WHERE IS THE PENGUIN?

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 434, 17 February 1909, Page 9

WHERE IS THE PENGUIN?

HIS MAJESTY'S MAILS. ; LITTLE HOPE 'OF THEIR RECOVERY. ~"Fifteen bags and six'haiilpers" is the brief [ '[ ' record !of the'emails tlist Went 1 down in tho ' Penguin last . Friday night,/ This was . for- [' tunately a small mail;in the light of averages. Tho number of bags and hampers nicn- ; tioned excludes eight bags and two hampers tKat were carrying: u lot of. obsolete staticnV- cry from. tho Nelson and i Blenheim offices. V Tho question of the. possibility of recovering • tho mails hiss croppc(l;up,/aiid a reprosenta- .:'/ tiyo of this paper called yesterday on M r. \V. ■ 11: Morris (Acting-Secretary,of.the;Post and Telegraph .Office) to ascertain 'whether : any attempt was likely to be made to recover tho loat.bags. ,-'.["■ r : - Mr. Jlorris had not been behind-hand. With [. hii:. lisual promptitude: ho had already had .; a, with : Captain 'Post, - of 'the ■ ".'■ Tutaiiekai (who'knows tho coast like a book), and-Captain Anderson; (Marine; Superintcn- ;; ; dent , in ' Wellington for tho. Union Company) oil- tho subject, and both ' gentlemen, had discouraged most emphatically tho prospect of. • divine;.for the mails, as suggested by Mr. A, . M; Gow, Who had placed his up-to-date diving .; . plant at .the' disposal of the. authorities. :•. ;■ i v Position of tho Penguin, - Tho first point ; that arose was,- "Whero-is tlie'Pongiiiu.Captain Naylor himself had stated' that ho supposed; that the Penguin struck on Tom's Rocky ,but that Was not by any means clearly established.- cßothi Mr. ■ : Frank Shaw, ono of.'the survivors, and Mr. Jjftin cM'Meiiamen, of Terawliiti, have oxpressed their conviction that the Penguin did not strike Tom's Rock,', basing that conclusion • on the position of tho wreckage which strowod the beach on'. Saturday, These' gentlemen .... ■• state[that, a good, deal' of : the wreckage splintered into matoh\vood lay. in a. position actu- ./[\ ally south of a' point-opposite.the fatal rook, apd to have reached such a, point tho light :, fragments of wood would .have had to drift against windj sea, and tide-—an impossibility. , AVhat did tho steamer strike then? It 'mightfhave. beeu the'Karori. shoal or some • ~ submerged rook .outside tho vshoal but . that ; ' ..is mere conjecture.-v.The captaihjremarked ;to ono of .the passengers oil.; landing from the . .. wreck .that ho thought' his vessel was inside ■Jackson's Head, the point 'a few miles to tho ; ioiith'of where the-survivors Uncled, and,- allowing[forvthe: drift, it is concluded that he ■'•; was not so far out, .but, still that .did not ;' '. .'settle the' ])lace in the bed. of the Strait where •. ~ tho Penguin lies. ...... -Diving Impossible. Bath of the master, mariners concurred in tho belief that tho vessel would probably be ivnng jn yory deop water, as,th6 Penguin did riot sink for [some time' after, 'she struck,; and ranst'Jiave* proceeded some distance, and the Admiralty chart gives' the depth in -the vicin.ity ; of.'.Tom's ,Ruck; from'l7 to 32 fathoms." But apart'altogether from the depth of water, there was something oven more formidable in tho.current that rushes Unceasingly ; through . the Strait, partionlarly. in. its'strength oii .' the .Torawhiti .side.' . It thoughtihat that clement alone would prevent any success atteuding attempted dmng[operat'ions in that : , vicinity; -It. was strong enough; from allac- \. spltnts, ' to'prevent a -diver-keeping the. per- ; pendicular, [and if,he couldrniaiiage. to stand upright ho would bo carried along by tho - swirling current. • . Mr. J. K. Logan's Opinion. Mr, J. K. .. Logan, Director of Electric .. Lines;;,.who,.has,.-fc<m connected'with' cable-* laying .oporationfl m New-Zealand for a quar- . .ter .of-a 'eeiituryj "was consulted as 'to 1 ; wllat' ;. chance. there, was for...'divingf for '■ the : Pdn- /.' gu'iVs mail. • • ' .• y i '' c ? lance a t all,", said ho; "it is absurd toy think ofjWhon'due knows; tbo conditions. •• .The: ; tido ' mill-race; and you can . n PVer ;.teU,;ivhen it'. is going ,to turn iff bad . ; weather...-. Wo, have calculated. when thK tile / : off ■Terawhiti .-'was; likely : to'- turn,-; and - have o; Vnover f been;able to time.the turn." ; :<l Whflr6 ■[;. is the steamer; can you tell mo that?" said Mr.'