opawn were carried many miles northward last night by au extraordinary current. The Blenheim was forced in here. This may throw some light on the wreck of the Penguin.” A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT, . DEATH AND SUFFERING. TERRIBLE [Peess Association.] 'T--

LIST OF THE SAVED. [Press Association.] WELLINGTON, Feb. 13. The Union Company’s n.5. .1 enguin, bound from Nelson and 1 icton to Wellington, has been wrecked oil Cape Terawhiti. , , i Twentv people have landed. One boat load of women and children is missing at present. Only thirteen passengers are believed" to be saved out of fifty. The names are : Mrs. Hannan. Bob Jack. Robert Ellison. W. H. Green. Gerald Bridge. T. Allen. Matthews (a lad). Frank Shaw. L. T. Hogg. G. Perkins. Higgs. Millar. C. E. Downes. Sixteen of the crew have been saved. , , The following members of the crew are safe: Captain <F. E. Naylor. Luke, second engineer. Thompson, purser. R. Watts, steward. Keys, steward. C. Jones, steward. Hall, steward. W. His, steward. D. McCormack, steward. D. Francis, steward. Lynuj cook. Jackson, A.B. Farrell. A.B. iSnellgrovo, ordinary seaman. Wickton, greaser. Pierre, greaser. THE CAPTAIN'S STATEMENT.

' Captain F. E. Naylor’s statement is that he left Picton at 6.20 p.ni., and entered Cook's Strait at 7.50. The weather was clear at the time, but half-way across it became veiy thick. He set a course which would keep him well clear of the land,' - - a lion mg for the southerly set. (He expected to pick up Pencarrow light, but as lie could not see it he was in the act of putting the vessel’s head down the Strait to sea, when she struck at 10 o’clock on Tom’s Hock, an outlying obstruction off Terawhiti. She struck about midships on the starboard side. The pumps were sounded. *W «itor was making m jvo. I and 2 holds, and gaining slowly on the engine-room pumps. The lifeboats were swung, and tiie women and children sent away. A very heavy sea- was running, ana the first boat was immediately smashed, but the occupants were ad got on board, and transferred to -another boat. , ~ There was plenty of time to get the boats away, but at S minutes to II the steamer sank bodily. The captain and several of the crew were still on deck, and had to launch rafts and jump for them. The captain succeeded in reaching the broken boat, and got ashore on it. On the way ho picked up a man. but lost him' coming over the reef. Two rafts were landed about midnight, and neither had seen any of the boats. The captain, however, did not succeed in ‘getting ashotre till an hour and a-half before daylight. He found the men on the rafts being cared for by Mr. McMenamin, the owner of Terawhiti station, resident of the locality'. As far as Captain Naylor knows, there ‘are two boats still _ out,' and there is a prospect of their reaching Oban Bay if they escape being swamped. ' Two bodies of women were washed ashore, but lie did not know their names. The captain states that ho was on the bridge all tlie way, and the third officer with him. He cannot account for the 'disaster, except on the theory that he was carried in by tho heavy swell and southerly sea. LieURTMEH BETA ILS.

WELLINGTO.X, Feb. 13. Xews was telephoned IronJpMakara early this morning that the s.s. Penguin had .gone ashore in the night, and that it was feared there iiad been much loss of life. The Union Company sent horsemen over the hills to the beach to gather news, and later sent blauketsUand provisions in motor ears. They were taken on by packhorses along the precipitous coasts. THE FIRST IXTELLIGEX&^g^ Mr. McMenamiiTs which is always the first place to get news of disasters at Terawhiti, was visited by a man from the steamer who brought the first news and. a little later, six more arrived, but it was not till Captain Xaylor reached town about midday that anything very definite could be procured! The first versions said that oulv Id persons had been saved, but the disaster was not as bad as that. A number of passengers who intended coming, over appear to have been deterred in- ‘ the rough weather, and thesJ- vuo doubt, diminished the death''roil. The passengers were all put into the boats. Of these three are upturned on the shore, one is tossing ' aboutbroken, and the fifth and last is missing. Unless this boat turns up xio one who was m a boat has been saved, except Mrs. Hannan, of Xenon, a little boy, and a youth named Matthews, of Spring Creek, Marlborough. It was hoped that the last boat might have made Ohau but the s.s. Arahura, which scone, visited the bay and it there, nor had other vessels in the vicinity seen it. THE LIST OF PASSENGERS. The list of passengers revised according to the latest- information of the Union Company, is: From Picton: Mr. Budge (saved), Mrs. Brittain, Mr. Bird, Mr. Bone.. Mr. Courtney, Miss Dorean, Mr. Ellison (saved), Mr. Green (saved). Mr. Hale, Mr. S. Holcroft, Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Hart, Mr. Hogg (saved), 'Mr. Holmes, Mr. Harold, Mr. E. Matthews (saved), Miss McAlley, Mir. Riggs Millar (saved), Miss Ribbands, Mr. Frank Shaw (saved), Mr. Underwood, Mr. N. White. From Nelson: Mr. Cunningham, Mrs. Cunningham, Mr. Chapped, Mr. Coumble, Mr. Froaaec, Miss Hunt. Miss Jennings, Mr. Jack Dutliie and Co. (saved), Mr. Johnson, Mr. Jacka, Mrs. Jacka, Misses Maguir (3), Master Maguir, Mr. Perkins (saved), Mr. Rutherford, Mrs. Rutherford, i'M. Sliaw, Mrs. Toomer, and child. Miss Toomer, Mrs. Hannan (saved), Mr, finnan and four children. N >-~ GHASTLY SCENES. Late this afternoon twenty-six bodies, had come - ashore or were" in - sight in the surf. For two miles the J beach is strewn with wreckage, pieces of the vessel, cabins, seats, cushions, and upholstery of very kind are floating over the sands. Not a vestige of the vessel itself remains. It is absolutely impossible to determine where she sank. The bodies, of which sixteen or seventeen have been already recovered, are coming ashore in a little bay to the west of Mr. MeMinamfffs Tera-jg, wliiti homestead. The sight on the beach is one which would never be forgotten. Three lifeboats are thrown up on the sand,.

