THE LAST VOYAGE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 56, 9 March 1929, Page 30

THE LAST VOYAGE

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men'..i^-;toenih6yering:arQuncl, but the moment^i^vHWncW'waS: aground they leveklejiytjieij' truei; ciiaraoter, swarming aboafSjf^ndift^^pi^. aVriHigorous-:rfisisj:-anijeiiby^iiifrMiewy ma king;-off'.- with; a conSideirafts;iirndunt of loot^.r: The;«6xt da^.: ibe^;: vf JE^urn cdi; and, repeated'^itlieir tactics* and on; the day after : eanie:back,' with reinforcements, arid helped themselves; afresh. ■■" Subsequently the Dutch; steamer :.Tjitaro;em ' appeared on ' the sqerie' and: embarked the. European passengers,; and.: atjthe-'same time, on the- r&quest 'otyihp.. Hsjnchi's : master, handed'him^oinqfautomatic pistols and aminunitibii.;': v;.Oa^|aiii;yTollefsen and hisj pfflceM>:'(hisV:,-Be!Bc(ii(l'; I<:jnat6-''\vas1 < :jnat6-''\vas' i: ; a Chinese' and proved'niniself a gallaiit. man) 'did, their utmost .after'.'tlie departure- of thejDutijli {vesstel.tp;,save; their. ship and 'her cargo, but.the. 1 odds ,were too, strong, and after 'putting up a:.stout defence they were compelled to abandon the; Hsinchi, after; vainly erideavqur.iiig to 'extinguish a fire which has bioken out on' board. They were lucky enough to find one .boat whoso crew wero willing;: to be bribed to take them ashore, by -the offer, of the contents of the captaih.V cabin and a letter of indemnity, and. ; .,tjtCL.next ; . day, ..the .pirates having continued ..looting aimost up to the last moment, .they were rescued by H.M.S. Serapis, whence they were., 1 transferred to a coastal vessel and landed in Shanghai,, ■—Tho-Serapis.capturccL.two large •,iu.nl\S,Jx).ad.e,d..with plunder, but the re■jiip.inde.fitse.aped. >vith their booty Such 'fc'dses^s.'th'ik are .of such regular oc,c"urren"c6'.fhat they arc '^dismissed with'almoaVjJSStfirig notice by Europeans in CBiria. •;;;:But r . they are. serious matters:to'.)sliip'oWliers;. ; who have almost despaired', of: .indUci.ng -the''authorities,' whoever !tli.ey!' jflay^Se,';to.' pursue an active campaign'.againS.t th'.o pirate3.and those who arc:is.ehina r'theni. .':'', - The Shipping Outlook. ■ ■ -vcWhile/atv the,:.moment ..the . freight .markets 'are.-healthy, it cannot be :said. that, the .Tales: ;of freight are really re-munerative,!-is opinion- of Sir William: ■Seager,: wri.ting.iii the-'' Shipping .World.'f.-u,They have, ■in fact, he continues, been month by mouth lower than, 'they <were a year ago. The .Chamber of ..Shipping's freight index number-averaged 25.1 for the first ten moiiths 'of 1928 as compared with 28.2 iior: ther.fh-st,. ten mouths -.of. last year. ■It•hasifihown an upward tendency in .thojlast/fuw', months, but it is not yet all- plain .sailing ,fprr the.riii'dustry. If all goes^well-r-and .with shipping there, is alw^ys::.ah;, "if'?—the. ;exi3tiug rates should; cover -running costs, provide for depreciation; and .leave a.very ..moder- ■ ate ;,profiW-somothing probably under 5. .per; cejiti—o.n the capital invested. JTive pericent.;. i^-.not ':uf, adc([tiate return.;for..:,ari: industry to which- is at■tached.'so.niany risks. . The immediate 1 outlook,-- tliqugh,.-hopeful, is yet. -nneer-taLn;.-»-For.;the moment it would appear that ;the> volume of the -world' 3 trade is; n'ust:; sufficient to provide fair* emI)loyment;for.. most of tlj.o world's .to.ll--nag for .ppeau..service. But it must ] npt .'.lie ' qverlpoked that existing conditions,"' coupled with shipbuilding Costs;' '(wliich','- though high, sire proljftblyas low.as they are.likely to be for .jnavy : :'Y.eays)f:..io- tempt, owners to l;iy -dpw..n. v.new sliips. It ~U extremely 'doubtful;'whether for some ye:irs at any-''fa.t'e-'-thi1' volume of" the- world's trade' will; expand 'appreciably beyond What. is. at prusent. The coming ■ydaf^SWHin'ore'thai] likely bu ypjirs of co&saiidation-. rather -than ryeiirt) of- expansion ! __When an expansion of trade 'doe' 3 eomo, it'will, like iiiaTiy" other tliiiigs, come probably from I lie Hast. Tli'erc' are'n.ot' lacldng. indication;: uven ■ jiow that; tvhoii things onoe selflf; down in;Cliina arid in the immense territoriea /Whjch lie to her north and north-west, that "part"of'the" world will have a dominating influence on t lie trade of fJiu world and may alter its current.