>Loffan.:.' '.'Why,' two- milos -.'out frbm' ,". there }"'is ■ va /; :' deptH • ~ ;o£ ; , '70. ; fatho'ffis,: ahd- : 'th¥ro - I- 'havo- known ' .'the :; •^B^fe'':canT>TOy-V;caßle'bnoy.with three mushroom anchors . attached. . We. never -; think of hnoying with ono anchor in thai, locality—always use :.;.two. aid.. sometimes - ,v -fchr Dov.n In the Depths. ; "A fow niiles out from tho cable hiit at ; ■:Ot-erangi . hlw bed of tho ; Strait ,dips ; from ,about -70 fathoms to' 106 for a ■'distance, .then: • rises to.' a^iit;. tlie' -70 ; fathoms, - and. contjiniit^s - ; at-that nearly 1 to White's Bay, on tho other 'c side. ?;-There is a big dip ofr:Lyc]l Bay. wbere ': the. bottom sihks to. 150. It 1b like' •• ®'ivalloy.batwoeh. two Mount Victorias. I IraoW. • this,: for, wo have had to lay'three miles of cable to covcr a section'' between two b noys .'only, a milo:.apart; The only; manner in which . ... .the Penguin's mails lidgl-.t be recovered is '.'by: . ; the;.ship-being ground to pieces and tho cur-, rent.carrying the bags ashore." .;0 11l order to - oomply with the Board of • Trade regulations, every- boat and raft carried.on steamers must be provided ' with : suf,to last the passengers so! ' -commodated on it for .five -or,' sis days. 'At ;.Vach, vaitihual j survey ". .the ! ' Governihent ' in- ,. upector opens - the air-tight tanks and exyr'-.. amines',,- tbo ; - biscuits,,; (chocolate, etc. .; The V supply;,o{,,-water--■'■is' carried;in; oak casks, and; is.;renewed by tho. ship'B -offlcers every few i...-.-;,"weeks;\"V- ''-V'^ ' It' was stated that tho father of Felix -'( : Woodward,- one" of-Uio' victims of. thVdisaster,'- ' •■ ■..was .an: employee the. firin of.;.Risby ;8r05., : cf 'Habartj .but a luessago .:has been received ;-l ;r:frdmVthafr, towff stating, that; Mr.'-..' : W6od\raird'bas no son bearing sucli a name. Woodward was formerly. m tho empioy/ of tho Union Company as a steward. -. •:. ; ' : .. James Colluis, of ChaHestoii, was reported -havo. embarked with .'Messrs. Couhibe'and. Perkins, and tho latter, who was among tho :V',. saved,states that he.'was on board, but -tlio company .iiavo no record of*;, his: taking a passage or.goiiig on board tho Penguin, i ~ . Miss ;Jennings; -repiorted. to. havo. been lost,: did not travel by tho Penguin. : . ~ Tile relatives of ' Mr. . Loosomore,-. . third officer,- livo at 34 Boyno Road,' Lewisham, England. - 0 . A ' portion of provisions-: beliovcd to 'have ~ been': stored on the' deck, " has been' washed : ;• !ishore at Happy Volley. It is thought that -. these : must havo drifted tbera on the ebb , tide,;,a3;it. is .unlikoly that tho;.wreckwould- ; have gono so far in that direction. - . ' :.An oil launch is being sent by tho Union ~ Company to search amongst' the, outlying ' . rocks, m caso any, bodies-may "be entancled in-the-kelp.. . . >: ~ All, tlio iVew Zealand offices of tho Union Company wcro closed from 10. to 11' o'clcck yesterday morning. ' . . .• Mr.'. W. T. Young, secretary of the Sea- , men's Union, states that as far as he has been able to,ascertain tho only married man amongst-the seamon, trimmers,. firemen,, and ; groasors, who.'Wore, drowned in the wreck, of fh'e ■ Penguin .was -IV--H^ > ■.; whoso "wife.;-and tliTce': children reside, at No. .'•-. i- ■ Strcbt. Mr's.-'J-Ha.yes'. is. believed v. to/have.boon left in straite : ned circumstances. . John Rnffertv, a momlior of. the crew who • was droiiTlGdi. was tho: sola supporter of his ; aged mother, who resides in Ireland. Thomas Woodford, able sealtian, is ,believed have a brother, Henry ; Woodford, n-lio was e member, of the crew, of tho Mararoa last ' - month;;- ; "Miss Dorothy M. Ribbands, who lost her -. .ff-the_wrook;was-:a'iiatiye of.Bonchuroh, Isle of Wight. England. .-Her: brother, Mr. H.; Sydney _B;.Ribbands; tho'.lvoll-kiiowii N.i- ----; pjcr swimming. enthusiast, arrived; in town in . . timo to. bo.,present at the fifneral. ■ Mr. : . ■ Ribbands .vdid.' not.,- knowhis sister was on board' the vessel until the names of the pas- ' . sensor's were published. W. A- Jl'lntyre, chief" officer, "joined the. company's scrvire in IM4, comnloncilii: as : , fmirtlr oificer of the. Waikare, subsequent to - which he was third officer of tho Prthehia/ ■ third - officer of tho. Ooriah, second officer of ; the ' Taieri, second : officer of - the - Rakanoa,' chief officer of tho Kini, and then chief oißcer of-the'Pcnjfuin -•• f • The friends of the late Mr: Briscoll, second . ; o^,c£ ' r .°.f R - s - Pflnguin, wish to contradict the - statomeiit that he. was a .-marriod man.' '"-The deobased OfEccr^'-was'-neither married nor . engaged to.be married, v The; late Mr. Driscoll - was ; 'in--tho. Jlioivera, trading between Srdupy and Vailediim..until tho' boatwas ! .< chartered b.v tho' Tloiort Comnany, tlia sor-'I

vica o£wliich ho joined, andwae in tlioMararoa, Arahura, liittawa, and Komata; and passed his examination For captain's .certificate; and joinod the Penguin as second. '.'J The Wellington Professional Orchestra, assisted by' "Tho Red Mill" Company (with pbrmission of: Mr. J. C. Williamson), .will give a concert in the Town Hall next Sunday in - aid to the • survivors of tho Penguin disaster. ■ i ■■:'■-''■ '■. ■' , i