Sir James Mills cables to the Press Association, from Sydney, at 11 am.: “Much distressed at the sad loss of life on the Penguin. I desire to convey mv deepest sympathy with 'all those, concerned in the disaster. and especially with those who have lost relations and friends. . Stories told by the survivors indicate that one of the life-boats was stove in immediately, and the. other over-turned. „ _ 1T Only one woman, Mrs. Hannan, v as saved but she lost her husband mid four children, including her baby, whom she strapped in the life-boat, .but who was found dead when uiitKOne of the rafts overturned threetimes, and another font times, -but those ,011 them managed to get back again each time. , There was no panic, and the captain’s orders wore promptly obeyed. All displayed heroism throughout the terrible ‘ experience, The beach in the vicinity presents a sad appearance, with masses of bror<en wreckage and corpses coming ashore. . , When the Peogum struck the captain. remained on the bridge, steer-

and one raft is also 'high and dry, wreckage and the fourth lifeboat are floating about in tlie breakers . Just round a forbidding-looking 'bluff was discovered the body of a little girl, about 12 or 13 years of age. A little further on was the body of a middleaged man, and still a few yards further away was the corpse of an elderly woman, apparently some 40 or 50 years oh age. Just past the second liie-boat was seen the body of a youim man, wearing a light grey suit, and apparently between 17 and 18 years ot age. Still further on the body of a woman clothed in a blue costume, and apparently between 35 and 40 years of age,, had been washed ashore. 1 here was also on the beach the 'body ot a man about 40 or 50 years of age. Another corpse was that of a fireman. A young man who was lying dead on the beach was evidently' the same passenger whom Captain Naylor endeavored to save on the upturned boat that lie was clinging t-o. RELIEF MEASURES. The police authorities have made arrangements for the care of the bodies that are being washed ashore. At 7 o’clock this morning two mounted constables were despatched to the scene, and they took with them blankets and medicinal comforts for the injured. Eater on a' sergeant and two more constables left in a motor car and the Commissioner of Police expressed his intention of also going out. Some coffins have been sent to the coast, and the police will be stationed by the bodies till they can be brought to Wellington. It is intended to bring them around by sea as soon as the weather moderates, hut this operation will bo impossible this evening- The only other way to make tlie passage, would be by pack-horse over rough hill-tracks, but this course is not considered advisable. The Union Company is co-operating with the police in making the best possible arrangements for the. care of the bodies. ‘survivors of the crew. FIFTEEN SAVED. The survivors of the crew so fjir known are:—Captain Naylor, R. Watts, M. Keys, C. Jones, D. McCormack, and W. Rees (stewards), F. Wicktorin, W. Pierria (greasers), A. R. Thompson (purser), G. Ferrall (A. 8.), W. Luke (second engineer), I). Lynn (cook), G. W. Francis (steward),* Chns. Jackson (A. 33.), H. Snclgrove (0.5.).

. THE MISSING-

THE LAST BOAT LOST. FIFTY-TWO BODIES ON THE BEACH. (Press Association.) WELLINGTON. Feb. 14. Hope that tlie missing boat might lie saved is now abandoned, as it has drifted asliore. A list of those dead or missing so far as can be ascertained is: PASSENGERS. Mrs. Brittain. Airs. Hart, Mrs. Toomer. Mrs. Hale. ATiss Doran. Aliss A£cAlley. Aliss Ribbands. Miss Hunt. Aliss Jennings. Afisses AlcGuire (3). ’ Aliss Ivy Toomer. Miss Alice Toomer. Aliss Chine. Aliss Nodine. Mr. Bird. Air. Bone. Air. Courtney. Air. Hale. Air. S. Holer oft. Air. Holmes. Air. Harold. Air. Underwood. Air. V. White. Air. Chappell. Air. Troaclec. Air. Coumbe. Mr. Johnson. Mr. Wharton. Air. Shaw (Melbourne). Air. Keith. Air. Williamson. Mr. Seed. Air. Rogers. Mr. H. E. Bowen. Air. E. Alatthews (not to be confused with lad saved). Master AlacGuire. • (Airs. Brittain is the mother oi Air. J. Brittain, of this town.] OFFICERS AND CREW.

W. A. Mclntyre (chief officer). F. Driscoll (second officer). G. A. Looscmore (third officer). I? Urquhart (chief engineer). W. G. lientoul (third engineer). G. Alexander (chief steward). T Hayes (boatswain). C. W. Estacott, Bowman, and Henderson (A.B.’s). G. Golf mi (donkey man). Rafferty (greaser). C. Fairbairn and S. Ward (firemen). S. Conic and Barnes (trimmers). Mrs. Hone (stewardess). To above list of passengers there have to he added Mrs. \Y. It. feymonds, two children, and maid. Xt was wired from Nelson that some passengers of this name had not gone though" their mimes wore in the passenger list, but these bodies have been identified. Late this afternoon there were fd two bodies on the beach, scatteied over eight miles. E. Gale (A. 8.). Mrs. C. Jacobs (saloon stewardess). Airs. Hope (forecabin stewardess). R Watts (second steward). AI. Keys (forecahin steward). D. Lynn (chief cook). Edwin Hall (second cook). Henry McGuire .(sculleryman). C. Jones (pantyrman). Wellum (second pantryman). Cooke (meesrom steward). Ernest Cook (saloon waiter). G. Cl ay don (saloon waiter). . BODIES IDENTIFIED. R. Uuquliart (chief engineer). Mrs .Heme (forecabin stewardess). Mrs. C. Bird. * Air. C. H. Halo.. Mrs. Hale. Mr. Rogers. Air. Seed. _ Air. H. G. Bone. Msr; Jacobs (stewardess). Master Maguire. Miss Maguire. Air. H. Warton Shaw. Air! W. H. !Henry. Air. J. Bates. Miss Alary Doran. •, . Miss Alary Fajrbaini (doubttul),

Mr. Mclntyre (chief officer). Airs. W. R, Symonels, and two children.

