PERILS OF THE SEA

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17806, 4 July 1923, Page 11

PERILS OF THE SEA

THE TREVESSA'S SURVIVORS. ANOTHER DEATH. (m caslx—rsiss assivutiow—corrataaT-j UurtKAU&x JLS& 3.1. '-aih M^cuu LONDON, July 2. W. S. Allchin, tho Trevessa's cook, one of the survivors of the second boat, i 9 dead. Ho was buried in Mauritius on Mondaiy. The men belonging to the first boat at Rodriguez Island are imprsreing daily. The majority of thoso out of the second boat aro confined to hospital, where three aro iia attendance. Their progress, with tho exception ©f Charles Seaborne, is satisfactory. Tho first death in the Trevessa's second boat occurred on Juno 15th, Jamss Fraser succumbing to the effect oi drinking salt water. Then the second engineer fell out of tho boat attempting to catch rain-water from the sail. Tho others, being unablo to help quickly, he sank. Details available concerning the behaviour of the crews of the Ircrasa'a boats after their arrival at Roclriguei and Mauritius show that despite the fact that thoy were so weak, ►tiev nod to be carried to hospital on atreichets, the men's cheerfulness was amasing. When informed they could scud lull cablegrams to their relatives they fc »*e messages such as: "Cheerio," 'All's well," "e>ale and sound," "Soon have the boss home again," "Don't worry." [A message .yesterday stated that Altchin was in t\ critical state. During the war ho was three times torpedoed. He had his face badiv injured during a merchant vessel s fight with submarines, and was also marooned on a desert island for some tune. He left the frevean in order to join the Trovessa as cook.]

LOSS OF THE SUMATRA. VESSEL'S SEAWORTHINESS QUESTIONED. SYDNEY, 3. No more bodies Have been recovered from the Sumatra. This supports tho theory that only Captain Beff and the second officer, FBwtrell, ware oa deck at tho time of t|te disaster. It is believed that all the rest were below* and went down ifrith the ship. All the newspiipors repeat, the story that the ves3e{ wjas not aeaw6r%, bttfc the allegations lira stoutly denied by the manager of the New Guinea Xfttto Agency. FIRE IN THIS HARHN6TON. VESSEL REACHES BRISBANE. BRISBANE, July S. After an excilfing experience, tint flames reaching Ithe bridge, the Hart.ington, under heir own steam, «a4MWi Moreton Bay, wiiile the destroyer Ansae proceeded mirth to join tb® mainder of the fleet. The Hartingtoß arrived last night with smoke issuing from her buaiflJ*. The tug Coringa is standing By wftfe fire-fighting appliance^ AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT. (Received Jufy 3rd, U-2& P-® 1 -) SYDNEY, July 3. The Secretasy the State Dejwrt* ment of Navigation says bia Bepwfe* ment did not givi» a certificate of a®worthinesa to thflj Sumatra raider tfea Navigation Act as the vesaeS *•* exempt and them was no request for thi3 to be done. The nhipping inspector, however, certifies that she was seaworthy bo far as her loading was «m----oerned. A TRYING IBXPEROBNCE. DANGEROUS FIRE FIGHTING. (Eeceived July 3rd, IL2O pjsu) BRISBANE, July 3. Details of the fire show that it starts ed on the morning of Jane 27th, in tint bottom layers of c,oal in the bunker*. The hold was sooai a raging inferno of smoke and fumes. Tho master and the officers and tho chief engineer volunteered to go below to fight the flasnesj, and a relay system was started, men being lowered b«ilow for ten-sainate spells, at the end of which they were haulted up partially unconscious, and restored by buckets of cold water being thrown over them. On one occasion Captain. Carpenter had a narrow escape from death, being overcome in the hold, and the chief officer had to go down to rescue him. It was folly half an hour before Captain Carpenter recovered consciousness. Later on he insisted upon returning to the hold in his turn. The moral of the crew throughout was exxcellent. AH danger of the vessel's destruction has now passed. Although no definite estimate of the extent of the damage is available, there apparently will be little material loss.