HIMITANGI SAFE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1382, 7 March 1912, Page 6

HIMITANGI SAFE.

AT PETRE BAY. STRANBED ON THE SOFT SAND. QUITE UNINJURED. REPORT BY STEAMER GERTIE. The anxiety which for the last ten days has been felt for the" safety of thoso on board the littlo steamer Himitangi was allayed yesterday afternoon by a message from tho steamer Gertie when passing Cape Palliser stating that the Himitangi had been stranded at the Chatham Islands, and that the crew wero safe and standing by. Tho vessel is ashore on the East side of l'ctre Bay, about two miles and a half from tho Wnitnngi. landing-place. The stranding occurred at about day-dawn on Sunday, February 11, through the steamer dragging from her anchorage. It was an unsensational mishap. Fear and commotion were entirely absent, and when the ship had finished drifting up on the sandy beach passengers and crew simply dropped overboard, and walked ashore. No one was hurt, and there was never the slightest danger nor the faintest idea of injury. Also there is no fear of the Himitangi breaking up. She is snug and safe on soft sand in a sheltered bay, well guarded from the elements.. There is, on the other hand, every possibility of her showing up here almost immediately. "If the Pioneer has any gear at all—and she is bound to have some—she is sure to get her off without any bother whatever," is how one who has seen the stranded vessel regards the chances of an early reflotatiou. "Or," be added, "even the Amokura might get her off before the Pioneer gets there." Tho vessel is said to be practically high and dry at low water, and to lie in ; only a few feet of water when tho tide is full. CARE-FREE CREW. The anxiety experienced on this eide of the water was very much greater than that felt by the passengers and the crew of tho Himitangi. While Now Zealanders have been waiting and worrying, the crew and the passengers of the Himitangi have been having what has practically amounted to a quiet holiday, and experiencing the hospitality of the residents near the scene of the misadventure. All the passengers remained at the Chathams, except Mr. H. 0. Foster,, a P. and 0. Company officer on leave, who returned by the Gertie. One death occurred, but it has no direct connection with the stranding. Ot one o'clock in the afternoon on the dav of the drift ashore, Mr. T. Merritt, ship's cook, died suddenly from heart affection. Tho Gertie set out in search of tho Himitangi on February 27, and the Aniokura left on February 29. Both boats were specially equipped. The former

steamer reached Waitanei at 8.30 on the morning of March 2. She took mails on board, and commenced her return voyage at 2 p.m. on March i, and was alongside ehe wool wharf at Wellington at G. 45 last evening. Tho details of her voyage are given in the story supplied by Captain Rogers. ' PIONEER, RETURNING, The Pioneer would, in tho ordinary course of events, have reached Waitangi about 8 o'clock this morning. The Wellington wireless station was in touch with her yesterday morning, and, at 8 o'clock the man-o'-war was in latitude 4U.45 degrees and longitude 177 degrees, and was experiencing- a north-east wind, with fosr. She was going under easy steam (about 10 knots an hour), and was then 187 miles from Lyttelton. The message added that a sharp lookout was being kept by the Pioneer in case the Himitnngi, or the Gertie and the Amokura were returning. Subsequently, Sir Joseph Ward had a wireless message sent to the Pioneer giving tho news about the Himitangi,. and in consequence of this the Pioneer is now on her way back to Lyttelion, which port 6he expects to reach by Friday morning. CAPTAIN ROGERS'S STORY. Captain Sogers, master of the Gertie, gave the following account of his voyage:— "My steamer left Wellington on Tuesday night, February 27, at. 10 o'clock, for Lyttelton Heads, and.had light northerly and easterly winds and thick foggy weather until arrival off tho Heads at Lyttelton. On Wednesday, February 28, at 8 p.m., the Gertie was ordered to proceed to Chatham Islands. Wo had very thick north-east weather on the run to the islands, which were reached on Saturday, March 2. Wo anchored in the roadstead off Wnitangi at 8.30 a.m. "The Himitangi could be seen stranded on the oast side of Petro Bay, about two and a half miles from the Waitangi land-ing-place. Tlie vessel had dragged from her anchorage, whero sho had arrived at 2 a.m. on Sunday, February 11, and sho was found to be on the beach at a o'clock the same morning. She had worked all Hie ports, and il. was intended that her last call should bo at Waitangi.• Efforts ivcro mado immediately by the captain and crew to get tho vessel out of the position in which she had been found, but without success. DEATH OF SHIP'S COOK. "There was one sad incident in connection with the stranding of tho vessel —the death of the ship's cook, T. Merritt, at one o'clock on tho same day after the vessel grounded. Death was due to natural causes. He was buried in the cemetery closo to where the vessel lies on the beach, tho servico at tho grave being conducted by Archdeacon Grace. "Captain Hood, a very old resident of tho islands, who had passed away, was buried at tlio same time. Altogether there were six deaths at the islands from the time ilia I Hie Himitangi arrived until the Gertie left. "The lliinitnngi stands upright and broadside on to a level sandy beach, and there are prospects of getting her afloat with tho aid of gear and suitable weather. The captain and crew' are standing by tho vessel, and they are being well treated by the residents. » "After getting tho mails en board, the Gertie left AVaitangi bound for Wellington at 2 p.m. on Monday. We passed the Government steamer Amokura about five miles from Wnitangi, bound inward. Tho passage from -the islands/was made in fine weather, with light northerly winds. We reached Cape Palliser at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March G, signalled the lighthouse, and left at 2.15 p.m. for Wellington."

SIGNALLING PALLISER. When the Gertie approached Palliscr lighthouse afternoon Captain Mauley, who navigated the vessel to tho Chatham?, blew the whistle, a couple of times. This brought out a hnlf-dresscd figure, who made a running jump at the lon» ladder which roaches from the ground to the top of the tower. Up this ladder he went at a breakneck speed, and on reaching the tower, he had tho answering pennant at tho hoist in very quick lime. Captain Rogers had enough nags on board, to have four separate signals rea'lv Almost before tho flags ha' , , reached tho hoist, the lighthouse-keeper had read them, and had understood their meaning, and up went his answering pennant almost as soon ns the Gertie s signals wore, hoisted. This was repeated four or five times with the same result. Captain Ma nicy states that ho has never seen such quick signal-reading before In fact, ho was inclined to think (.hat Hie signalman at tho lighthouse had not been reading tho flags correctly, and continued to havo Hint impression until he was informed of the nature of the message received by tho Marine Department. When Captain Mauley found that his message had been gent through to Wellington just ns he had signalled it, he remarked: "Well, well, I am surprised I never thought it could be done so quicklv. That man deserves credit for the way in which he handled those signals." ' THE PRESENT POSITION. The only material facts concerning the strandinifof the steamer, it will be seen, are so far as is known as yet,-that tho vessel anchored at 2 a.m. and found herself on the beach at 5 a.m. \fter the steamer did touch somo steps were taken to try to get her off, and either before or after this the captain of the vessel filled the tanks to prevent her washing up further on the beach. ■Vpparently the steamer is not now very hard aTound, nor is sho in immediate danger from' buffeting of seas, unless heavy southerly to easterly weather conies along, but refloating her may yet prove a difficult and expensivo undertaking. The shore is one that is impossible of near approach by a vessel of anything but tho shallowest draught. It is not considered safe to approach nearer than about a quarter of a mile, which accounts for the fact that though the Gertie took down wire ropes and hemp cables suitable for towing, sho did not uso them. What the Pioneer or the Amokura. have done is not known yet, but the probabilities are that they have done nothing, and no arrangements had been made last night, about the dispatch of another salvage vessel to the Chathams.