HER LAST VOYAGE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 268, 26 August 1930, Page 5

HER LAST VOYAGE

SINKING OF THE TAHITI. BISHOP BENNETT’S NARRATIVE. THE ENGINEERS’ HEROISM. (United Press Association—Copyright.) APIA, August 24. A special message describing the loss of tlie Tahiti has been supplied to tlie Press Association by the lit. Rev. r. A. Bennett, Bishop’of Aotearoa, New Zealand, who was a. passenger on the vessel. It is given below: — There was little indication on the departure of the Tahiti from YVellington that there was anything wrong with the engine-room, except for the excessive vibration of the slli Pwas so pronounced that it was difficult to read, and liquids were spilt at the tables. The passengers were informed that it was due to the light cargo. There was a total of 107 passengers and 158 of a crew. , , All was going well when a loud report was heard on Friday morning at 4.30 a.in. The_vessel was shaken from, stem to stern, and the engines suddenly stopped. The passengers were quietly informed tjiat something serious had happened, and were asked to dress By - the time the passengers were’on deck all the lifeboats were ready to lie lowered. Each passengei was informed of the number of Ins lifeboat. lifebelts were served out, and were never taken off till the passengers hoarded the Ventura. Ihe second-class passengers had to vacate their position on account of the watci coming through the deck, and all the passengers assembled m the first-class lounge for the whole period. The staff provided meals as usual. There was no panic and no excitement. The officere never met the passengers to explain the position, and" the passengers never worried the officers,. as they felt that they were doing their best. The time was 7 spent in: games and cheering each other with music. Their behaviour was splendid all through. Heroism of Engineers. It was learnt that the.cause of the trouble was that the shaft on the starboard side had broken, had penetrated the tunnel, and had ripped holes under the stern, causing, a big inrush of water. The exact location and details of the trouble will never be known as it was under, the water level, bo great was the water pressure that it was impossible to close the bulkhead immediately. By the great heroism of the engineers, who were working constantly in deep water, the bulkheads were closed, hut they were in constant danger of giving way at any time. Several times tlie engineroom was in danger of being swamped, and water poured on to both dynamos. To keep the ship afloat it was necessary to keep the water level down in holds No. 3 and 4, where there was over 90 feet of water, so two buckets holding 50 gallons each were manipulated bv man-power, and winches were kept at work hailing the water out from each well without intermission, night and day. Great praise is due to the officers and crew for their haid work. Tliev never rested until the passengers were safely on the Ventura. Undoubtedly their efforts kept the ship afloat, for if the water had gone o\ei the top of the bulkhead the ship would have been swamped. Fortunately there was always enough steam to woik the winches. Comfort of Wireless. The wireless was a great consolation to the passengers. After tlie accident a message was got through Wellington, and a reply was received within 20 minutes. Then tlie dynam became wet, so no further messages were sent or received until it was repaired. An auxiliary broadcast on No 1 lifeboat, with a range ot only 150 miles was then used, and the iahiti got iA touch with the Norwegian cargo boat Penybryn, which was 120 miles nwav There was great joy when she informed us that slie was returning.

Called to the Lifeboats.

On Saturday, between one and two o’clock in tlie morning, all were called out to their respective lifeboats, as there was bad news from the engineroom. All the boats T 1 '® U° pel ’ ‘i equipped with food and vyatei am blankets. It was a pathetic sight, especially the children crying, not knowing what was happening. YVitli the exception of a few kerosene lamps the slap was in darkness. The sea was fairly calm hut there were big rollers from the south about eight feet high and a stiff breeze. Everything looked . verj dark and sad for us. The engineers and crew were still working high speed at the engine-room and the crew never ceased bailing out water. Then came a message that tlie outlook was better and that we could retire again into the lounge and await davlight. By daylight tlie difficulties had been adjusted. Our main hope now centred upon the Norwegian ship Penybryn. YVe expected to see her early on Saturday afternoon and all eyes were glued upon the horizon. As night fell our captain sent up rockets periodically, also fired off bombs, which made a very loud explosion. About 9 o’clock rockets were seen from tlie south and at ten tlie Penybryn s lights appeared. At eleven she circled round us She had missed us earlier because in'the fresh breeze that was blowing the Tahiti had drifted over two knots per hour and we were over a hundred miles away from tlie -spot where the accident had happened, which was 1340 miles from New Zealand and 460 from Rarotonga.. The depth of the ocean was 18,000 feet. The Tension Eased.