and they, will ..be designed to .suit the altered: conditionsl of; power and speed.: ..;The-,e?}|ting.-.boiler ..installation will be iretaiUed^'but^^^^ heater:s';%lii^fe;^l^ey^Ayh.igi^:;iar6 dej.signed tpT;glyV?a!;Mgh:-;d(^ree 'ofjsuporheat,to"thejinain*steam.:';":!-, ,'■':'-. ■■ :':.'.' Sailing Vessels-/ Race. The large sailing vessels Beatrice and Herzogin Cecilia;began another race to England in January. The former completed loading.wheat on sth January, when .she' lett; Port' Adelaide for the outer-harbourj :"to await a, favourable breeze.li.The. Herzogin Cecilie, which was shipping'wheat- at Port Lincoln, was then, expected to sail a few days, later..-! The-'Beatrice reached Port Adelaide at the~end of November, and her' rival.arrived at Port Lincoln early in December,'when the challenge was , renewed. Each- had rough experiences, but showed fine sailing trim, particularly the Herzogin Cecilie, whiclr took 89 days from Antwerp, .while the Beatrice occupied 102 days from .Finland! The Beatrice is a Swedish barque and the Herzogin, Cecilie -a' German barque. The former, which was challenger last! year in an-ocean, race between ''windjammers'' from: Port Lincoln to England, was beaten by the latter, which arrived at Falmouth 18 days ahead of' her rival. - - . . .' The.Last;Brltish..Sailing Ship. .:'.. ... : The-suggestion is.put forward, by a writer 111 the "Nautical Magazine" that tho, four-masted barque Garthpool, which was one p£ the last square-rigged ships-to be built; for the. British Mercantile Marine,:,should i bo preserved as a' typical; example-,'of. nineteenth' century' Shipbuilding craftsmanship.. The idea put forward'is.that .this line sailing ship should;bo.purchased and moored on the Thames. Embankment ahead of the guard ship, H.M.S. ..'President. Such a ship;'fully rigged,, it is pointed out, would,not^oiily be an.interesting and.: instructive spectacle,, both.'!.to citizens. and visitors, but. niigh t form fitting headquarters, and.' a club ,for the Hohour'ablo'. Cbnipuny of Master Mariners., 'There is' muck to be ; said both for and against, such a proposal, but tlio. interest attaching to the Garthpool .cannot, be gainsaid, writes, the' "Shipping-World." She was built by' Messrs. W,. B. Thompson,and Co., Ltd!, of Dundee,'in 1891,-, and 'under, the name of Juteppojis^was employed for some time oii the Duudee-Calcutta juto trade. . Later siie.., was . purchased by Sir , William -Gar'thwaite: aiid, renamed the Gai-thppol..thoierigth ; of the barquo: is 310 ft, with 1 a:,beam of. 45ft and. a depth of .25ft:-l-iin.-She is-said to bo the only survivor ..'of the , iiineteojith century sailing ...ships now on tlio British Register, and it seems likely that 'af-tor her,long service and'with the possibility of ■ a- costly re-classing/survey, slip will; be in- danger of being-broken up. Tlie Cutty Saric' has, by-tlio generosity of Captain liowman, been secured for Falmoutli Harbour, and the: idea that tlio Thames should be similarly favoured- is -well.-worthy uf (■onsider;).- 1 tioll. , „. ■: : ' ' ' .... Seven Wireless Beacons. • ■ Wireless■i.ieacQhsaU.j-puiiU:the British Isles will sooir.be.. working, greatly. inci'Ciising : the'iafety .of. shipping. Tlio beacon at Kiiinuirci Ilead. on the 'Aberdcenshirui- ionst,. will. bo tlio. -first lo come into, operation, . the Hope "beingthat it will be ready early this yci'i'r.: The next will'lie- the "cure- that is being erected -aL.C.roniei ; v.... rl!U.o. .beacon. ;it Dungenucss Will, it is'"""olvpeclVd, l/« working in February-; nud-thoso at Sulo Skerry, on the north-w«st. coast of Hcullaud, and Orfordness will be completed in 'Marcli. The. one at. Bishop, Pembrokeshire, will be finished in April; No date can .at present bo fixed for that at North Luridy, in the Bristol Channel,: but b.eforc next summer is over it should be- iv operation. ' ■ ;