THE MISSING WARATAH.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2582, 17 August 1909, Page 5

THE MISSING WARATAH.

SOUTH AFRICAN SHIPPING

CASUALTIES.

A COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. %

United Press Association —Copyright

CAPETOWN, August 15.

The Cape Government is appointing a commission to inquire into the arrangements dealing with shipping casualties on the coast, with a view of providing reasonable facilities f-or saving life and property. Tlie Admiralty lias been approached with the view of securing the services of an experienced naval offiper to assist the commission. THE OWNERS STILL SANGUINE. BELIEVE VESSEL TO BE DRIFTING (Received August 16, 10.30 p.m.) LONDON, August 16. The owners of the "Waratali are quite sanguine of her safety, emphasising the fact that other vessels have been upwards of a fortnight overdue owing to some mishap, and have, nevertheless, reached their destinations. They consider that tlie Waratah is drifting on the ocean, probably towards Australia.

The “Times” in its marine insurance market notes, states tliat 93 guineas were paid on Saturday for reinsurance on the Waratah. The deal was really a covering operation, and the fact that any rate is quoted is due to the possibility of what the captain of the Insizwa bfelieves he saw being explainable by the wreck of a small craft. It is probably as well to state that experienced underwriters, best qualified to express an opinion, have become thoroughly pessimistic. LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT. It te said that tho life-saving equipment of the Waratah is more than ample for the number of people on board, estimated roughly at 300. When she left London on her maiden voyage to Australia late last year the vessel carried about 800 passengers, including her crew. Special reference was made at the time ‘to her life-saving appliances, full provision being made for this large number of people in the event of emergency arising. In the meantime the equipment of the AVaratah in this direction has not been curtailed, so that it should be more than sufficient for the comparatively small company of people which she now carries. VALUE OF VESSEL AND CARGO. Roughly estimated, the vessel is valued at £175,000, and her cargo at £200,000—£375,000 in all. THE VALUE OF WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. In shipping circles it is considered extremely probable that the cruisers Forte and Pandora, which were searching for the Waratah, are equipped with wireless apparatus. If this belief is true, and the missing vessel is drifting helplessly about the ocean, the circum : stance that she is without a Marconi installation is extremely unfortunate. Although the advantage of wireless, telegraphy are being freely recognised and adopted by many ship-owners, legislation is being adopted in some parts of the world with the object of compelling passenger-liners to include the system in their equipment. Writing upon this subject on the 2nd July, a correspondent of “The Times” remarks :

“In spite of the recognition by many ship-owners of the advantages of wireless communication as shown by its substantial, extent, and particularly its recent growth, two legislatures, at least, have before them measures to compel passenger vessels and cargo vessels oyer a certain tonnage to carry wireless installations. In February last the United States House of Representatives passed a bill providing that ‘every ocean passenger steamer certified to carry 50 passengers or more before granted a clearance for a* foreign or domestic port 100 miles or more distant from the port of her departure from the United States, shall be equipped with an efficient radio-telegraph installation, and shall have in her employ and on board an. efficient radio-telegrapher.’ The bill also provides ‘that the owner or agent of any ocean passenger steamer required by this act to carry a radio-telegraphic installation and a radio-telegrapher shall be liable to a penalty of l,ooodol. for any violation of this act.’ The bill, it is understood, will be considered by the Senate in the autumn, and will, it is thought, be passed after it has undergone some slight modification. Following the example of the United States- _ Congress a bill has been introduced in the Canadian House of Commons, which proposes to enact as follows: —‘Every sea-going and coasting passenger ship over 400 tons gross tonnage, registered in, Canada, and every sea-going and coasting freight ship over 1,200 tons gross tonnage, registered in Canada, shall be equipped with an apparatus for wireless telegraphy.’ Also that ‘Every owner of any such ship who neglects to equip it with the said apparatus shall be guilty of an offence, punishable on summary conviction or on indictment, and be liable to a penalty of not less than 100 dollars _ and not exceeding 1,000 dollars, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or to both fine and imprisonment.’ ” , y So far as Great Britain is concerned no legislative action is likely to take place, at least for the present. The voluntary efforts of British slup-owners in adopting the wireless system on their steamers are being carefully followed by the Board of Trade, who are also being informed from time to time of what is taking place abroad.