Aliss Jessie Rennie' (Airs. Symonds’ maid). Air. Sylvester Holoroft.' Air. W. Higgins Henry. Airs. Bishop. Air. Toomey. Mr. Keith Williamson. Mr. Driscoll (second officer). THE PENGUIN’S HISTORY. A LIFE OF FORTY-FIVE YEARS. (Special to “Times.”) WELLINGTON, Feb. 14. Built- 45 years ago at Glasgow by Todd and ALcGregor, tlie Penguin has had a successful and uneventful career. Her initial runs wei’e made between Liverpool and Glasgow. She •was considered a comfortable passenger boat, and 15 "knots was well within her speed limit. She was.also running across the Irish Sea to Belfast, and it is said that she also ran betewen England and France. She was brought -out to New Zealand for the Union Co., who completely overhauled and re-engined her. She was formerly a “poop and forecastle” beat, but the company converted her into a “well-decked” steamer. She has been in every branch of the various trades to which.the Union Co. puts its steamers,i and it is asserted that nearly every skipper in the company has kept a watch over her deck. "With tlie advent of newer and better ships, the Penguin was given a place further down tlie list. She was run in the Cook Straits trade in the summer months of the year, and in winter she was pensioned off lor a well-deserved rest. Her record, as previously mentioned, was exceptionally good' but not absolutely free from mishap. Once she reposed for some little time on the rocks in French Pass; the thick padding of kelp round the rocks kept her fro hi harm, and she was eventually floated off entire. Later she ran aground -near Tory Channel, but her luck then held good, and she was got off without suffering any harm. TOM’S ROCK.

A SUBAIERGED SNARE,

The coastline near Tom’s Rock (mentioned by the captain ,as the probable cause of the wreck) is very rugged. This rock is a snare, set below the surface of the sea. Where the Karori stream empties itself into the ocean,, lies Karori rock, about a mile from the shore. “It stands,” says the “Post,” about Bft out of the water. Tom’s Rock occupies a south-eas-terly position from lvarori Rock, about a mile away. It is calculated to be 14 miles from the mainland, but as it does not show its head above the surface of the water, the Karori rock is used as a guiding mark by mariners. It is the outside of all the Terawhiti rocks, and is covered by about 4or 5 feet of water. It is, of course, in a most exposed position. A current runs in that vicinity at' a speed of from three to six knots at flood tide. It runs in a westerly direction, and when the-tide is on the ebb it flows to the eastward. The names of tlie Eversham., Grasmere, Falcon, and other vessels are sadly associated with Tom’s Rock. A strong 'swirl 'sets in sometimes towards .the shore by AlcA lon am ill’s station. Here bodies from the Penguin and boats are coming ashore. Here too the barque Woollalira was smashed to pieces by the rollers, which thumped her flanks and ribs with steam hammer blows.” A STRANGE HOAIE-COAIING.

. Air. P. Bridge, son of Air. 11. B. Bridge, of Oriental Bay, who was coming from Picton to attend has brother’s funeral, was amongst the survivors. His mother was kept in ignorance of tlie disaster until after the funeral of her son. All messages and telegrams were kept from her by <a resourceful friend, and she merely had an idea that the boat was overdue. Not until her son walked in the door clad in a coat, shirt, and trousers, and soaked to the skin, did she know that there had been a wreck. She was thus saved from a great deal of worry and anxiety.

ABOUT THE VICTIMS, DETAILS OF INTEREST. [Press Association.] WELLINGTON, Feb. 14. Airs. Brittain was the wife, of Air. H. J. Brittain, Stock Inspector, Nelson, and formerly of Auckland. Her husband was visiting Wellington, attending the vterinary classes, and being somewhat unwell, Airs. Brittain was coming to Wellington to look alter him. She leaves a family. The third engineer of the Penguin was Air. Stanley Rintoul, unmarried, a native of Nelson, where his parents reside. His age was about 25 years. He had been in various steamers of the Union Company, but only joined the Penguin six weeks ago. He formerly served as second engineer on the Richmond. Some doubt was at first expressed as to the probability of Airs. Symouds, her children, and maid, being on the Penguin, but unfortunately it proved to be only too true, for Mrs. Symonds’ body was one of the first to bo identified on the beach. The deceased lady was returning from a holiday at Nelson, with her maid, and two children, aged i-5 and 14 years respectively. The poor little ones had just celebrated a happy birthday. Mrs. Symonds was the widow of Mr. W. R. Symonds, formerly shipping manager for Messrs Turnbull and Co., and a, daughter of Air. AV. S. Reid, late Solicitor-General. Her brother. Air. Edward Reid, is one of the staff of the A.M.P. Society in Wellington, and the local manager, Mr. Lowe, was an uncle.

CHRISTCHURCH, Feb. 14. Mr. Keith Cape Williamson, whose parents reside in this city, and is' supposed to have been a passenger by the Penguin, was a nephew of the 'stationmastcr at Wakefield, and had distinguished . himself at Canterbury College, having passed the B.A decree and the first section of the L.L.B. decree. iHe was also recently award* ed°an exhibition in mental science. His age was about 21. , It has been ascertained that Mr. and Airs William Higgins Henry were passengers by the Penguin. Air. Henry was employed m the Economic, Wellington, and was a nephew ol Mrs S. A. Staples, of this mty. Mrs. Henry was a daughter oi > the Rev. James Maxwell, Presbyterian minis-

ter of This- city . She had been oil a visit to Bright water. To-day, Mrs. Staples received a telegram stating that her nephew's body had been .identified. * Among those _ missed, supposed to ’ have been on board tlie Penguin, was Aliss Livisey, well known in hockey circles, whose parents reside in Glendovey Road, Fendalton. THE PREMIER’S CONDOLENCES. OFFER OF GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE. w. [Press Association.] WELLINGTON, Feb. 14. The Prime Alinister (Sir Joseph Ward) sent the following message to the manager of the Union Steamship Co. at Wellington upon hearing the sad news: —“Deeply regret to hear of disaster to Penguin, and the more so on account- of the sad loss of life that has attended it.” Later the Prime Alinister wired from Rotorua e—“As intimated to you by Dr. Findlay, if there is anything the Government can do to help in connection with the sad disaster, it. will bo most readily done.” Air. W. A. Kennedy stated in bis reply t-o Sir Joseph A Yard that the Postal Department was doing all in its power. He expressed Ills thanks for the Premier’s generous offer. ROTORUA, Feb. 14. The Prime Alinister has received the following message from Sir James Mills, managing director of the Union Co., who is now in Sydney:—“Am grateful to you for expression of sympathy -and offer of assistance, which lias been communicated to me here. Am deeply distressed at sad loss of life.” THE LATEST. SEVENTY LIVES LOST. BODIES TO BE BROUGHT OVER- ’ LAND. [Press Association.] WELLINGTON, Feb. 14. Latest accounts place the total of tlie dead at 70, and of tlie living at 30. Arrangements have been made for soldiers of the Royal New. Zealand Artillery to start- packing the bodies overland at daybreak- to where, they can bo met by vehicles from the city.

