THE DANGERS OF THE

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 274, 18 November 1902, Page 5

THE DANGERS OF THE

THREE KINGS

CAPTAIN HOUDLETTE'S OPINION

A LIGHT AND SIREN WANTED.

#1 am strongly of opinion that the Three Kings should carry both a light and a siren, so that their proximity might be made known to mariners in thick weather." This was an expression by Captain Houdlette, of the R.M.s. Sierra, to a Sydney "Daily Telegraph" representative' when the news of the wreck arrived in Sydney last Tuesday. "I told several members of Parliament so some years ago," continued the captain, who has been piloiting the 'Frisco boats through this passage for several years now.

Captain Houdlette's experieuce of the spot where the Elingamite came to grief is that the currents there are strong' and variafble. They do not consistently flow one way, but race north to-day and south to-mor-row, so to speak, so that one can never be accurately prepared for them, and in dark, heavy weather there is no accurate means of telling where they will put a ship.

"Did the currents ever bring you up close to ;the islands, captain?" —"You bet your life they did. Fortunately we always pass there in the daylight, and exercise special care, but I recollect one trip when we had left Auckland in thick weather the fog lasted till we got into the vicinity of the Three Kings. Of course, I knew whereabout we were, and expected the land to be fairly close, and was in consequence proceeding with great caution. .

"I thought we were about four or five miles off, tout suddenly I jerked out to the second officer, who was on the bridge with me, 'Doesn't that look like land over there?'

"He agreed that it did, and sure enough there was one of the Kings not much more than half a mile away, and right abeam. That only shows how easy it is to give one of them .a bump, and emphasises my argument that they should be both lighted and served with steam sirens.

"On my first trip out of Sydney I ran down this spot in the dark in thick weather, and I hung off for eight hours rather than taEe uiv

chance with those, treacherous currents. A vessel might easily be carried miles out of her course to the north or south, or might be set for-' ward more quickly than her officers reckoned on by the currents that race between the Kings and the

la.nland. Something- of this sort must have happened to ihe Elingamite. I hope something will now be done cowards placing warning beacons on these rugged little rocks that lie right in the fairway in the midst of sweeping and uncertain currents

'As a matter oeE fact, we could do with more lights further down the New Zealand coast on Cape Brett, and lower down again. It is a very treacherous coast, and there are. always ebb and flow currents running. I have tried running down to Auckland in davlighj to keep a straight course, and* have- found that the currents would deflect the steamer two or three miles, now iushore, and again out at sea. As the run down is studded with islands, it is apparent that this is an extremely dangerous run, and every care should be taken to provide all possible safe-

guards- _ , "The currents do not seem to have any settled run, but flow inconsistently. 1 have asked old coasters what 'heir experience has beeu, and they say it is an ebb and flow tide and there is no reckoning ou it. 1 base found it. as 1 say, set my ship several miles in both directions.'

\ collection in aid of the sufferers by the Elingamite was being taken up by a number of ladies to-day, collection boxes being in charge o ladies in Queen-street at Milne and Choyce-s, the D.S.C., the \ictona Arcade, and the Thames Hotel, at the Ponsonby reservoir, and at freeman's Bay. . An entertainment in. aud oil u) e sufferers was given in St. Benedicts Hall last evening, under the direction of Mr P. Quinlan. There was a good attendance, and a capital programme was carried out. The Imperial Banjo Club will g>^ an entertainment in the V.M.C.A. on Friday evening, when the gross proceeds will be handed to the fund lor the relief of sufferers by the wreck. In addition to selections by the club members items will be given by Misses Mclntyre, Strong, Ansley, Mrs Casier, Messrs. F. Lloyd, A. A. Partridge, Percy Lee, Alt'. Hartley, W. Manning, and others. A sacred concert arranged by Mr Horace Stebbing will be given in the Opera House at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday next, Mr Abbott, manager, and Mr Tom Pollard, lessee, having placed the building at the disposal of the promoters. Mr Pollard has further intimated his willingness to "set' the stage, and the members of his company have agreed to do whatever they can to assist. Items will be given by Mesdames Kilgour, G. Read, and Stebbing, Misses Abbott, Hunt, Osborne, Smith, and Laing, Messrs. Hamilton Hodges, Percy Lee, G. M. Reid, A. Ford, Carter, O'Connor, Gribbin, Haswell, Horace Stebbing, Philpott. and others.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.

WELLINGTON, Monday

A meeting convened by the Mayor to consider the question of raising funds for the relief of sufferers by the Elingamite decided to open subscription lists for that purpose.

CHRISTCHURCH, Monday

The Willoughby-Geach Company will g-ive a special performance, the whole of the proceeds to go to the sufferers by the .Elingamite wreck.