CRABS AND THE CHINA.
At the annual meeting of the P. and O. Company, Sir Thomas Sutherland opened his review of the year's duings with some semi-jocular remarks concerning the salving of the China, now safe in Perini Harbour. It appears that the divers employed to stop the immense number of le-ak-s in the ship's bottom had a difficulty to overcome which v.as not foreseen by the wisest of nautical authorities. They plugged the holes with well-tarred oakum, caum uj> for a "blow, ' and returned to their job to find their work undone. They were puzzled at first to discover the reason for the disappearance of their plugging material, but, setting a watch, found that as soon as they nad left the scene of operations the repairs were covered byhuge crabs, which promptly annexed the oakum and left the leuks. Sir Thomas presumed the crabs took the stuff medicinally. Anyhow, they took it. rendering the operation of making the China watertight a much lengthier one than was contemplated.
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Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10264, 6 February 1899, Page 5
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168CRABS AND THE CHINA. Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10264, 6 February 1899, Page 5
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