SHIPS AND THE SEA

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 51, 1 March 1913, Page 12

SHIPS AND THE SEA

LOSS Or THE ORAVIA. FULL STORY OF THE WRECK. Full details have now been received of the loss o£ the Pacific Steam Navigation Company's steamer Oravia off the Falk land Islands, when the Bhip struck the Billy Goat Rock, half a mile from the lighthouse. Captain Speranza writes: — ''At' the time a great number of passengers were up waiting until tho Bhip had anchored for the night, as it was too dark to enter Port Stanley. There was great consternation, therefore, when, instead of hearing the anchor let go,, they felt tho ship strike with great force. Many parents rushed below to fetch their children, but there was on tho whole nojjanic. lhe passengers wero told to clothe themselves warmly and put on lifebelts. The weather Was bitterly cold. The boll was rung for the boat stations and the lifeboats swung out. The captain was on the bridge. In reply to a wireless message, the Governor of the Falkland Islands replied that the tugboat Samson and several whalers would leave immediately for the scene. "An hour after the ship had stranded the lights of a Vessel were seen. It was a cheering sight to the 261 passengers huddled together on dealt, for they realised that _ the ship was in a very precarious position, and might at any moment slip off the rock and 6ink into deep water. Bub owing to tho rough soa none of tho boats j could come alongside, and to make mat- i tors woiso the wind increased in violence, I and a thick rain set in. Four lifeboats wero lowered and filled with women and children, who were transferred to the whalers. Presently the launch Penguin managed to work alohggide, and tho remainder of the women and children and some men embarked in her. The Samson ne*t got alongside, and a high tribute is paid to Captain Thomas for handling a ■ tugboat of such sisie in heavy 6eas. The remainder of the passengers, 200 in number, were then embarked and taken to Port Stanley. , "The oaptain, officers, and crew remain, ed on the Oravia, and after the passengers had left the mails and bfcggage were got up_ on deck. All this time the ship was grinding on the rocks, her stern being afloat. Heavy Beas caused her to strain badly, and the watertight bulkheads gave way. Later in the day the boat* brought the mails and baggage ashore, and at 6 p.m., in reply to an urgent mesage sent by Captain Poole to the wireless station, the Samson brought off the crew, officers, and Captain Poole, who was the last to leave. The passengers were surprised to find, nothing was lost, even the loose clothing being bundled together and labelled with the number of the cabin it was taken from." WHO NAMES OUR, WARSHIPS? The. ships ordered for the British Navy during 1912, comprised four battleships, wght light armoured cruisers, twenty destroyers, six submarines, and six oil-tank steamors. The battleships, which are to be enormously powerful unite of Bupe< Dreadnought types, will be called the Queeh Eliabeth, the Warspite, the Yah» ant, and the Barham. The names for the armoured cruisers, which are to be yes sels of a new design, combining high speed With moderate protection, have not yeb been selected. Most of the destroyers are to be christened after various characters in the plays of Shakespeare and the works of Sir Walter Scott. The submarines, like their predecessors, will be known merely by letters and numbors Some mystery has always attached to this bu^ines? of finding names for his Majesty's ships (says an exchange). Who undertakes tho duty? Many years ago a noble Firei Lord of the Admiralty introduced into, the navy some names which wero associated, it was whispered, with some nos very creditable incidents in his early career. But ordinarily no explanation at all reaches ,the ears of tho public. The names simply appear on official documents and are accepted without question by tho aatiott. SHIP ORUSHEtfBY ARCTIC ICE. News has been received at Queenstown of the loss of the British steamer Algenne, which foundered after being crushed by ico on the north shore of Baffin Land, the entire crew having had a thrilling _ experience whilo travelling on foot a distance of 35 miles across tho great icefields, until in a terribly exhausted state and after great suffering they reached an Esquimaux settlement. The captain, 'in relating his., experience and that of his crew, said the expedition had been' undertaken in search of placer gold, and when off the north coast of Baffin Land the steamer was caught between two solid walls of ice and crushed so badly that she quickly oomtnenced to fill, and foundered. All hands got on the icefield, v which eti'etched as far as the oye could sco, and a start was made for the shore. Insufficiently clad for the rigours of such an ioe journey, and in the teeth of a piercingly cold Arctic gale, the crew suffered intensely, many of the men having their hands and feet - frostbitten in the long tramp of fully 55 miles across the icefields. Half -dead from exhaustion, the men reached an Esquimaux village, ■vWiere they got shelter from the storm, but wero obliged to live on tho native food for some time, until the captain discovered a store of provisions left tn the district by the Canadian explorer, Captain Bernier, Borne years previously. Later on tho captain and crew wero rescued by the steamer Neptune going south with a party of prospectors on board. » PERU AND THE PANAMA CANAL. Mr. L. J. Jerome, British ConsulGeheral for Peru, makes some interesting observations in a recent report on the effect which the opening of the Panama Canal is likely to have on the West Coast trade and on the existing steamship services.' , The approaching opening of the canal is, he says, bound to have more than a passing influence not only on the trade of Peru, but also on that of tho other countries of the West Coast. An examination of tho Peruvian trade with the United States in 1909 is of great interest in this connection. The imports of the Atlantic States in that year totalled £659,548, and_ the exports f £1,474,636, while tho Paoific States imports amounted to £186,587, and Hie exports to £20.996. Tho general impression, Mr. Jerome declares, is that, although freights from the merchants' pojnt of view remain high, tho West Coast its suffering from too many rather than 100 fow steamers. On the coast lines it frequently happens that one or more vessels will sail on tho sahio day for Mollendo and Valparaiso from Callao, % and the same thing will take place with steamors for Pahama. Recently at Mollendo there wero_ in port no fewer than three steamers Bailing tho same day for Callao and two others for tho same Chilian ports. At Pajta two steamers arrived on tho same day from Panama, the curious thing being that, in all these cases, there wero neither freights nor passengers sufficient to cover the expenses of one steamer, much, less of soveral. How the opening 1 of the Panama Canal will affect this situation remains to be seen. The bulk of Peruvian exports go to Europe and will continue to do bo. - The question will be: Will the canal dues divert tho trade from tho Straits route or not? The passenger traffic will, however, be more likely to feel the effect of the canal, and there- will bo at first an undoubted stimulus to tiavel. Chilian trade will continue to übo the Straits route if tho canal duos nve more ihan 3s per ton register. SHIPBUILDING ON THE CLYDE. Cl3'de shipbuilders are reported to have recently closed t record year. The tonnafre of the 381 vessels launched amounted to 6*2,2U, an increase of 11.600 tons on Hip figures of last yeav, and showing n world's record for a Binglo river. > The output has included mnny vessels for the British navy. Marine engineering also has easily established a record in indicated horse-power, the total beihg 877,125, an increase of 78,000. The tonnage of vessels launched represents more than Germany s complete output la?t year, and twice that of the United Slater. Tho prospects for i he. Clyde during the cotninp year are extremely pOod. Tho * y->at'_ olosed with practically every berth ocrupiedi and, barring labour disputes, another recora should be eitftbliuhed,