Ten men perish during rescue
Overshadowed by the Scenic Hotel Te Pania on Napier’s Marine Parade is a statuesque yet forlorn monument erected to commemorate the April 16, 1897 flood.
Etched deeply into two of the marble plaques are the words: “Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
On the opposite side are the words: “This monument was erected by the people of Napier to commemorate a deed of heroism by which 10 men lost their lives on Good Friday 16 April 1897 in attempting to rescue the flooded out settlers of Clive”.
The Hawke’s Bay Herald eloquently described the destruction caused to the railway line on that infamous day.
“The waters in their fury simply played with the railway line and after the embankment extending over a great area, had been washed away, the rails and sleepers seemed to have been lifted bodily into an upright position, and now for some distance present the appearance of having been specially erected there as a kind of a fence.”
The newspaper further described the event as the most “wretched it is possible for mortals to endure”.
From the early hours of the morning until nightfall, “blinding rain accompanied by a howling gale” swept across Hawke’s Bay. At some stage, those living in the hills surrounding Napier and Taradale as well as at Meeanee heard a thunderous boom as flood waters burst the Tutaekuri riverbank encroaching across the shallow lagoon and spewing into streets.
Munroe St was a sea of water and the rotunda in Clive Square stood like “a grim sentinel” amidst the ruination. At Robert Holt’s mill, timber floated about in the yards and the timber stacks were swept away. The water was so deep in the stables that horses had to be led through floating timber in “water over their girths” to safety.
Water extended over three-fifths of the Heretaunga Plains. The damage was horrific as the deluge swept through houses, destroyed fences and killed thousands of livestock. Clive residents were in imminent danger and when news reached Napier, rescue parties were quickly organised. Mayor George Swan ordered a train to transport men and their rescue boats to Waitangi.
Once there the rescue parties were instructed to row “towards Papakura” and, when clear of the Ngaruroro and Tukituki River mouths, “to strike over to Clive”. Six crews bravely set forth, four of which successfully rescued many of those in danger and returned safely.
Tragically, the first two boats were capsized by the river washout, swept out to sea and the 10 men on board lost their lives.
The Napier community was shocked by the loss of “well known and highly respected” men. In the first boat were Arthur McCartney, licensee of the
Albion Hotel; Frederick Ansell, carpenter at Robert Holts; Henry Brierly, wheelwright at Mr Faulknor’s coach factory; Frederick Cassin, clerk at Mr Lascelle’s auction mart; and John Rose, an Australian commercial traveller.
In the second boat were Sergeant Florence O’Donovan; Constable Alfred Stephenson; John Prebble, fruiterer; Herbert Oborn, employed at Kirkcaldie and Stains and George Chambers, blacksmith at Gleeson’s.
Of the 10 men who drowned, only four bodies were recovered. On April 27, Brierly and Rose were found three miles north of Pania reef floating amongst animal carcasses. The bodies “presented a shockingly mutilated sight”.
An inquest was held the following day at the Union Hotel and the verdict given “that the deceased John Rose and Henry Brierly were accidentally drowned in a brave attempt to save the lives of others”.
Henry Brierly’s funeral took place on Thursday afternoon and the procession was led by the Napier City Band followed by the coffin transported on the Spit Fire Brigade salvage car. John Rose’s funeral was held the following day presided over by Dean Hovell who eulogised that Rose was “a stranger in a strange land who had ungrudgingly given his life”.
Constable Stephenson was discovered two weeks later washed up at the Napier breakwater and the following day John Prebble was located near Awatoto. Reportedly, more than 3000 people lined the streets for the funerals and two local bands led the procession to the Napier Cemetery. Constable Stephenson’s coffin was carried on a gun carriage and John Prebble’s followed in a hearse.
In the Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust’s photographic collection are several images reflecting the aftermath of the tumultuous event. Photographer
William Neal captured this fleeting moment in time, showing the twisted remains of the Waitangi Railway Bridge. Tied to a ramp near the road are three rowing boats waiting to ferry passengers across the still flooded river.