Titanic Tragedy: Māori Newspaper’s Heart-Wrenching 1912 Account of the Catastrophe

Wātea Digital takes a journey back in time to uncover some of the best-written te reo Māori news stories from the past. Here are quick overviews of notable articles detailing the tragic sinking of the Titanic (Taitaniki/Titaniki), as published in Māori newspapers.

Te Puke ki Hikurangi – March 15, 1912

In a historic article titled “Te Rongo o Muri,” the Māori newspaper Te Puke ki Hikurangi provided a detailed account of the Titanic disaster.

The article highlighted the significant loss of life, with 2,700 passengers on board, predominantly women. Only 650 people survived, rescued by the ship Wetinia, which was 170 miles away when it received the distress signal.

The Titanic sank to a depth of two miles, with an estimated £2,000,000 worth of diamonds, pearls, and other valuables on board. The article also mentioned the emotional response from the New Zealand government and its people, expressing deep sorrow for the loss experienced by their friends in England and America.

Titanic

Another article, “Te Mate ki te Moana,” reported that 1,500 people perished in the Titanic disaster. A telegram from London confirmed the sinking off the coast of Newfoundland. Of the 2,330 people on board, only 675 survived. The ship, en route from Southampton to New York, struck an iceberg on the evening of April 14. The Titanic, the largest ship of its time, was valued at £1,250,000, with its cargo insured for £2,350,000.

Memorial Voyage – July 31, 1913

A poignant follow-up article detailed a memorial voyage by the ship Franeonia to the site of the Titanic’s sinking. The children of W. T. Stead, a notable victim, cast flowers into the sea in his memory. The hymn “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” played by the Titanic’s band as it sank, was also performed during the memorial, bringing many to tears.

MĀEHE 15, 1912 | TE RONGO O MURI

Te Tima Titaniki. Ko ngā tāngata. I ērā o roto o ngā tāngata e 2,700, ko te nuinga he wāhine anake. Ko ngā Āpiha o te Tima nei i ora ake, ko te Mete Tuarua, Tuatoru, Tuawhā, Tuarima, me te tangata nāhi i te waea rereatakiwa. Ko te rongo tuatahi o te matenga o te Tima nei, i mau mai ki runga i tētahi Tima hoki, ko te “Wetinia” te ingoa, kotahi rau e whitu tekau (170) māero te pāmamao o taua Tima i te Titaniki, kātahi taua Tima ka huri mai ki te whakarauora i te Tima nei, tae rawa atu kua totohu kē te Tima rā, kāti ko ngā mea anake i runga poti (650) i ora. Ko te hōhonu o te wāhi i totohu nei te Tima nei e rua (2) māero, kāti, ko te nui o te wāriu o ngā taonga Taimana i runga i te Tima nei £1,000,000, o ngā taonga Peera (Pearl) e £500,000, huihui katoa te nui o ngā moni o ngā taonga Taimana, taonga, me ngā taonga a ngā tāngata o runga i taua Tima £2,000,000. Nā tētahi tangata Tiaki Pēke Moni i wāriu ngā moni a ētahi o ngā Pāhihi (Passenger) he tangata rangatira nō Amerika, e 20 rātau £100,000,000. Kāti i te pakarutanga o te Titaniki, arā, i tōna tutukitanga i te titaha nō reira i pakaru kino ai, mehemea i tutuki tonu ki mua o te ihu o te Tima e kore e pakaru, heoi, kāti ake tēnei wāhi.

E 79 ngā tāne i ora. Kāti, kua tae te pukapuka tangi a te Kāwanatanga me ngā iwi e rua o Niu Tireni nei ki te Hekeretari mō ngā Koroni i Rānana, koia tēnei: — “He nui te tangi me te pouri o te Kāwanatanga me ngā iwi o Niu Tireni nei i te rongonga i te mate kua pā nei ki ō rātau hoa — ki a Ingarangi rāua ko Amerika — mō te Tima nui whakaharahara o te Ao Katoa nei, mō te Titaniki. Mauria atu hoki te pouritanga o Niu Tireni mō te nui o ngā tāngata i matemate.”

TE MATE KI TE MOANA 1,500 NGĀ TĀNGATA I MATE

I tae mai te waea i te 5 o ngā haora i te ahiahi o te 16 nei nō Rānana, he kī mai kua totohu te Tima nei a Titaniki i waho ake o Kēpa Reihi, Niuwhaunurana. E ono rau e whitu tekau mā rima ngā tāngata i ora, ko te nuinga, ki te whakaaro, i mate katoa. Ko te Tima nei e haere atu ana i Tautehamatana ki Niu Ioka ka tutuki nei ki te Papa Huka e tere haere ana i te moana i te ahiahi o te Rātapu 14. Ko te nui o ngā tāngata i runga i a ia 1,380, hui atu ki ngā tāngata o te Karaihe Tuatahi e 300 me ngā Hērimana e 650 ka 2,330 katoa.

TE TUTAKITANGA O TIMA TITANIKI

Ko te utu o te mahinga i tēnei Tima £1,250,000, ā, ko ngā taonga i runga i a ia i inihuatia mō te moni e £2,350,000. Ko te nui o te Papa Huka i tutuki nei te Tima nei, ko 100 rau māero te roa, e 35 māero te whānui. Kei runga i te Tima nei ngā mea katoa, koia nei te Tima nui atu o te ao katoa ko tōna roa 882 putu e 9 inihi, te whānui 92 putu e 6 inihi, te hōhonu e 73 putu e 6 inihi, ōna tana korohi (gross) 45,000, ōna hoiho pāoa, e 30,000, tōna tere e 21 noti.

Rānana, Hūrae 31, 1913 – I te haerenga whakamutunga o te tima (Franeonia) ki te toro i tētahi wāhi e mōhiotia ana ko te urupā o ngā tāngata i mate i te totohutanga o te tima Titaniki, ka tae ki tana wāhi i totohu ai taua tima, ka tū; ka panga ngā putiputi a ngā tamariki a W. T. Stead ki te moana, ko ia nei tētahi o te hunga i mate ki taua wāhi. He mea kato mai aua putiputi e aua tamariki i roto i te kāri putiputi a tō rātau matua i waiho ake ai. Ko aua putiputi i panga ai ki te moana hei tohu whakamaharatanga mā aua tamariki ki tō rātau matua. Ko te hīmene i pureitia e te pēne o runga i te tima nei i te wā i panga ai aua putiputi ki te moana, ko te hīmene anō a te pēne o runga i te Titaniki i purei ai i te wā e totohu haere ana ia, arā, ko te hīmene nei “Kia tata mai e taku Atua ki au.” I te wā i whakatangi ai te pēne, he nui te heke o te roimata o te tangata.

Ko ngā whakaahua katoa he mea nā Titanic: Honor and Glory

These articles serve as historical records of the Titanic disaster, capturing the grief and remembrance of those who perished.

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