DISASTERS AT SEA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1233, 15 September 1911, Page 5

DISASTERS AT SEA.

»- THE PAPANUI GUTTED. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright St. Helena, September 13. The steamer Papanui, which returnod .here because of a firo on board, was bound from Glasgow to Western Australian ports. Sho was afire from stem to stern, and has been gutted.

Efforts to cope with the outbreak proved unavailing, and it was decided to abandon tho vessel, which has been beached. Un/orlnnately, tho whole of the cargo .could .not bo landed before the steamer !yra3 abandoned. .

';',!„...' CAREER; Tho Papanui has now apparently seen the end of an unusually chequered career. She is a vessel of 6582 tons gross, and was built by Messrs'. Denny, at Dumbarton, to tho order of the New Zealand Shipping Company in 1898. Towards the end of 1901 she put into Vigo, Spain, on fire, and before the ilamcs were extinguished 35,1M0 carcasses of mutton had to be jettisoned. In April, 1909, a fire broke out on board tho vessel while she was lying in dock in London. After repairs had been effected _ she was put in the lay-up berth for some time, and towards the end of the year sailed for New Zealand, her cargo also including a quantity of railway material for Tasmania. After discharging the New Zealand cargo tho I'apanui sailed for Tasmania to unload the railway consignments. TVhile passing through Bass Strait she struck on TVaterhouso Island, damaging her plates for a length of 250 feet on both sides of the keel. Sho was saved by her double bottom, and was able to steam to Melbourne. Tho lowest tondor for repairing tho vessel was about .£30,000, and the company, considering this prohibitive, 6old the vessel at auction. Her new owners, finding that she oould be repaired in the East, for about half that sum, effected temporary ropairs, and sought to leave Melbourne for Nagasaki. The shipping authorities declared the ship nnseaworthy, but she got away in defiance of them, with a Filipino crew ou board and under tho Nicaraguan flag. On her return; 1 she entered trado to England under the auspices of a syndicate styled the Australian Shipping Company. She was taking passengers Home in time for tho Coronation at from £38 to .£45 a head.

Last May she put into Perim with her boilers leaking. A TOTAL WEECK. (Eec. September li, 10.30 p.m.) St. Helena, September 14. The cable steamer Britannia, belonging to the Eastern Telegraph Compauy has accommodated 150 of the Papanui's women and children passengers. The rest were lauded in the Papanui's boats. The burning steamer has been beached in Jamestown Bar, and is a total wreck. KNIGHT OF ST. GEOEGE WEECK. Sydney, September 11. The captain of the steamer Knight of ■S't. George, wrecked at Nukualofa, on August 20, writing to the agents, under date September 1, states that he has salved ten thousand pounds' worth of cargo, and if the weather holds ho will probably bo able to land all the general cargo within a week. Ho attributes tho disaster to volcanic disturbances causing a tidal wave, which set tho vessel nine miles out' and ahead of her course in an hour and a half. BARQUE'S STORMY VOYAGE. (Rec. September. 14, 9.30 p.m.) Sydney, September U. Tho barquo Amazon has arrived from Willapa Harbour, on tho American Pacific coast, after being 130 days out. Sho met with heavy gales and was on her beam ends for hours. As sho had sprung aleak tho captain jettisoned 150,000 feet of her timber cargo. Later. The Amazon was 116 days on tho voyage, which usually takes 00 days.