THE MISSING WARATAH.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2595, 1 September 1909, Page 5

THE MISSING WARATAH.

DECISION OF THE ADMIRALTY. CANNOT RECOMMEND FURTHER SEARCH BY WARSHIPS. United Press Association— Copyright LONDON, August 30. Replying to Mr Deakin’s enquiry .as to whether a further search for the Waratah is possible, the Admiralty officials state that it is improbable the Board will sanction the continued employment of warships, which would mean the suspension jof ordinary station work for a long time. The Admiral consulted the commander.of the Cape squadron, who replied that the area considered by the hydrographer to be the most probable to contain the Waratah, if afloat, was now being closely searched by vessels going to Australia. Fifteen had sailed from Capetown since the 25th July.' He adds: “The, salvage Offers a big prize.” He cannot recommend a further search by warships.

A well-known shipping man, in Melbourne, expressed his belief that one of the Waratah’s boats would bring the earliest information.of her misadventure, possibly reaching tho shore at Durban, East London, , Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, or' Cape Town. This would by no means be the first instance ol‘ a disabled steamer in mid-ocean despatching one of her boats to seek assistance. An interesting case of this kind was that of the steamer Boveric, which, losing her propeller whilst on a voyage to Durban from Australia, seven years ago, drifted helplessly about the Indian Ocean for five weeks. Those on the vessel were beginning to dispair of ever reaching shore again. The nearest land to the spot where the vessel drifted was the coast of Western Australia, upwards of 1200 miles distance, and the only means of reaching it seemed to be by one of the ship’s boats. When the project was mooted, willing volunteers, ready to undertake the desperate and) dangerous errand, were found among tho crew, with the result that a boat was equipped and provisioned for the trip. In charge of the chief officer, the small craft, with her adventurous crew, set sail for the Australian coast on April 11, -a week after tbe, Boveric became disabled. It was not until a month later that the boat arrived at Fremantle, and reported:, the disablement of tbe Boveric. It was computed that the boat’s crew must have sailed 1500 miles from the time they left the steamer until their arival at the West Australian port, having to pursue a zigzag course for the greater part of the journey. Meanwhile the Boveric was picked up on May 10 by the Narrung, of tbe same line—Blue Anchor —as the Waratah, and towed to Freemantle. The Boveric, which had a large shipment of horses, was adrift from April 3to May 10. For some days before the accident the vessel was plunging into heavy seas, and, probably owing to the excessive “racing” of her propeller, her tail shaft broke, and the propeller dropped to the bottom of ‘ the sea, leaving her almost as helpless as a derelict. A remarkable feature about the break-down of the Boveric was the comparatively small area of ocean she cohered during her long drift. Instead of moving steadily in one direction she described a circle/ arid was found in almost the same latitude where the disablement occurred. She had, however, changed her longitude from 96deg. 20min. east to 99deg. 2 min. east, an inconsiderable difference in view of the great length of time during which she was at the mercy of the elements. She broke down in latitude 38deg. 44min. south, and was in% latitude 38deg. 34min. south when succoured by tbe Narrung.