■ THE DROAVNED OFFICERS. (Press Association.) DUNEDIN, Feb. 13. The officers drowned were : First Officer, W. A. Mclntyre. Second Officer, F. Driscoll. Third Officer, E. A. Looseman. The first and third engineers, R. Urquahart, one of the oldest engineers in the company, and W. R. Rintoul, of Wellington. Chief steward, K. Alexander. Stewardesses, Airs. Hope and ALiss Jacobs. None of the officers belong to Dunedin. There were also drowned six firemen, six sailors, and involve in the stewards’ department. The ernes are not available. The Shipwreck Relief .Society lias instructed the Union Company’s manager in Wellington to rovide necessary clothing for the Penguin si rvivors. The s.s. Penguin was built in Glasgow in 1864, and arrived in New Zealand in August, 1879, after a reputable career-between Glasgow and Liverpool, having a reputation of steaming 13 knots in fine weather. Some years ago she ran in tlie mail trade between Dunedin and Onelmnga. When adaced in tlie Wellington-Picton-Nelson service the Penguin was altered to meet th requirements of the passenger traffic. During a long and useful career she was singularly free from mishaps. The Union Company are sending the Te A nan to take up the Penguin’s running. She leaves Port Chalmers at daylight to-morrow.

NELSON PASSENGERS. PAItTICPLARS OF PASSENGERS AND CREW. . [Press Association.] NELSON, Feb. 14. The following passengers from Nelson by the Penguin proceeded no further than Plcton :—Air. and Mrs. Rutherford, Air. and Mrs. Cunninghame, Airs. Jennings, Mr. and Airs. Jaclca. Several others, whose names do mot appear on the passenger list, are reported to have been in the steamer, and inquiries are being made in regard to these. ' .. Mr. Keith Cape Williamson, who is reported to have been lost, is a brother of the. stationrnaster at Wakefield. The Hannan family come from Tadmor. Freadee -y. .„;s a Stoke Orphanage boy, on his way to a farm at Wellington. Miss Hunt’s parents reside at Motueka. The four Maguires had been inmates of St. Andrew’s Orphanage, and were returning to their father. W. >S. Rentoul, third engineer, was a native of Nelson, where his parents reside, and Captain Naylor is also a member of a Nelson family.

A PROBABLE VICTIM. A PROMINENT FORESTER, [Press Association.] GREY MOUTH, Feb. 14, There is great anxiety felt for the safety of Air. Edward Coumbe, of this town, who Avas a passenger by the Penguin. He had attended tho Foresters’ conference at Nelson, arid was going to Wellington for a holiday. He is a young married man, and his mother and brothers reside in this district. [Press Association.] BLENHEIM, Feb. 13. The following were the passengers according to the Union Company’s list, on hoard the Penguin from Bleu, lie ihi and Picton: Messrs Underwood, Bridge, Noel, AVliitc, Ellis, Matthews, Shaw, C. Hale, Bird,, Riggs, .Miller,and Hoberon; Misses Ribbands, Mc'AUley, -Weyss, and Airs. Hale., Steerage: Messrs Hogg and Holmes, and two men without ticket?.

THE SUPPOSED CAUSE. .UN USUAL TIDES. ' [Press Association.] ■j . NELSON, Feb. 13. Captain Stewart; of the s.s. Pateena, interviewed by a “Mail” reporter this morning, said he left AVellington at 6 o’clock last night for Nelson direct.A . The weather was thick, arid there was a moderate southerly gale blowing. The land at times was wholly obscured. He did not see the. Penguin. Captain Stewart had expected a moderate ebb tide, but bad not experienced it. He. was not disposed to be •communicative about the tides, but enough"was gathered to show that the conditions were very unusual. Captain Vickerman, of the. Anchor Company’s Kennedy, which left Wellington at 6.30 last night, said that when off Torawliiti at 9.30 p.m. he passed a steamer five miles off tlie shore., which ho supposed to bo tlie Penguin. The steamer was going slow, and the weather was very thick at the time. The passengers from Nelson by the Penguin were : Alisses Jennings, Lowman, Symons (2), Toomer, AleGuire (3); Aiesdamcs Rutherford, J-aeka, Symons and maid, and Toomer and child; Messrs Bowman, Johnston. Broader, Chappell, Rutherford, and Jacka; Masters Berkett and AlcGuire. The Nelson bowling team of twelve were passengers to Piet on. only. There were several return passengers, whoso names are not known. Air. and Mrs. Bowman, whose names appeared on the passenger list, did Hot leave by the Penguin.

THE ONLY WOMAN SURVIVOR. AIRS. HANNAN’S NARRATIVE. A STORY OF PATHOS AND HEROISM. Airs. Hannan was the only woman who escaped, and particularly heartrending is her slory. Her four children were all drowned before her eyes. She told a most pathetic story to a “Times” reporter, who interviewed her at Air. AlcAlenaniin’s station. She said: “My husband was working on the railway down south, and he lately contracted consumption, so we booked our passages by the Penguin, taking our four children with us, our intention being to go to Rotorua to see if it would do my husband any good. At about 3.U o’clock at night we heard a bump, and a little later the stewardess came down and told us to get ready, as the boat was sinking. Wc all rushed on deck, and I was told to get into one of the boats which was being got ready. 1 refused to leave my husband and children, but they forced me to get into the boat, separating me from Air. Hannan, although my children were with me. The boat was filled with passengers, and one sailor was also ordered into it. THE TACKLE FALLS GIVE WAY. “Just as they went to lower the boat the tackle falls gave way, and the craft went down head first into the ocean. All my children wore drowned except the youngest baby, two years old, which 1 had lashed to one of the seats. Nobody seemed to have time to rescue the children, but 1 suppose that could not be helped. There wore six women in the boat. and. I should think, somewhere near the same number of men. We got safely away from the ship. The saloon stewardess (Airs. Jacobs) helped us before wo got into the boat. Aly word, she was a brave woman! She did everything; got blankets and wrapped us up, and was calm and collected, and didn't flurry us in the least.” “OH! M A AIM A ! HELP US.”

