the stern and yelled that this was too many, to which Mentiplay agreed, but some of the passengers thought they could get through and one even said “Well, at any rate, we could swim for it if we had to”. As they pulled away from the vessel, Mentiplay told the rowers to be careful in crossing the bar. Even after 100 yards he was still cautioning them that they were carrying too many. Newman replied that he had carried that many in the past and it would be alright now. Mentiplay knew it was too late for them to turn back. They reached the first bar and were soon surrounded by breakers which were “falling over in lumps”. Mentiplay spread out his coat against the rollers but it had little effect, the water rising up over it and half filling the boat from both sides of the stern. It was very clear that once they were in this zone it was impossible to return - the only thing to do was to try and get through it. Some of the passengers stood up and wanted to bail out the water but were told by Mentiplay to sit down as another wave would swamp them. The men were not drunk, only excited and anxious after the first swamping. The oarsmen pulled away as hard as they could while the water was smooth in between waves and Mentiplay steered straight for the shore as he had done so many times in the past in even rougher conditions. The boat was now 200 yards from the steamer. The anxious onlookers from the Resolute would see them disappear from sight for about 30 seconds, and then come into view gallantly pulling as the white foam of the surf broke over them. After a time distance made them so small that their fate became unknown to those on the Resolute. They hoped that they had made it, but there was enough doubt in their minds to discourage
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any further attempts to go ashore. The boat was now sitting very deep in the water and it was an easy target when another wave swept over it. Mentiplay found himself afloat and being grabbed by one of the passengers, who was blinded and smothered by his poncho which had been driven over his head. Mentiplay pulled it free and then swam for shore 300-400 yards distant where he scrambled onto dry land - the only one to do so completely unassisted. The capsized Istamboul was clung to by those dumped into the water. They were doomed by the fact that many of them couldn’t swim and those who could were hampered by the cloaks and great coats they were wearing. Oarsman Hayes advised those who could swim to strike out for shore. Hayes was a good swimmer and he made it to within 10 yards of the beach where he was rescued. Jeremiah Quinlan, the landlord of the Kilkenny Hotel in Therry Street, was also picked up by a boat while swimming to shore. He told his rescuers he recalled seeing passenger Wollicott also swimming, wearing a poncho. He was washed away a couple of times and brought back by Quinlan. Wollicott called out “What will become of my wife and children?” just before he sank and was not seen again. This whole episode had been observed by Sawdy, Anderson and Edwards from the shore and they immediately pulled back to the spot and lent assistance. When Sawdy reached the stricken vessel he passed an oar to Hayes, who was on the point of sinking, and pulled him into his boat. Sawdy then rescued Ashton, a butcher from Prahran, who was also close to exhaustion. Cheshire and Bramston were nearby but they sank before they could be saved and their bodies drifted ashore.