ANOTHER SEARCH URGED.

Auckland Star, Volume XII, Issue 31, 6 February 1891, Page 3

ANOTHER SEARCH URGED.

LARGE WHALEBOAT ON THE

KAKANUI,

HAVE THE SURVIVORS REACHED

AUCKLAND ISLANDS?

(by telegraph.— special to the star.)

Invercargill, this day. The Sou-hand " Daily News " lasb night says: "Almosb tha lasb shred of hope for the safety of the s.s. Kakanui has been torn away by the news brought by the Government steamer Hinemoa. There remains now the bare possibility of her having reached the Auckland Islands and there being at anchor in. one of bhe numerous inlebs or harbours having escaped the necessarily hurried search made by Captain Faircbild, bub as the depot provisions were found inbact, and as ib musb be supposed that Captain Best would be aware from official sources of their whereabouts, there is but little probability of this being the case. There is the further hypothesis of the SBeamer being driven far out of her course during the storm that raged shortly after she left the Macquaries, in which evenb her stock of coal would have been expended some three weeks ago, while, with the eight sealers in addition bo the crew, the water and provisions must,

IF SHE BE AFLOAT, have long ere this run short. Under the circumstances the least thab can be done by the Marine Department is immec iately to equip and despatch the Hinemoa on a further search expedition. Ib is suggested by some that Captain Fairchild should have had a much longer scay among the Islands, but his commission wa. specific, and left no option but to return without unavoidable delay to the Bluff. The expression, 'The least bhat can bo done by the Marine Department,' requires only a brief explanation. But . for the blundering of somebody or other in that branch of the public service, the Kakanui would never have be«n sent on a voyage for which her size, build, and deck arrangements were entirely unsuitable. At bhe very time of her charter the Hinemoa was under

SAILING ORDERS FOR THE SNARES. bub she immediately afterwards took a party of intercolonial representatives, who?e object was to fix upon the most suitable site for a lighthouse. Nothing would have bean easier than bo have extended her cruise a few days further to tha southward, and thus have avoided the contingency which bhere is too much reason to fear has eventuated. Of the origin of the expedition, of which the fate is in doubt, more will yet be heard. In the meantime it can only bo said that those responsible forgetting up bho ' scare ' on behalf of bhe Macquarie Island parby musb bibberly regret their meddlesome interference wibh an enterprise which, as events have shown, was being conducted wibh due care for bhe welfare of bhose engaged in it. On this point the testimony of Mr and Mrs Mellish, a3 conveyed by Captain Fairchild, speaks for itself. ' They had plenty of flour, rice and biscuits and WERE QUITE COMFORTABLE AND HAPPY.' "Thab under such circumstances the men of the parby were so eagerly determined to leave by the Kakanui is inexplicable, only on the assumption of their being so heartily tired of the monotony of the life they were leading as to be ready to do anything to break it. There is the further conjecture thab the 'take' of oil had not realised anticipations, and that the men knowing their respective * lays' to be worbh libtle or nobhing, concluded bo throw up their claims. Be this as it may, the fact remains, and it is one for which bhere is occasion to be deeply thankful, that there was none of bhe inhuman neglect so freely imputed prior to the departure of the Kakanui. More might be said on this point, but at the present juncture a certain amount of reserve is indicabed as proper. When bhe courb of inquiry, which ib is undersbood will be shortly set up, holds its session, the faebs and surroundings of the whole affair will ba perhaps brought to iighb. Meanwhile, however, w8 bake leave to reiterate mosb emphatically that the Government is in duty bound bo make a further search, and here we are reminded bhab the Kakanui book with her A LARGE WHALEBOAT, one quite capable of carrying the nineteen men on board if she sprang a leak or shipped heavy seas and foundered. The crew and passengers would bo strong enough to launch her over bhe sbeamer's side, and be perhaps able to hold their own until the weather ababed, when bhey would almosb to a certainty make for the Aucklands, the weather side of which would be their land fail. As bhe Hinemoa did nob make fcha circuit of bhe islands, bub merely visited bhe established depots on their sheltered aspecb, bhe Kakanui people may hare been on one or- other of the islands ab bhe bimo of her visit. Tbab such may prove bo bo the case is bo be fervently hoped, bub whebher or nob, no reasonable outlay should be spared to clear away bhe uncertainby bhat is now abtached to the fabe of the men whose wives and families have meanwhile to endure the torbureot suspense of hoping against hope," CAMPBELL ISLAND. Campbell Island, whither the Hinemoa goes in search of the missing Kakanui, is situated in Hi9-lldeg. east long, by 52deg. south lab., about 630 miles due soubh of the Bluff and the same distance N.E. of Big Macquarie Island.' Campbell Island is 30 miles round, is mountainous, and has several good harbours. The principal inlet inbo which a vessel could run for shelter is Perseverance Harbour, which has an entrance half a mile wide. Ib runs westward three miles, then S.W. to its head. The chores are precipitous und rise abruptly to 800 and 900 feet. The inner parb of tho harbour is completely land-locked, with room for a large number of ships. The shores are free from danger, except ab bhe turn to the inner part of the harbour. Water is abundant, and seese and ducks are found on the island. The .oubh parb of bhe island is much more precipitous than the north. There is a depdb of provisions in Perseverance Harbour, lefb by the Hinemoa tor bhe use of shipwrecked crews. Penguin Bay or Norbh Harbour, on bhe easb side of tho island, is easier of access than Per-fc-i.i-ance Harbour. It runs westward three miles. There is no shelter in the bays on the western side, and the numerous outlying rocks render the approaches dangerous. Very bad weather is reported ac Campbell Island and vicinity in all seasons. If the little Kakanui survived the gale so far as to make Campbell Island, the chances are that tho -rangers of navigation round bhe rock-bound const in stormy weabher would have beentoo much for her. But ib is highly improbable that sho ever rode oub the tempest ahe encountered. Numerous wrecks have Occurred in pasb years in this vicinity, Tho Antipodes Islands, which Captain Fairchild considered it useless to search, are situated much further north,, lying aboub 500 miles E.S.E. of the Bluff and bhe mama distance-N.E. of Campbell. Tbey are an isolated group of several rocky islands, extending norbh and south four or tirs miles, and very dangerous to approach. Sixty fathoms were found half a cable off the eastern _hore of the largeeb island, 1.000 feet high. Landing is Baid to be im-p.--.'.icab!e.

(BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

Invercargill, this day,

The Invercargill Borough Council have passed a resolution urging on the Government bhe necessity of sending bhe Hinemoa to the Campbell and obher Islands to look for the Kakanui or those who were on board. , , It appears thab ib was nob the men of the shore Darby at the Macquanes who made the remark that if they gob back to Isew Zealand nobody would ever catch them goino- to the island again, but members of the crew of the Kakanui. This seems_ bo indicate that although she made a quick passage down they had seen enough to convince them that the vessel was not suitable for such a voyage.