THE MISSING WARATAH.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2635, 18 October 1909, Page 5

THE MISSING WARATAH.

CABLE NEWS.

STILL NO SIGNS. United Press Association —Copyright. LONDON, October 15. The ship Jeanne d’Arc has arrived at Durban from Kerguelen Island. She saw no signs of the Waratah. WAS SHE TOP HEAVY? In the course of an interview at Timaru, Mr. M. Cohen told a representative” of the “Tost” that it was generally believed in shipping circles in Australia that there was truth, in the report in circulation that tlie Waratali bad over 2000 tons of coal on lier upper dec!-, and was top-heavy when she left Durban. For liis own part he regretfully shared the opinion that the Waratah was at the; bottom of the sea. Captain P. Palleson, who knows the great sea- highways as well as. he knows tlie byways of Timaru, referring to the latest theorv that the Waratah first took fire and then exploded after being sighted by the. Harlow, regards, this story ,as highly improbable. It will be remembered till at tlie spot where the Waratah was reported as having been last seen was latitude 31.38 south, longitude 29.45 east, or about' seventy miles S.S.W. of .Durban. The . statement that “the distance was too great, to ascertain tlie ship’s identity” was aridiculous .one. No mariner, who valued his freedom,, would, dare, to pass a ship in distress - such .as the Waratali was-. reported 1 to . have been ;. it : would mean imprisonment for life. Therefore if the captain oil the Harlow or any other captain sighted a ship on fire, and failed to go to her assistance, lie would be the last man in the world to mention tlie fact. It was also very improbable that any_ sea captain would suggest so absurd a notion as sweeping the bottom of the Indian Ocean, which at the particular l spot where the Waratali was supposed to have been seen was 1650 fathoms deep. Asked for his theory as to the fate of the Waratah, Captain Palleson said that the tides off the south-east coast of Africa had a curved outward sweep or from two to three 'knots an, hour, and that the Waratali. becoming disabled in some way, and being naturally a heavytopped vessel was swept side oil to the storm, and turned turtle. . -The nature of her submersion, hull on top, would prevent any wreckage coming to ' the surface.—Timaru “Post.”

IN CONTRAST: A HOPEFUL OPINION. (Petford Allen, in “The Sydney Morning Herald.” Notwithstanding the length of time tlie Waratah has been, missing, I am strongly of opinion that the vessel is perfectly safe, but ' drifting in ' midocean. Reinsurance of 90 guineas per cent, is simply the reflex of panic among the underwriters. Searches have been made by warships and other vessels without a vestige of floating wreckage or bodies being found. It is utterly impossible,f however, that a vessel like the Waratah could founder without some trace of wreckage being discovered, as flotsam drifts in hundreds of different directions and one piece would most undoubtedly be met with by the searching vessels by this time. The steamer herself is, after all, but a. speck on the ocean. In illustration of the fact, the writer some years ago accompanied a search vessel along the coast of New South Wales for ten days. A zig-zag course was followed in and out to the east, a distance of 80 miles each way, north and south, with no sign of the. missing vessel. A fortnight later the steamer made her appearance in port under jury rig (twin-screws both having been disaWed through striking some floating object). The captain stated that he had actually sc*en the masts- of the searching vessel on two occasions without being observed. The steamers searching for the Perthshire also cruised round and round the missing vessel (Perthshire) and yet failed to sight her, until found in a most remote and unexpected position. The ease of the Waratah is identically the same, hut having only pole masts, with practically no canvas to, give even steerage way, with the. machinery or both propellers lost, or totally disabled, the probability is that the current '(which is generally more pronounced in rough weather) has taken her out of the zone traversed by the warships. The fears of all concerned might well be allayed. Everything points to ultimate safety on the following grounds: 1. Infinitely smaller steamers weathered the same hurricane and arrived at their destinations. 2. The steamer, although having twin screws, could very easily have lost both propellers, and- having very little canvas would be unusually helpless. • • . • 3. Numbers of other steamers have .drifted for months before being / found, notably the Buteshire and Perthshire. 4. Searching vessels could pass the Waratah without noticing her close by (within a radius of less than 15 miles, even in clear weather) ; in fact, encompass the vessel over and over again without seeing her, the psychological spot being by some strange “hide-and-seek” caprice hidden from the searchers. . 6. The Waratah is a modern steamship, remarkably steady, well found in every respect, tried, and practically unsinkable in the heaviest weather. 7. Commanded by one of the most capable and experienced officers in 'i. the mercantile marine. fk There, is every reason to confidently anticipate, therefore, that the vessel will yet be heard of safe with all on board.