NEARLY A DISASTER.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 2, 3 January 1929, Page 8

NEARLY A DISASTER.

IN SYDNEY HARBOUR

LINER, WARSHIP AND FERRIES

EXCEEDINGLY NARROW ESCAPE

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

SYDNEY

December 27

While Sydney was busily engaged on Monday morning in the last minute Christmas shopping rush. a ferry disaster was averted in the harbour by only the narrowest of margins. The new Manly ferry, the Curl Curl, which had to go full s'peed astern, four vehicular ferries, the American liner Sonoma, and the new Royal Australian Navy aeroplane carrier Albatross were concerned. Hundreds of ferry passengers, valuable motor cars, and ship property which were involved in the iiear-di.-aster only escaped damage after several worried skippers and an experienced pilot had wondered where the first hit was coming from. According to a report made to the Department of Navigation. Pilot Charles Hill and Captain Bell were ..u the bridge of the liner Sonoma, which was proceeding at a -naiTs pace towards Circular Quay. The naval aeroplane carrier in the offinsj MiddeiiK stopped at eight ..f a vehicular ferry almost under the Lows of the Sonoma. One to the prompt action of the pilot and engineers of the Sonoma, the ferry was saved by only a few feet from being cut in halves.

At the time of the stoppage of tluSonoma and the naval aero].lane cai tier Albatross, several other ferric*, in eluding the .Manly steamer (nil furl, which was leaving Circular Quay at a hijih rate of speed, became mixed tip as the result of the sudden stoppage.

Mo-t of the ferries had a e<in-ideral>l<-amount of pace when they stopped, and it was only by skilful" niaiioeuvriii" that a disaster was averted. A> it was", several of the ships scraped auain-t the others.

Many spectators on the shore saw what seemed to lie an impending ferrv disaster, and several of the amhiihinc'e stations received calls from frantic citizens, who had not waited to s ee the actual smash which they thought wai hound to ofcur. but dashed a"wav to bring the ambulance to the scene

Three wagons were sent racing to the quay, while calls for more assistance were sent out to half a dozen other stations. To the surprise of the ambulance men when they arrived at the quay they did not find any tangled masses "of wreckage, as they were led to believe they would, but only saw one or two ferries just _ gathering speed again, and a liner moving slowly into her moorings.