When the tackle tails gave Avav 1 heard one of my children calling, 'Oh! mumma, nnunina, help us!’ but God knows wo were powerless to do anytiiing. My husband was on the deck, and I said to him when rve parted, ‘Cheer up, old man!’ He replied, ‘Good-bye!’ and I have not seen him since. We drifted about, and during the night aau> k.uav one of the rafts quite close to us. We coo-ed and tried to get up to it, but could not. We must have been some hours in the boat. We could see the rocks ahead of us, and A\ r e tried to keep off them, the sailor avlio was in charge doing his best.” AVOIDING THE REEFS. “We drifted about, at seemed for hours,, everybody straining at the oars, and trying to avoid the reefs. My poor little, baby aaus then still alive, and I realised that it Avas all I had in the AA r orld. The boat Avas filling with Avater, leaking badly, and those not roAving kept halting out tho water for their dear lives, but avo could not check the inlloAv, and we realised that it aaus only a matter of time when the boat would be right awash.” UPSET IN THE SURF.

“We knew by the roaring of the breakers that avo Avcre close on the surf, and, pull as avo could, Ave Avcre unable to keep the boat Avilili her head to sea. Suddenly, I don’t knoAV how it happened, an enormous Avave struck us- side-on, and the boat capsized. Everybody Avas instantly tliroAvn into tho sea.' I managed to grasp a rope, and God alone 'kuoAvs lioav I hung on. A young boy, Ellis Matthews, Avas floating near mq,. and I got a rope to him and helped him to make himself secure athwart of the capsized boat. Wo Avcre right underneath the boat, but the- air must have forced the Avater out, and Avhile the bottom of the boat stood out of the Avater avo clung on Avith our heads toAvards the floor of the boat, and avo Avei'e thus enabled to* breathe. Wc AA r erc really imprisoned betAveen the keel of the boat and the scats, the boat still floating all the time upside doAvn. It seemed that avo floated '.about for hours, until finally avo were washed' up on to the beach.” PINNED UNDER THE BOAT.

“Wo Avere, you 'must .remember, still under tho boat in its capsized condition pinned in under the tlnvarts, and., of-course, tlie 'water Avas very shalioAV, hut tho spent waves continued to lap right up to our bodies. Wc had no Avay of getting out my poor little baby, Avho had in tlie meantime died from the shock and exposure. I think the life-belt must have choked her. While losing my all, I had: saved the life of a strange boy, MatthcAvs. The terrible experience had told on him,, aud lie lay by my

sido unconscious. I-made up my mind to get out from under the- boat,' and I started to scratch, away at the kingly beach to make'a hole to creep jut; and then I hoard the y-oice of the station shepherds, who lifted up olio boat and got us out, arid we were taken to tlie ihomestead. The names of the children I lest were Ronald Edward, aged 10 years; George Alexander, aged 5 years; Amelia, aged 3 years; Ruby May, aged 2 years.”' A FORTUNATE ESCAPE. One of the most fortunate escapes from a passage on the Penguin was. that of Miss Elberia O’Sullivan, the daughter of a deceased Havelock settler. She had taken a position as teacher in tlie Sacred Heart College, Wellington, and was to have commenced her duties on ATonday. She was to have made the trip with her mother, but their farewells at Blenheim occupied so much time that they missed the only train which could connect with the Penguin, an incident which Aliss O’Sullivan regarded as extremely unfortunate until the dreadful news of the wreck was telegraphed over the Straits the following morning.

THE DISPOSAL OF THE BODIES

The scene of the wreck, though in point of distance so near Wellington, is very (inaccessible, and pressmen, police,. and others who went to the spot had a fearful time. The Torawliiti went round to-day, but could not get in touch with the shore. The fifty-two bodies recovered are lying along a stretch of eight miles of beach, and it is not yet certain what will be done with them, but efforts will he made to get them to town by boat to-night or to-morrow. It is a noteworthy feature that out of 27 persons saved, 23 came ashore on tlie two rafts, not one person who got on to the rafts being drowned, although they- were capsized several times before eventually making land.

At the meeting of the East Coast Trades and Labor Council on Saturday night it was unanimously resolved — “That -we convey our deepest sympathy with all those concerned in tlie Penguin disaster, especially with those who have lost relatives; and also that the Alinister i'or Alarine be requested to consider the urgency of having a light erected on Torawliiti.” A few flags m ere flown half-mast on Saturday in respect of tlie memory of those drowned in the wreck, and sympathetic reference to the disaster was made yesterday in several of the churches, special hymns also being sung.

THE CONDITION OF THE STRAITS.

TERAWHITI POINT. AN EXPERIENCED CAPTAIN'S OPINION. [Press Association.! BLENHEIM, Feb. 14. Captain Eckford, of the river steamer Opawa, who has traded between Wellington and Blenheim for many yeans, and knows Cook Strait thoroughly, says there certainly was a very strong current in the straits on Saturday when he crossed with the Opawa, but it was abnormal. It was natural to such heavy southerly weather. His own passage from W elling, ton to AYairau bar occupied fifteen hours, or twice the ordinary time. He is of the opinion that in such thick and.stprmy weather a passenger vessel’s best plan .is to refrain from venturing out ;on tlie course. A lighthouse, on Terawhiti would he absolutely useless in such thick weather, as guns could not be heard as the wind was blowing in the wrong direction.’

THE SCENE OF THE WRECK.

