MYSTERY OF THE SEA.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3410, 29 December 1911, Page 5

MYSTERY OF THE SEA.

THE WARATAH LIFEBUOY.

OPINIONS OF NAUTICAL MEN.

, < 1 1 •' POSSIBLY A GRIM RELIC-

1 SPECIAL TO TIMES 1

AUCKLAND, Bee. 28. Thje finding of a' lifebuoy at the Waiuku Gap on; the West Coast 3 bearing tihe name “Waratah”' has aroused a good deal'of interest, pai-ticularly in shipping circles, in view of the possibility of. the'.'buoy ‘being a grim relic of the lost Ulu© Anchor liner Waratan, which was never seen again after leaving the port of Durban, South Africa, over two years ago, while on her return maiden voyage from Melbourne to LiverppQl. Color to this suggestion is lent by the opinion of Captain Hart of the steamer “Star of Canada,”.now. in Auckland, who is supporting the belief that the life buoy is from the Waratah, states that in making experiments on behalf of Australia and United States Government Meteorological Observatories, he has thrown sealed bottles overboard when off the African Coast and • these had been subsequently found on the West Coast of New Zealand, near the Manukau. On further inquiries being made by a .“Star” representative this morning regarding the finding of. the _ lifebuoy, it was ascertained that it is now in the hands of Mr; Molloy, of the Waiuku Hotel. Mr. Molloy states that the lifebuoy was found on the beach near the Waiuku Gap, south of the Manukau Heads by two boys named Hayes and Deed. They called the attention of several men. to their find, and these people, well-known Waiuku settlers, have since informed Mr. Molloy that they saw distinctly the letters “Warat” with the faint outline of the succeeding letters “ah.” The buoy was simply smothered with barnacles, and in endeavoring to wash these off the youngsters unfortunately practically destroyed all the lettering, and it is now impossible to read what name was originally painted on the buoy, furthermore, no one seems to have noticed 1 at the time of the discovery whether or not the letters “S.S.” preceded the word “Waratah.” Fresh information of interest, however, is contained in the fact that the buoy has painted upon it a flag, and on the centre of the flag there appears to be an anchor. As the lost Waratah belonged to the Blue Anchor Line, it is possible that this lends some further significance.. “The buoy,” adds Mr Molloy, “was almost waterlogged when found, and in addition to being thickly covered with barnacles, was also showing signs of long exposure to the water, the handropes having almost rotted away. As the Waiuku beach has been the scene of previous finds from ocean vessels, considerable interest is attached locally to the discovery of the buoy.” Seamen’s Views.

Captain Breen, Commander of the steamer “Zealandic,” and late captain of the Delphic, approached by a “Star” reporter on the matter this morning, said that if the buoy_ had any connection with the missing Waratah the drift must have been a very quick one. Still it was quite possible the buoy was from the vessel, and it would float quicker than a bottle, as long as it did not become waterlogged. He had known of bottles drifting from the African Coast and being picked up on the West Australian coast within three years, after being thrown overboard. At the time the Waratah was lost he was on the Delphic bound for New Zealand, and encountered the same severe gale on the African Coast to which the loss of the Waratah is attributed. He was inclined to believe that the gale had struck the Waratah on her starboard side, and caused her to turn turtle.,. In such a gale everything would be. Lashed down so that there would be practically no wreckage, buoys being the only deck gear that would be likely to drift. Another prominent captain, who has had extensive experience on overseas and ooastal vessels, expressed the opinion that the buoy was from the schooner Waratah, which was abandoned at Banks Peninsular some time ago. _ The vessel was on the Dunedin-Ejaipara run, so that it is possible that the buoy had been lost during one of her voyages. Another possibilty, as already stated, is that tne buoy may have been lost from the Waratah when she was off the Australian coast.