The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-11-02
THE WRECKED WAIRAPA
Stories of the Disaster Told by
Survivors.
STRUCK OH A PoCEBOUND COAST.
A Brave steward Swan to the shore with
Life Line, and by the Aid of This Line
over Hundred Were Bescued-Thriu-

A Brave Steward Swan to the shore with
Life Line, and by the Aid of This Line
over Hundred Were Resoued-ThriIl-
ing Experiences
AUCKLAND, n. H., Nov. 2.-The surviv-
ors Of the wreck of the steamer Wairapa
tell thrilling stories of the wreck Second
officer Clark says that thick fog set in
mt noon Sunday, obscuring everything
The shock Of the stranding awakened the
passengers, and many of them rushed
| from their cabins in only their night
clothing, making their way as quickly as
possible to the deck The sea was then
making clean breach over the after part
! of the steamer, and as the afrighted pass
| engers came on deck many of them were
| carried overheard before they had chance
TO catch hold Of anything to save them
selves
When daylight came It was found that
the steamer had struck at the foot of
precipitous cliff that loomed several hum
| dred feet above the vessel To effect a
landingon the shelving places of the cliff
was most difficult and dangerous unde.-
taking.
Those aboard the steamer could see
floating in the sea around the wreck
by means of floating wreckage managed
to reach the edge Of the rocks. The main
and fore rigging were then filled with
passengers, who had gone aloft to escape
being swept into the sea by the huge
waves that were combing over the vessel.
About sixty of them were standing on the
ratlines or cross trees. Others were hang
ing with most tenacious grip to the davits
Tho outlook was very dark when an en-
gineer and fireman volunteered to swim
| ashore with a line. They took the rope
and jumped overheard, but had not gone
far when the pounding seas compelled
| them to rolinquish the line. They then
swan for the rocks, which they reached in
terribly bruised condition. A Scotch
man then volunteered to make the at
tempt to get the line ashore, but he, too,
failed. Then one of the stewards said
that he would try to get the line ashore,
Divesting himself Of nearly all his cloth
ing he boldly sprang into the foaming
sea and grasped the rope. Time and again
it appeared as though he had gone down,
but he finally reached the rocks with tho
line still in his grasp. Aided by those on
the rocks, the line was made fast, and it
was by this means that most of the sur
viyors were saved.
A young girl, Jane Williams, says that
she was in her cabin when the steamer
struck. She heard the thud and reused her
sister who was sleeping soundly Each Of
the girls seized life belt and rushed, in
their night dresses, to the hurricane deck.
The vessel suddenly listed, and the pas
| sengers on the lower side were swept from
the deck. Miss Williams said:
II and my sister climbed up the steep in
cline Of the deck to the railing, to which
we chung with all our strength. We were
| repeatedly submerged by the waves and
We're nearly drowned. The vessel pounded
dreadfully, and thought that every mo-
ment she was going to break up. l had in
the meantime caught hold of rope which,
when large wave struck me, snapped and
| was thrown into tho sea was unable to
swim, and caught hold of pieces of wreck
age. was buffeted by the sea until l was
J driven, with others clinging to the wreck
| age, close to the cliff.
"Wben day began to break the spectacle
was appalling, 1 was hanging to a spar,
| around which my hair was twisted. Nearby
| saw men and women torn from the
| wreckage to which they were clinginga and
drowned before my eyes. Some reached a
ledge only TO be again drawn back into the
sea by a roceding wave. Finally l was the
only one alive. My sister, while attempt
ing TO escape by the life line, became en-.
tangled in the line and was strangled.
After had been in the water twelve hours,
and was almost completely exhausted,
was perceived by the survivors ashore.
One Of them swan to my rescue. He fast
ened rope to me and then we were both
| hauled ashore"
Another passenger describing the scene
on deck after the vessel had struck say
that number of persons were singing and
| praying Several of them were kneeling
and had hold of nothing, and therefore,
| when the first big wave swept over the
steamer they were carried into the sea-
Reports previously cabled to the Associ-
ated Press that III passengers and twenty
three of the crew were drowned are con
| firmed. Over hundred were rescued.