A wonderful feeling of relief came to all when we realised that the Penybrvn was standing by all night in case of" accident. YVe were specially grateful when we knew that she was doing this at the risk of running short of coal There was great joy when we were informed that the Ventura was rushing to our aid and would arrive next morning. For the first time the passengers had a little sleep in their chairs and on the floor of the lounge. A certain amount of tension had been relaxed by the presence of one steamer and the expected arrival of another. At 10 o’clock on Sunday the Ventura met us. having come 700 miles out of her way, ploughing through a head sea at over 16 knots an hour. Transferring the Passengers. YVhen the Y r entura received a call from the Union Company, she was only three hours away from her destination at Pago Pago. As smoke appeared on the horizon, all passengers were ordered into the boats. Although the sea was not breaking much, big rollers from the south made things unpleasant in the boats. It was nearly an hour before tlie Ventura arrived. As each boat arrived alongside, cheers were given by the Ventura’s passengers. Each passenger had to climb up rope steps. It was a difficult task with tlie swell, and some had to have ropes tied

round their bodies to assist them in the ascent. All reached the deck without accident, except than an officer fell into the water when Iris steering oar broke. He was immediately helped into the boat again. After the passengers came the luggage boats with the mails and baggage. Only the mails were taken out of the holds, and most of the luggage in the cabins. Many passengers lost heavily, as most of their luggage was in the hold. No one knew how much they had lost until the arrival of the Ven•turo, but one heard no complaints, for all were thankful to escape with their lives. The last to leave the Tahiti were the captain, and his crew. Three cheers were given as they arrived, and they deserved it, as the discipline and organisation were worthy of the best British traditions.

Last of the Tahiti.

As soon as they arrived all lifeboats were destroyed and sank. The Tahiti was getting .lower at the stern. The Ventura gave a farewell blast and the iPenybryn continued her voyage, after accompanying us for 15 hours. The Ventura drew close up to her sister ship, as if she were going to rub noses. Then she drew back, and the dying struggles of the Tahiti, with the Union Jack at the stern and flag signals meaning “abandoned” at the masthead, were watched with intense interest. At last nothing of the Union Jack could be seen. Her bow rose higher into the air until it was almost perpendicular. Thep, she dived, stern first, in the midst of the seething ocean. Just as the funnels disappeared, what appeared to be a tremendous explosion took place, sending up a black cloud, followed by steam. Then the vessel vanished, the sea boiling like a cauldron where she went down. The sight was an awe-inspiring and, pathetic one, and the emotions of many of the crew as well as the passengers were deeply touched. One elderly engineer who had worked for 10 years on the Tahiti had to face away, tears streaming down his cheeks. Another engineer who had saved a pet green parrot was carrying the bird on his shoulder, and, addressing it, said: “Come on, Peter, there goes our home, let us turn our heads away.” He didn’t see the end.- he couldn't. Thanksgiving Service.

All were w r ell treated on the Ventura, and many of the lady passengers went straight ‘to bed. On Monday morning at 11 o’clock I conducted a thanksgiving service on the Ventura, which was attended by most of the passengers and the crew, Sir Hugh Allen accompanying the hymns. The service was bright and hearty and was much appreciated. On account of the shortness of fresh water, the Ventura was unable to call at Rarotonga and made direct for Pago Pago, whex-e she arrived on Tuesday at 1 p.m. She left for Honolulu at 8 o’clock, all the passengers for the South Sea Islands and the officers and crew for New Zealand being accommodated at Pago Pago awaiting the arrival of the Tofua- to take them back to the Dominion. All are well. t . ( EXPRESSIONS OF GRATITUDE. APIA, August 24. The following statement has been issued by the passengers of the Tahiti: — “We desire to express our gratitude to the ship’s company for the expeditious launching of the lifeboats and even the salving of small baggage while the shin was sinking. We also wish to express our gratitude to the Norwegian freighter Penybrym which gave an assurance of safety, standing by for hours before the arrival of the Ventura, as well as to the Ventura, which picked us up from the Tahiti’s lifeboats and catered for the passengers, and finally to the naval authorities at Pago Pago.”