LONELY RIDE ON THE COAST. A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION. (From our Special Correspondent! Hr. Malcolm Ross.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 14. In the teeth of the storm yesterday morning it was no easy task getting out to Oteranigi Bay, where it was reported that wreckage and bodies were coming ashore from the wrecked steamer Penguin, but after some dlfiiculty in obtaining a horse I found myself on the wav. I had but the faintest idea of the route, but I was fortunate in falling in with a party of four —two men from the Telegraph Department and two from the Post Office. The former were going to establish communication by means of the line which comes over the hills from the end of the cable wire to 'Wellington. The hitter were to keep a look-out for the mails. The two telegraph men knew the route. The others did not, and their outfit indicated that they had started with 'unnecessary haste. They had no food, and only one horse between them. At the foot of the long hill leading to Makara, we turned into the field crossed a swollen stream, and proceeded along a narrow track that presently zig-zagged up a very steep lull. At the top you "come out on a razorhack ridge, and imagine you are coming to the end of things. Thence by devious ways through gates and paddocks of thousands of acres you gain another razor-back, which suddenly begins to descend at a very steep angle into l another watershed. The wind screams and hisses over these high tops. The rain, which comes at times in drenching sheets, defies waterproofs and leggings, and the mists are so thick that you can scarce see. fifty yards ahead. On this long razorback the slope is so steep and slippery that we dare not ride our horses, and in places, as we lead them down, we are in trepidation lest they tumble on top of ms. At one place the post office man who was following on foot only a little way" behind missed our tracks and the leader of the party rode back just in time to- rescue him from being lost in the wild, inhospitable country. He was off the track, and making for a 'l'idge. that would take him Lord knows where. At the bottom of the long razor-back we came viiioii a swollen yellow stream, and we followed this down a deep, narrow gulch for some miles, crossing it thirty or forty times. Wo could only guess at the nature of the fords, and once my horse went down in a pot-hole, with his rider underneath, I had mv feet out, of the stirrups, and alter one or two plunges the. horse left me free, and I was able to scramble out, none the worse except for a few bruises, and the fact that I was wot to the

neck: The telegraph lineman helped vne to catch my horse, and re moon tsng, 1 hurried on with him down the datum, the horse now thoroughly ’scared of the water, ajul being urged ■across the swollen fords with difficulty. I. resently, on rounding a bend •in the gully, I got a whiff of the. •ocean, and in a few minutes were saw 'the beach. On the right was a lmt in 'ivhtcli some rabbiters were sheltering •Jrom the. storm. We were greeted •with a pack of barking dogs, and a ‘.nan came out to see what such un•expeeted visitors could want. We asked lr.ni where the wreck was, but he '*m.y looked at u.s in blank amazement and asked “What wreck?” We told him, and declining his preferred hospitality of a cup of tea, we. hurried •m to the cable, hut, Which is on the beach on the other side, of .the stream. Oil arrival there was no sign of any wreck, and my trouble was to know ■whether I should -ride north or south ■along the beach. There were no ■footprints on the sand leading northwards, so I concluded the wreck was ■to the southward. The telegraph •man rang up Wellington for news, but they knew nothing more than they did when we left. Leaving the telegraph •man,- I proceeded southwards along the beach, after having received directions as to how I would find ilcMenamin’s station. A PATHETIC SIGHT.

I had not .ridden more than a hundred yards before my attention was attracted to something on the beach. 'lt prove to be the body of a little tioy, six or seven years of t ge. A ■few inches of white little leg; showed •between his black "stockings, and his shrunk nickers first attracted my attention. Poor little chap, he was such ■u little fellow, and he had < :i such a big life-belt, for him. It had been ‘hurriedly fastened, for the lower strings were loose. There had not been tim to put on his boots, or if 'they had been put on they must have been torn off by the rocks as the body 'was coming ashore. He was a lairhaired little chap, and his face was purple and swollen, but it was pleasing to note that there was no sign of terror or suffering in his expression. He iiad .gone prematurely to his last long sleep, .without- much pain. i dragged tlie body across the sands to a place of safety above high-water mark, for there might be some poor mother on shore or amongst the saved who would like to see her child once ■more, even though it was only in death. 1 rode back and told the man at the end of the wire. “I expect you’ll find plenty more,’'" he said, as 1 rod > away again, and sure enough 1 did. WRECKAGE AND CORPSES. There was no wreckage near the boy of ihe little boy, but a little further on I came upon a box of fruit anu some broken timbers. Then, on rounding a little inner Lay, I saw the body of a woman in the breakers, it was being tossed L thor and thither in the foam, and sec tied to be trending northwards. I r -do my horse into the .surf, but there were ragged rocks about, and though the body was not far away, I could not reach it witlv out endangering n:y own fife. Continuing along the rocky beach. I rode as close in as I could in search of other bodies and, in amongst some particularly jagged rocks, 1 found the body of a man. -He was on a .sharpish pinnacle of rock, with the foam swirling around him. He was a strong-looking man, rather tall, and dressed in dark elotlmo, as if he were a seaman or fireman. He lay on his back, with a life-belt securely fastened around him. His arms were' outstretched at right angles to his body, and his legs apart. Evidently he. was a swimmer, but cl what avail would the powers of the strongest swimmer be on a wild, dark night, amongst the foaming breakers. in the teeth of those relentless, jagged rocks? The life would soon be battered out of him, but be may have been drowned miles away at sea nearer the wreck, and the body have drifted in here with the current. I endeavoured to get the body out, but it was in am awkward position, and too big a burden for me. I fear it may have been carried away by another tide. Not far away, lying on some shingle beside ail out jutting rock was the body of a tallish man, dressed in a grew tweed suit. He also had been provided with a life-belt, but it was of no' avail in saving his life. Near here there was more wreckage, an oar nicely balanced on a pinnacle of rock above more fruit boxes, -and further out what appeared to be a bit of a broom .painted white. Trotting along the beach, which is here strewn with broken rocks, like - very coarse road metal, I came upon tin body of a woman, with thin fairish hair, turning grey. She was a thnv little woman, dressed in okl-fashonec; black, with black stockings and blackbuttoned shoes. She had apparentl_\ had time to dress, oven to buttoning her shoes half-way up. This may assist in the identification. THE LIFEBOAT’S FATE. Here, then, was the key to the story 1 had been endeavoring to rc-ad as 1 rode along the beach. The chubbyfaced little fellow near the cable end. the woman floating in the foam, the two women on the beach, and the sailor-looking man were amongst those who had embarked in the socalled life-boat, which proved in the end to be a veritable- death-trap, v itli could now read the whole story of the struggle of a boat filled, mainly n itli women and children, drifting northwards along an iron-hound coast, in the cokl and rain, ami the gale and the inkv blackness of night, reaching the shore eventually, but only to be dashed in the darkness upon the lagged teeth of those forbidding rocks, and torn in pieces as if it were a bark canoe. This was the fifth hieboat, which up to this time had not he*ui accounted for, and upon which the chief engineer’s wife and others were pinning their faith in regard to the safety of their husbands or other re’-atbics. It was thought that she might nave lauded safely in Ohau Bay, a few miles further north, hut, alas, with this discovery ended all hops of further -passengers o-r members of the crew being found alive. In the spot where this boat was stove* in there could be little hope for the strongest swimmer, none at all for the poor women and children. Those who were not quickly drowned must have K 1 the life dashed out of them on the cruel racks. ,A GRIM RIDE. . All this, time there was no e;gu o the wrecked steamer, and no sign oi iinv human being alive, but tlie sol.-tfo-v horseman wending bis way along the-rugged coast, and peering mfo the grevness for more signs. The sting m driving rain upon the cheek, the sick-y

