SHIPPING DISASTER AT DURBAN

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 11988, 15 September 1904, Page 8

SHIPPING DISASTER AT DURBAN

The elation at Durban over the mail sbeamers entering tho inner harbour lias hardly subsided before a disaster cm the bar, attended by hta of life, lias to be recorded. The wreck that occurred on the 21st inst. was that of a email tug, so, of course, ttys practicability of the ocean liners continuing to titeam-right alongside the shore piers is not affected, but it points to the fact that the narrow channel will always be dangerous to navigate in bad weather. A' great nea rises on the bar, and at times jiteamera of heavy draught would as likely «c not find the bottom in the hollow of a wave. It will then be only when the feae arc comparatively smooth that the bar can be deemed perfectly safe to cro<». That it ia so under favourable conditions was demonstrated by the leviathan of the Union-Castie fleet, the' Armadale Castle, one of the largest and finest steamers afloai —she is a 12,000 tenner —inaugurating the crossing or the bar by the mail liners last month. Since then the big Castle, boats have ceased to> lie out in the roadstead. The Lion; the name' of the tug that baa been lost in attempting to enter, woe caught by a h&avy sea and da&hed on the north pier. Sucked back, ehe then went down stern first; Many of those on board managed to ecramblc on to the breakwater, but six of the crew were drowned.

PERSONAL AND GENERAL NOTES

Tlw New Zealand Trade Commweioner, Mr J. Graham Gow, after interviewing Lord Milner amd others in the Transvaal for the purpose of counteracting the influence of the proposed Argentine meat combine, went to Capetown on the tame errand. There ho saw the acting-Premier (Dr. Jameson to at present on a visit to England), and as a result the Hon. Mr Walton has promised to champion the oversea colonies' cause at the next Customs' Conference, and will advocate ay preferential tariff being allowed. ' : Mr Gow when in Capetown taw the con-, tractors for the /mpply of coal to the Government, and a communication has been addrcesed to the Weetport Coal Company, to see if New Zealand coal can be pbtniiLed at as reasonable. a '.rate as, supplied by other puteide/countriee. • '• Mr Eroe«t;;E'.'':Maginnity (Wellington); has obtained:an appoimtment in tlie Census Department, 1 f For a -couple vof montihe prior to .joininff the Government service he,- took advantage of' ; bis musical abilitjee, and wae in the orchestra of. a travelling show, and had rather an enjoyable time visiting varioue parts of tlie sub-Oontinent —was through a (food par£ of the Orange, Colony.and the Northern Transvaal, besides being; a week or two at Delagoa, Bay. I met Mre Hill, nee Miss Nellie Forde, of the Pollard Company, a few days ago. She had jiist returned from Western Australia, where she bad© farewell to the stage, to take up lwr residence in Joliannesburg. • Sir Hill is clerk in a big firm here. ' •. V Mr Samuel J. Dyer, formerly in the Lands and Survey Department, Wellington, and at on© time publisher of - the "New Zealand Times," is now on the businem staff of ono of the- papers in Pretoria.

There died at Bloeinfontein, on the 9th from pleurisy and pneumonia, a veryold Christohurch man, James Elmslie Rei-lly. He was working as a etonemoison under Mr W.B. Scott. A eon of the ■deceased is in the employ of Mr Scott, and another is a maetor bricklayer in Chriitohurch.

Among other New Zealanders engaged in the construction of the Gorermnent offices at Bkemfontein in Mr Albert Kcrr, who cornea from Sydenham. tike Mr Reilly; he was attacked with pneumonia., but is getting better. • Mr Scott ia making splendid progress with his big contract, but having other extensivo buildings to take ia hand on its completion, he is likeiy to have a somewhat long reMdence-at'-Bloemfontein. I had a call fromtMr Walter M. Fulton this week. Hβ hW quite thrown, off the effects of bis recerft illnefe, and was, just back from reporting on come mining properties in the Northern Transvaal.. Mr Fulton wae tolling mc what his many friends in New Zealand wall be glad to hear, tlta* hie brother, Captain Harry Pulton, who had , been invalided Home from India, had undergone a successful' operation at St. Thomas's Hospital, London, p.nd was on the point of leaving the Old Country to rejoin lib regiment. The Pretoria. New Zealand Football Club contemplate a team to Dur--ban about the end of the month, to play a match with their fellow countrymen a< the port town, wlio ore the , holders of the- Natal Union Cup. The Pretitia boye have lost the servkee of Mr Harry Hunt, who left Pretoria a couple of weeks back, to take a good,engagement at Bulawayo Mr Taplin (Wellington) has al» left Pretoria, having accepted a temporary appointment at PotchefKtroom. Hβ will etill, however, be able to pky for hie olub in meet of thie feason'e engagements. Mr Tnplin is recognised as one of the very best forwardfi in the Transvaal. A team from the Johannesburg New Zealand Football Ciub paid a vieit to KleTksdorp on July J6t.b, and easily deffated a team of local players. Two New Zealanders, Mstrts Stuckey and CarnJl, tavr to the entertainment of the visitor?, who spent a veir enjoyable time. - Nurw Teape (Wellington), one of the fini of the New- Z«»land nurete to come to thie country during th* war, and who ha* been connected with the Railway Hoj*. pk<il, Johannesburg..for nome comriderahle time, left for England last. -week. She jnirpoee"! taking a course of higher training at Dublin, expecting to be back here to take an appointment, which ie" being kept open, eaarly next year. ,: Mr W. H. Gavin, with his; wife and pister, came tip to Jol«annes4mrg from Klerkfidorp last week. 31ia Gavin remain* "here, while Mr and'Miw Gavin go on to Capetown, w-Tiera the latter takes ahip for England. - ;.