THE MISSING WARATAH.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2741, 21 February 1910, Page 5

THE MISSING WARATAH.

CABLE NEWS.

SEARCH VESSEL TO LEAVE TOMORROW.

United Press Association— Copyright MELBOURNE, Feb. !9.

The Premier of Natal has cabled to Mr Murray, Premier of Victoria, that the Wakefield leaves Durban on the morning of the 22nd to search lor the Waratah. He adds: “Lieut. Seymour and the captain of the Wakefield, after consultation, consider that owing to Marion and Prince Edward Islands having lately been frequently visited, and seeing that the Kerguelen Islands are permanently inhabited, the time occupied in visiting them will be better occupied in visiting McDonald and Heard Islands. From there the search could be continued according to instructions.

A SINGULAR STORY. FLOATING BODIES SAID TO HAVE BEEN SEEN.

[Per Press Association.]

WESTPORT, Feb. 19. A statement has been made to the Press Association agent by a member of the crew (who is remaining in Westport) of the s.s. Tottenham, which recently called at Westport for bunker coal, and lias now gone to Ocean Island. He says: “The Tottenham left Durban ten days after the Waratah, and steamed over the same course, hound for Antwerp. While off East London, at noon one day, an apprentice at the wheel reported to the third officer that he saw float past the ship the body of a little girl, clothed in a red dressing-gown. The third officer looked round but did not see the body. He, however, went down to the chart room, where the captain and second officer wore laying olf the ship’s position, and reported that some bodies had just floated past the vessel. The captain and second officer rushed to the bridge, and the second officer stated he saw something white floating on the water. The captain gave the order: “Hard a-starboard,” and the vessel steamed round in the vicinity of the floating objects, but did not catch sight of the body, previously reported as being fully dressed. However, they sa w a lot of other pieces of flesh floating round, and o'ie piece in particular looked much like the trunk of a body mutilated by sharks.- The weather being so heavy the steamer was unable to pick up pieces of the floating objects to make a thorough examination, so proceeded on her voyage. On arrival off the Cape of Good Hope, the sen being so fearfully high, the master deemed it advisable to turn back and go to Simon’s Bay.

FALSE INFORMATION GIVEN TO

MAN-OF-WAll

Arriving there, a boat: was put off from H.M.S. Forte, with, an officer aboard, to make enquiries whether the Tottentam had seen anything of the Waratah. A reply was given by the chief officer that there was nothing to report. That evening the second officer, signalling with a Morse lamp, inquired of H.M.S. Forte if she had got any further news of the Waratah, and was informed that the s.s. Director and s.s. Incizwa, which left Durban about the same time as the Totten_ ham, had reported seeing bodies floating about off East London, and! that the man-of-war had orders to proceed in the vicinity, and ascertain what these bodies were. It will be remembered that the Forte afterwards reported that she had seen some large fish floating, and that it was that these were what the captains of the Director and Incizwa had seen, but emphatically, said the man now in Westport, tho chief and second officers of the Tottenham stated to him and others on board the ship that they saw the body of the little girl reported by the -apprentice, and could stake their lives that- it was that of a girl 10 or 11 years of age, and not of a fish. The second engineer also stated he saw the body of a woman in a nightdress, with an albatross perched on top of it; also the trunk of another body floated 1 so close to the ship as to receive on it the water from the main discharge pipe. The seas were running mountains high when the Tottenham was • proceeding on her voyage, and the conclusion come to aboard the shin was that the "Waratah. took a head sea, and before she had time to recover, took another, staving in the forehatch, and foundered.

EX-OFFICER OF S.S. TOTTENHAM SAYS HE SAW THE BODIES.

WESTPORT, Fell. 20. Mr. Day, ex-second officer of the steamer Tottenham, which left Westport last week for Ocean Island, supplies further details of the story ho gave to the “Westport News” reporter on Saturday morning concerning the bodies seen floating about off East London shortly after the Waratah was reported missing. Air. Day is an Englishman of an old North of England family, and left the Tottenham at Westport, receiving from Captain Cox a clean discharge and credentials stating he (the captain) always found Mr. Dav a reliable officer and strictly sober. Mr. Day says that, speaking from memory as to dates, as he unfortunate, ]y left'his note book on the Tottenham when she left Westport, the Tottenham arrived at Durban about midnight on Saturday, 7th August. 1909, and anchored in the roadstead,. signalling her arival to the lighthouse. The steamer Incizwa.' also anchored in the roadstead; and about 1 a.m. Air. Day, who was then on the watch, received a> signal from the Incizwa asking if lie knew anything about the missing liner Waratah. Mr. Day replied in the negative, stating that the Tottenham., had just come from Port Pirio, 29 days’ steam.' The- Incizwa then sunplied some details. Ati 8 a.m. on Sunday the Tottenham nroceeded into port, and took up the berth just vacated by the Directoire, the officers of the Tottenham then getting full news of the missing liner from other ships and peonle ashore. After taking in bunker coal, the Tottenham was do have proceeded on Monday morning, hut owing to the rough state of the weather remained in port until the next morning. At 8 a.m. on Tuesday she left Durban, bound for Antwerp. receiving instructions on leaving port to keep a diligent look-out for the missing liner. The sea at the. time was verv high. , When off East London the incidents previously 7 described took place, at noon, an apprentice first reporting that .he had seen the. body of a little girl, clothed in a ret! dress with her hair floating in the water float past the vessel, and the chief and second engineers saving that they had seen pieces of bodies and the body of a woman in a nightdress floating about in the water.