SEARCHING FOR THE PERTHSHIRE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2362, 1 June 1899, Page 19

SEARCHING FOR THE PERTHSHIRE.

KETDUN OF ONE OF THE TUGS.

THE D'JCKENFIEIJ) UNSUC-

CESSFUL'.

A CALLuAT KELSON.

SYDNEY, May 26. The Wakatipu, from New Zealand, encountered a heavy westerly gale.

It is believed that if the Perthshire is picked up she will have to be towed to New Zealand.

May 27.

The tug Champion returned from an unsuccessful search for the Perthshire. She experienced terrible weather.

• May ?.8. The tug Champion has left again to search, for the Perthshire.

The Mararoa spent 36 hours in an unsuccessful search for the steamer. The weather is still boisterous. There is heavy rain on the coast.

May 29.

Mr Wragge, referring to the position of the Perthshire, considers that under existing circumstances she ought to make Auckland. Unless she arrives within the ensuing week, she will probably be caught in the disturbance leham, which is steadily making an easting from Cape Leuwin.

AUCKLAND, May 26.

The steamers Stella and Sterling leave. Kaipara to-night to search for the Perthshire.

Auckland steamship owners are now joining in the hunt for the missing steamer Perthshire. The Stella, which is now at Helensville, Kaipara, has been ordered out by her owners, Messrs Leyland and O'Brien, of Auckland, to search the Tasman Sea for the Perthshire on the chance of picking up the disabled vessel, and thereby reaping a rich harvest in the shape of salvage. The owners of the Stella consider the recent strong westerly winds in the Tasman Sea may have driven the Perthshire much nearer the New Zealand coast than the position she was in when spoken nearly a fortnight ago by the schooner Whangaroa, and there is therefore a chance of the Stella picking her up. The Stella is to cruise in conjunction with the Sterling, belonging to the Northern Union Steamboat Company, Kaipara. The Sterling is to leave Hokianga to-day for Kaipara Heads, where she will be joined this evening by the Stella, and the captains of the two steamers will then make their arrangements as to the method of searching, and go to sea forthwith. No doubt should the Perthshire be found in the vicinity of the New Zealand coast the steamers will tow her to Auckland. The intention is to cruise in search of the Perthshire for four or five days. The Stella is a steamer of 269 tons, with engines of 90 horse-power, and is used by Messrs Leyland, O'Brien, and Co. for timber towing purposes. The Sterling is a screw steamer of 97 tons, and has engines of 39 horse-power. In the event of the steamers picking up the big Shire liner it will be interesting to see how they succeed in their job of towing her

May 29,

The Elingamite passed Russell at 4 p.m. As she was alone it is evident she had not seen the missing steamer Perthshire. The Stella arrived this morning at

Hokianga, and proceeded at noon, in company with the tug Sterling, in search of the Perthshire.

WELLINGTON, May 24. The Wanaka, which was detailed to look for the Perthshire, was sighted by the Corinna to-day off Kaikoura, apparently on her way to Lyttelton, from which it is , conjectured she failed to, come across J;he missing steamer.

""■-■*? May 25. The Mokoia, which left Sydney on Saturday, made a search for the Perthshire. She started the search ~on_ Monday at a point on the probable track" of the disabled steamer, but the weather, which up to this point had been moderately fine, suddenly changed for the worse to dark thunder clouds and blinding squalls of heavy rain, with heavy mist. ( From 11 a.m. to 11 j).m. Captain Sinclair zigzagged on a stated course. A crow's nest was rigged up on one of the masts, and a watch kept there day and night, while blue lights were burnefl every hour. Had the weather been clear the signal must have been seen for nearly 30 miles. From the commencement of the search until the vessel's arrival in Wellington nothing but miserable weather was experienced. No observations of latitude could be taken.

NELSON, May 29. Messrs J. and A. Browne's steam collier Duckenfield, Captain Johnston, with Captain Bird (Lloyd's agent) on board, which left Sydney 14 days ago in search of the Perthshire, put into Nelson this morning for instructions. She steered the exact course of Sydney to Auckland and Wellington tracks, going down as far as Abbott's Head, and saw no trace of but may have passed near the Perthshire without observing her, as she encountered heavy westerly weather. The Duckenfield stays here till to-night, and will then go north, and steer an *e±act course between the Three Kings and Auckland, in the hope of meeting with the Perthshire, now supposed to be drifting towards Auckland on an east by north course.

