The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-11-02
A GREAT SEA.
Scores Drowned by the Sink
ing of the Wairarapa.
Went on Rocks at kidnight-Stories
Of Survivors of the Disaster.
Bu TIE Associated Press.

AUCKLAND, Nov 2-Further particulars
of the wreok OF the steamer Wairarapa on
Groat Barrier island, Sunday night. have
been received here. The vessel stuck on
the rocks at midnight. The sea was very
rough and the night very dark. All Of tho
passengers were In bed
As soon as the ship struck, the lifeboats
were served out TO the passengers. An at
tempt was made To launch tho lifeboats,
but tho sea WAS SO rough that several of
the boats were capsized and many persons
were drowned. Some succeeded In get
ting ashore by means OF lines which were
sent to tho main land attached to RATS.
At daylight two men swan ashore with
lines and the survivors were landed.
The surviyorswere very scantily clothed
end remained upon the rocks 30 hours,
subsisiing upon oranges that had been
washed from the wreck. which was fast
going TO pieces The unfartunates were
lnally discovered by Maori boats, and
with the aid of assistance obtained from
Port Fitzroy they were rescued and made
comfortabe
Eighty-one passengers and 40 Of tho
crew weIc saved aud landed here. and %
OF the crew and Is passengers were
drowned.
An oniccrs story.
Second Officer Clark says that thick
fog set IN mt noon sunday obscuring every
thing. The course of the steamer had laid
so that she wonld clear Hen and Chicken
island. when at midnight she struck on
Great Barrier Island. The shock awakened
the passengers, and they rushed from their
cabins In only their nightclothes, making
their way as quickly AS possible to the
deck.
Tho sea was then making n clean breach
over tho after part of the steamer, and as
the affrighted passenger came on deck,
many OF them were carried overheard be-
fore they had chance 10 catch hold Of
anything To save themselves.
When daylight came it was found that
the steamer had struck M the foot OF n
precipitous cliff that loomed 7V0 feet
above the vessel. To effect - landing ON
the shelving places of the cliff was a most
DinisuIt and Dangerous Undertaking.
Those on board the steamer could see
floating in the sea around the wreck q
large number OF corpses. Some persons
by means Of floating wreckage managed to
reach the edge of the rocks. The main and
fore rigging were then filed with passen-
gers who had gone aloft to escape being
swept into the sea by the huge waves that
were coming over the vessel. About 90 Of
them were standing on the ratlincs or
crosstrees. Others were hanging with
most tenacious grip 10 the davits.
The outlook was very dark, when an
engineer and n fireman volunteered to
swim ashore with line. They took the
rope and jumped overheard, but had not
gone far when the seas pounding them
compelled them to relinquish the line.
They then swan for the rocks, which they
reached in a terribly bruised condition. A
Scotchman then volunteered TO make the
attempt to set the line ashore, but he, too,
failed.
Those on the steamer had about given
mp hope of escaping from watery grave,
when one Of the stewards said that he
would try to get the line ashore Divest-
ing himself OF nearly all his clothing, he
boldly sprang into the fosming sea and
made straight for the rope that was noat-
Ing overheard
True Hsreism.
Grusping 10 with one hand he struck out
strongly lapdward, sailors on the steamer
carefully paying the line out ~ he pro-
ceeded. Time and again 10 appeared as
though he had gone down, but then his
head would appear on the crest of q wave,
which would sweep him nearer and nearer
the rocks.
His strength and skill rs o swimmer
stood him and those on the steamer In
good stead, for he reached the shore, IL
shore it could be called, with the line still
in his grasp. Aided by those on the rocks,
the line was made fast, and 1t was by this
means that most OF the survivors werc
saved. Many of the passengers reached
the rocks only after terrible struggles.
A passenger describing the scene on
dec1 after the vessel struck says that
number of persons were singing and pray
ing Several of them were kneeiing and
had hold of nothing, and therefore when