MYSTERY OF THE SEA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3032, 20 March 1917, Page 6

MYSTERY OF THE SEA

SENSATION AT CAPE TOWN

SINKING OF THE MATHERAN

Something of a sensation has been caused at Capo Town by the sinking of the steamer Matheran—a vessel of .4928 tons, and one of the Brooklebanks lines—when within a few miles of the Cape. The vessel was bound from Liverpool to Calcutta, ,via Cape Town, with a general cargo, and according to statements made by the crew on arrival at Cape Town the vessel was sunk by explosion.

A Board of Trade inquiry was held, and the evidence disclosed that at 4.25 p.m. on January 26, when the Matheran was about 9 miles off Dassoii Island there was an explosion on the port side of the ship and in the vicinity of No. 2 hold. The explosion blew up part of the Jiatehes of this hold and caused the ship to quiver. The chief officer stated that the force of the explosion threw him off his feet, and that water was thrown on the horse boxes on. the deck. The master was called,' and he ordered the helm to bo put hard aport. The ship answered 10 points, and while still on \the swing a second explosion occurred amidehipa in the vicinity of the engine-room. This explosion took place about five minutes after the first. The third engineer was on duty in the engine-room arid was standing in front of the engines facing the port side. He stated that the.second explosion occurred on the . starboard side. He was thrown forward ( a little to the port side of the ttokehole door. He heard a great roar of water, saw the inrush of water and also the escape of steam. He escaped through the stokehole. Both explosions threw the ship sideways. The chief expressed it as his opinion that had' there been a boilor explosion it would have been impossible for the third engineer to esqape through the as he did, and also that there was no escape of steam through the "fiddley," and these conclusions dispose of the presumption that the explosion was due to the bursting of the boilers or steam pipes. .. . One witness, who bad the unpleasant experience of being on board a ship which was torpedoed, , informed the Court that the effect of the explosion on the Matheran w:;s similor to that experienced by him on the steamer Springwell when she was torpedoed. The Court found that "the steamer Matheran was sunk by explosion caused in all probability l)y a mine."

The Captain's Story. The story told by Captain Maurice John Addy, the captain ,of the Matheran, at the inquiry is interesting. He said he had heen master of the vessel since 1912, and was chief officer before then. "I was sitting in .my room under the bridge, writing lotters,". said witness, "when the explosion occurred. It upset ray ink. 1 rushed outside and shouted to the chief officer: "God in heaven, Mr. Guthrie, what is the matter?' I gave orders to .get out the boats, but I turned the boat round to meet the swell." '.'■■'.'

■ In reply to further' questions, witness said he saw admass of water on tho port horse-box, which must have come from the outside. The second explosion occurred in the engine-room, and in no time the decks: were awash. Five boats put out, and witness's boat was' picked up an hour afterwards by another vessel, whose capta'in verified the position of the Matheran. .' ' The first and' second engineers'were helow when tha explosion occurred, and the second engineer, J. W. Young, was in hospital. Ho had sustained a nasty shock, hut was getting,-better. Ten minutes after the first explosion, tho decks were awash, and be pushed off in his hoat, which was the last to. leave the vessel. The second engineer was washed right through the engineroom into the stokehold and through the patent ash hoist. _:■ You've had! no experience of explosions before ?—Never had an accident y< And you don't want any more? (Laughter.)—No; T cannot sleep yet. Had the crew any opportunity of concealing bomhs?—lvo. -Are their quarters searched —ies; they are turned out every Sunday. And even if they had they would have had no opportunity of putting them into the hold!?— No. Did you see dead fish?—les. Were any boats capsized.' , —les, tne starboard ono. . . ~...„ „'■'■ But no lives were lost: , —JNo. '.-.- Have you any experience of timebombs ?-Just what I hare read in Admiralty books. They could not make it work for 29 days. They could not time tho thing'to explode 20 miles from Cape Town. As a matter of fact, they did not know I was coming to Cape Town. ' Proceeding, witness said there was nothing to connect the two explosions. What is vour opinion as to tho cause of the explosion?—lt was cither a submarine or a mine. lam lnolined to think it waa a mine. Nothing else could have "blown the ship to pieces as it was. The second explosion blew the engine-room clean out. Then your opinion is that it -was_ a torpedo or a mine?— Yes, one or the other lam inclined to think it was a mine, but 1 am not sufficiently expert to say. . ■ " .„■' , r ■■ Had you wireless on board?—-i.es, and Ttiy operator, constantly complain-, ing of a Swedish boat which was/interfering with his receiving messages. This vessel was constantly asking Capo. Town whether there were any orders or messages for her. . The wireless operator frequently reported this to me, Buying, "There is the Swede again. Do you know this ship's name?— Yes, the Tasmanic. ' I received Admiralty's instructions almost every day,' hut I have never 'been warned south of the equator to look out for , submarines. Wo never dreamed of such a thing. Tho vessel was charted to be eight miles from Da'sscn Island, and this was verified by an officer on board the rescuing ship the ■ next day. The crew consisted of 21 Europeans and 76 Lascars. Tho first explosion could not. possibly have come from the boilers. There was no panic at all among the crew.. It was impossible for anyone to save their effects. One boy was in the bath;at the time, and came away only in a pair of pants and a lifebuoy. He got the reply, "Everybody saved" in English and Hindustani from all the boats when he went round. The second engineer was rescued just as witness pushed off. They were in the boats for an hour before the o&er vessel came up. /Have you any doubt whatever that the explosion was internal?—No doubt. The water came on board the ship from the outside.

In reply to Captain Fox,. witness said none of the crew or the gunners saw the periscope of a submarine. Tho gunners said they saw nothing at all, He had no reason to distrust the Lascars. He had had most of them for some time.i The reason no firemen were injured was that they were all on deck 'at the time of the second explosion. Ho had to drag tho wireless man from his room, or he would havo gone down with the vessel.