CHRISTCHUECH, May 26. When the Wanaka arrived at Lyttelton ye&terday Captain M'Doual, interviewed, said that he left Newcastle on May 16, at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, and steamed right out towards Lord Howe Island, and was on May 20 exactly in the position reported by the Whangaroa to have been where the Perthshire was when sighted by her on May 13. He, however, saw nothing of her. He did not know when he left Newcastle that the Perthshire had been seen there, or he would have made an extended search in the neighbourhood. Having gone so far as 160deg east longitude, and meeting northerly and subsequently westerly winds, he decided to "zigzag" to Cook Strait, and when nearing New Zealand to run down the West Coast. Though he had a crow's nest rigged aloft, frequently fired rockets, and had a couple of officers constantly on the watch, nothing

was seen of the Perthshire.

It is possible a couple of weeks' anxiety' as well as the fruitless search of a number of New Zealand and Australian vessels might (writes a correspondent of the Wellington Post) have been saved if the missing steamer Perthshire had only carried a few trained despatch pigeons from each colony. A bird conveying the news of the broken tail-shaft and the vessel's position might have been liberated from the steamer shortly after the mishap, and made its way back to Sydney in good time for a tug to have been despatched to tow the liner back to port. — Chrlstchurch Press. A Sydney telegram in the ?,lelbourre Argus gives the following account of the voyage of the Whangaroa : — The Whangaroa left Foxton on the 3rd inst., and experienced variable and unsettled weather until the 12th inst. On that day the wind moderated into a light south-west breeze, before which the schooner made good progress until midnight. Then the chief officer, Lang, and his watch were startled by peeing a rocket soar up in the darkness and burst with great brilliance some 10 miles to windward. Immediately afterwards a red light flared up in the name direction on the edge of the horizon. These signals were shown so continuously that the greatest apprehension was felt on board the Whangaroa that some ocean disaster was taking place. The course of the schooner was quickly altered, so that she should stand in the direction of the ship. When going about, tho master, Captain Cozens, signalled, "Will stand by you till daylight." The response was simply, "Thank you." He know that whatever danger there might be was not immediate, and that there would be no necessity to use the boats, which he had made ready. The schooner was hove-to in close proximity to the disabled vessel, awaiting the daylight to reveal its identity. As had been halfoxpected by ihoce on board the schooner, the disabled ship then proved to be the long-miss-ing Perthshire. Captain Wallace, of the steamer, being desirous that the Whangaroa should take the news of his disaster to Sydney, sent one of his boats to the Whangaroa to take Captain Cozens on board. The latter then learnt that the accident, which has kept the big liner drifting about helplessly between Sydney and New Zealand, occurred on April 28, two days after the Perthshire left Sydney, when the tail of the shaft broke right off in the stern tube. Although there was a snare screw on board, repairs could not be effected in mid-ocean, and Captain Wallace, therefore, wished those on the Whangaroa to report his plight on arrival at Sydney, whither he wished to proceed. He added that during the preceding fortnight the sharpest look-out had been kent for passing vessels, and that signals were sent up at night, &uch as had attracted the attention of the Whangaroa, but each day's trying suspense was only succeeded by that of another until the little sailing vessel put in an appearance.

Captain Wallace stated that apart from the broken shaft there was no caiiFe for anxiety, the vessel was sound, and the provisions plentiful. As the Perthshire carries a quantity of frozen meat, there is no fear that those on board will suffer the pangs of hunger. Captain Cozens promised to report the disabled steamer with all despatch, and resumed his voyage to Sydney. -

The Whangaroa has- made an excellent passage. The position of the Perthshire when last sighted by the Whangaroa was lat. 35.40 S., long. 160.40 E. This places her midway between the tracks of the Auckland, Wellington, and Sydney steamers, and some 450 miles east of Sydney*. The vessel is in light trim, and ltn.il I'pen diiftnitf at the rate of 20 or 30 miles tlruiv. prror'unur '■•> the force of the wind. Captain Wallace had made an attempt to put her under tail, but with so liilla suaaesa that

at the time the "Whangaroa met her everything had been furled as useless.

Nautical 'men believe that since the time the Perthshire was sighted she must have drifted some 200 miles closer to New Zealand. As this s.s. Duckenfield, which left seme days ago in search of her, had instructions to zig-zag over the very spot where the schooner met the Perthshire, a strong hope is felt that she has fallen in with the steamer. However, as there is plenty of room for one vessel to miss another in the wide stretch of water extending between'here and New Zealand, Mesrs J. and A. Brown have at. their own risk sent out the tug Champion in search.