■ .smell of rotting seaweed, the. great \bo!d headlands looming through the greyness, the call of the tern, the roar of the tumbling sea, the swish of tlie. moving sands, the foam-decked ja'ggea rocks. On the kelp-strewn beach lie more bodies, some face down on the rocks, and some with, unclosed eyes, gazing vacantly heavenwards, witlr a vague" hope of ultimate succour. Seaward, in the offing—she seemed almost . dangerously close in—a little steamer, ■with a thin funnel and grey sails set, loomed through the mists, and m.us swallowed up again. She was prot bably one of the fishing licet, hopo--1 lesslv looking for more bodies, or may tie, for men or women on some ra i t that perchance was still afloat. he phantom ship, the solitary horson :u. and the circling sea-mews were foe Only signs of life in the dreary diab '•ceiie °I am sunposed to havo nerves I of iron, and l have beem in some tight corners in mv time, under the bum and on narrow ice slopes, with a sneer drop of thousands of feet on eithei side, without feeling any qualms to speak of. but I confess that tins hours solitary ride along the bouy-sti ew n beach made my heart ache, it was not so much seeing tho bodies of m <■«. That was a familiar sight, but wliai tore at one’s heart strings was_ me i si'dit of so many poor -women; and bliT.drtf drowned. A man can genprLallv fight for himself and ft he .goes mown, inevitably but bravely, ms iilfollow man’s -regrets arc -not so keen, but •with the women and' the little Ighildreii it is different. They are so frail and helpless, and yet there were in this wreck, just as there lin-efe heroes, and the Anglo-Saxon race has no reason to be ashamed of !anyone, while it has inst reason to be proud of many. Musing in this way, a/s I rode along I came upon the body "of another little boy. The poor little { fellow had a medal around his neck. ; By this, the mother, if she lives, will : know her child. The little chap may have been one. of the children of Mrs. ; Hannan, the heroine of the wreck, the ; one. woman saved, who worked to resi cue others, but lost her own lour I children and lier delicate husband. From this point onwards the beach was strewn with much more wreckage, 'and the bodies were now so numerous i that I did not stop to note particn-1-la-rs. Besides, they had been found by others, for life-belts or bits of clothing had been placed over the.-r . upturned features by some kiud.y hand. Ahead, through the swirling \ mists, I could now dimly see three or four white-painted boats, piled up mi I the shelving shore, and little knots of ; men, evidently busy with more bodies, ; getting them above high-water mark, [and carefully examining them for means of identification. And ail tlrs time still no sign of tlie wrecked steamer. VERY SAD SCENE. My horse struck at one place where the sea was swfshing up to the foot of the cliffs, but with some persuasion I got him past it, and came upon a very sad scene. A little group of men and a bare-beaded, delicate youth had something wrapped up in a sail, and were endeavouring to lift it up on the rocks above high-water mark. One of them hailed me to lend a hand. 1 irecognised him as the. editor of the '“Dominion,' who, after two hours’ [sleep, had, with the assistance of one stereotyper, who could set up ty,pP\ succeeded in getting out a special edition of his paper with the first pi isy-t ed news of the wreck, and had then taken a tram to Ivarori and .walked over the hills to the scene oi t-1 ■. wreck. In my bedraggled condition, with a sou’-wester and a torn oilskin, and wet through from head to foot, ihe did not recognise me till I spoke. The bareheaded young fellow, thoug.i unable to do much walking# since he was injured in a football match two years ago, had driven from tow it eleven miles and had walked ovei the hills to the coast, and the heavy bm'den in the sail was the mortal i■- -> [mains of his father, Mr. Bone, a wetlknown traveller for the firm or Mersi s iSargood, Son and Ewen. I ,1* stand he is an only son, 'and that•Jus mother resides in Dunedin. lee young fellow, though very plucky, was somewhat dazed, soaked to the and very weak. He started to '' al - v hack over the hills, but I aoiiot it he would have got to his destination had I not given him my horse to ride. :; I suppose there is no sign oi the Penguin,’ I said. “No; none,” replied the editor of the “Dominion. “Where did she go down?”. “Somewhere out there,” he answered, pointing southward through the greyness, iiWthe direction of the Ivarori rock. In the little bay wliere wo placed Mr. Bono’s body, on a sheltering rock, beyond the reach of the sea, the most of the bodies had come ashore, one- of a man who had lost his hand in the struggle for life, another of a fireman, then two or three girls, cut off 'in thew teens, and ore ether, $, very, stout woman, from the body of which most if the clothing had been torn; hut .here are some scones, however graphically they might be described, over which it is best to draw the veil of [lienee, and I will write no more on his subject. Sufficient to say that few jnen in this world could walk along ;hat beach unmoved. Any who could lo so would not he men.

THE PURSER’S STORY.

HOW THE VESSEL SANK. 1 A STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. ~ (Press Association.) : WELLINGTON, Feb. 14. Mr. A. R. Thompson, purser oi : thefeiiguin, has now been twice -wrecked n the last 18 months. He was in he ill-fated Kawatiri, lost last year in the Tasmanian coast, when six perons were drowned. .He says: — l ("There were sixty passengers and orty of a crew on the Penguin when jhe left iPicton on Friday evening. It teems to me only 27 have .got shore alive, leaving 73 as the number fho have gone. I was only partly tressed when the ship struck. Seas fere washing aboard forward as the fenguin began to go down by the iead, and all the passengers were sent ft. The sailors and male passengers ■ssisted in getting out the boats. As fe got these out and let the rafts [drift the ship went down. ‘lt’s all hv now, swim for it,’ called the chief nicer, and it was like diving into pace. Such a terrible drop we had. ileven of its got on a raft, and we had f terrible time. Our legs were parapsed with cold, and it was blowing lard and raining. Three times the pft turned turtle, but each time, we ill got back again. At last wc got nt.o the breakers, and jumped for it, nd all got safely ashore. Three

times I had undergone, the sensation of drowning. The last I saw of tho poor chief engineer was when he was untying a gangway. ‘lt might coffie in useful to some one to cling to,’ ho said. Even wlie.m ashore the survivors had an (awful time, finding it almost impossible in their exhausted state to climb the almost perpendicular cliffs. Finally the men reached Mr. McMenamin’s station, and were treated most hospitably.”

SURVIVORS’ NARRATIVES.

STORY OF AN ABLE SEAMAN. MRS. HANNAN THE SOLE FEMALE SURVIVOR. [Press Association.] WELLINGTON, Feb. 14. A. Bridge, of Wellington, son of Mr.* H. B. Bridge, of Oriental Bay, who was coming from Picton to attend his brother’s funeral, was amongst those, saved. The vessel, he said, left Pieton about 6. o'clock last evening. All went well till about a quarter to ID, when a grinding crash was heard. A few moments later it was apparent that the vessel was about to sink. Arrangements were art once made bv the captain to get out the boats. 'i lu* captain gave the order from ihe bridge. There was an entire absence of panic, even amongst the wonv n. The life-boats were first launched, with the women and children. No. 1 life-boat was smashed to atoms almost as soon as it reached the water. r .i he second boat also got stove in slightly, but managed to- get clear of the ship. Shortly after, however, it capsized. Mr. Bridge, himself got on board one of the rafts. These were absolutely the last to leave the ship, the Captain himself remaining until the end. He managed to catch hold of an upturned boat. The conduct of everybody from the time the ship struck until she sank was a magnificent display of heroism. Those on board the two rafts, eleven in one and twelve in another, had a trying time. Une fait completely overturned on three -occasions during the wild stormy night. The other was overturned four times. Strange to relate, the 23 passengers and members of tlie crew who left on rafts were saved. Charles Jackson, A. 8., was one of tlie saved, and when a reporter found him at Mr. John McMenamin’s house, Terawhiti station, he gave a graphic account of the wreck. “When the vessel struck,” he sard, “there was a sound like the rending of a gigantic piece of calico. I knew at once"that the steamer had struck, but we kept going for a while. It was soon discovered that the water was making fast in the chain locker and fore-cabin. In a short space of time No. 1 and No. 2 life-boats were ready for launching, with women and children. The sea was running mountains high, and the task was a difficn.lt one. Great waves thundered against the sides of the ship and the boats. One boat, after it was launched. was smashed to pieces. No. 1 lifeboat, however, got clear of the ship, but owing to the cruel buffeting it was subjected to bv the waves it was found she was leaking. At this time I was with the second officer helping to launch -another life-boat. got tlie boat out of the davits when- a tremendous sea struck her under the bottom and she capsized. At tb : s time the ill-fated-Penguin was rap'd!v settling down. All tlie female passengers had left by this time. _ There was no panic. Everybody, strictly observed the instructions given by the captain. Tlie men huddled about on the deck, and the captain still occupied his place on the bridge, THE LAST OF THE PENGUIN. We had a full complement aboard and had a full complement aboard, and were just getting away from the ship when "the boiler burst with a tremendous explosion, and the. ship slipped out of sight. Fortunately we were a sufficient distance from the vessel to prevent us being sucked under. The other raft had also managed to get clear. By a stroke of luck wo managed to secure two oars, and with these we guided the direction of our frail craft during the long hours or the night. Me. drifted for three hours, and about 3 o’clock saw land looming up through the haze and mist. A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. “I shall never forget that night as long as I live. We overturned on three occasions. Once I go t awa y from the raft about 20 yards, and again my -ability as a swimmer was responsible, for saving my life. It was really pitiable when the raft overturned to see the men struggling in the. water. It was magnificent to see them helping each other to a plac of safety. By about 3 o’clock we had drifted and worked our way pretty close to land. The vp ft crashed into the rocks, and we all found ourselves making for shore. While we _ were, drifting we had an occasional glimpse of Captain Naylor, who was clinging to a damaged boat. He was accompanied by a passenger, a young man, between 25 and 30. By means of which I am not aware the. poor fellow had' one of -his hands tarn from the arm. I myself say the captain taking out his handkerchief and binding it 'above the poor fellow’s wrists. The cantain managed to roach the shore alive, but his companion did not, and his dead body is now lying on to beach.

“If anybody acted heroically it was Mrs. Hannan, the sole female survivor out of the passenger list and crew, numbering close on 100. When the damaged life-boats came ashore the men on the beach turned it over and under the boat they found Mrs Hannan and a youth, Ellis M atthews, previously referred to. Mrs. Hannan, whose father is a resident of Nelson, was accompanied by her husband and four children, all of whom were drowned. A MOTHER’S AGONY. “The most pathetic incident of all was the death of her youngest baby, whom she. strapped to the life-boat before it sheered off from the Penguin. When Mrs. Hannan was discovered under the boat and realised that she had managed to reach land she at once enquired for her baby. “The men on the beach knew ..that the child was dead, and were untying the knot which held it to the boat at the moment the mother made the •enquiry. “ ‘Oh, let me untie it myself,’ ike poor woman said, believing the child was alive.. ‘I knew I fixed it up.’ _ 1 “Unfortunately, however, the little one was dead. Mrs. Hannan now lies in Mr. John. McMinamin’s house at Terawhiti in a state of collapse.”