A HEAVY FOG

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 34, 9 February 1935, Page 10

A HEAVY FOG

THE OTRANTO DEiAYED

DISAPPOINTED GUESTS

RECEPTION NOT HELD

Unable to enter Wellington owing tp/the[ worst fog'which has been experienced over the Cook Strait area this summer the 20,000-ton cruising liner Otranto failed to appear here this morning in time for the reception at 11 a.m. Mapy people hopefully gathered on the ;whar,f in expectation that the ship .would still arrive on the scene before it-was tqbjlate.: . But the Otranto was nc)t. : tb/be .seen and: even a Harbour Board-pilot,: serif put by launch to look, for" the; missing liner, could not lopate:her:owing tothe fog. ./The Union' Company and the.HarbpUr;Boafd. were inundated with inquiries v.astb".the whereabouts of the ship,.and the Union Company was reluctantly obliged to issue a broadcast aijriouncejmjßnt late this morning that if th s e Otranto; did riot berth by noon the reteption,: to which a large number of guests had been invited, would have to,, be : cancelled;" The decision was necessitated by the fact that when the ship."berthed :her passengers would ■• have td'be' given time to disembark, and to take luncheon, and as the ship was; to be thrown open to the general - public between 2.30 and 4.30 p.m. today, there, wbuld be no opportunity for the' reception to be held. . ..It is understood;there was a radio message from the Otranto received by the .Union Company .early, this, morning stating that-about 8-.a-.rn.-the ship was standing:oft; Baring-Head in dense fog. ..- ri i. :■■.- ,;.:. v .... - ■...■; OTHER SHIPS DELAYED. ' The: Otranto left Auckland at ,12.30 a.m. yesterday morning for Wellington in the course-of her cruise from Australia to New Zealand, and she was to have;reached here: by 9 a.m. today. ■At; that time, however, - the fog was very} thick .outsidev.the harbour entrance. .Several-coastal ships were delayed^ in- arriving, this 'morning, the ferry steamer'Matangi reaching-port at 9".30>"a.m.; .several hours late on her tnp: from; Nelson; The Orepukj, from New Plymouth, arrived/about the same time after Jiaving befenobliged'to pro- . ceed/icautibu^y^in^iJprt^Th&Wahine,' frptti;^yttelton > '-also enc'quritered thick cPha^tipiisv--* but:- Yarrived;'tat- her 'scheduled•■■■'■time.---V^.-V- ■■:,(■• ■*'>" ~'■ '.-. '■ ■^Representatives of the Orient Line, Harbour Board officials, a hundred or so; of;the public, and a fleet of ■ taxis' were waiting .at the Pipitea Wharf at 9' a.m.,: when' Mt. : Victoria was just visible through ■ the-fog..-. By J.O a.m. Mt.:;Vi"ctdria was'invisible and the Oriental Bay foreshore' could only dimly, be-'seen'throughthe fog from the Pipitea Wharf.; ; : To the east of the harbour the fog was'at'its'Worst. ' Shortly after 10 a,m.-a.pilot launch set out in search of itlie; Otranto/ followed a. little.later by, the- Union Company's, tug Terawhiti,. They, disappeared into the mist arid the" crowd grew larger and continued*tb^.;wait^;; /;■/ ',v- :■■-,.,.,■;.,>' ;, ■ ' ..;At:;'llVa.ni.r-the. time for the recep- , tion-.tp begin-r-arrivals at the wharf biseamfermprfe frequent, arid as the fog was beginnirig to lift by then, many of the guests-stayed. Eleven-thirty passed and .then ; npon,^ but still there was no \Y : P.r;d;6f the .ship. The Union, Company loist^noHime in advising .those people whp!;had ; been: invited :ta>. thereception thatithad'unavoidably^een'postponed whjen it became . .apparent that the Otranto .^■ould.not- be in. port'by inid..dfX«j'4;y =;•■'■ .;'•' '•■' '"'•- ■■ "*■ : U.-: ■'■■'^.■' '' ■ TOURISTS yWTHOUT A SHIP. ::;:A^Sther.'sidelight.pnthis unfortunate .oc^uri-enQe 'during thecourse of a high;lySsuccessfUl;- ; cruise to' the '■ Dominion •\ras fthatfmore^than "150 "tourists ;who "a^iveS V i^Weilirigtpri < overland from ■Ajtcklah&^about '.;■!^^'pim;:' today' found 'tfiaVffie;;ship rhsd'riot arrived; About l.i^*pi"-^es«s; ; lmye]l€is'1. left Auckland 6riJJ.Thuriday}mprriihg for • Wellington via.Rotprua, Wairakei,' and The Chateau Tongariro. Another party of 40 reached"We'llirigton rabout the sarrie tiriie after a motor trip to the Waitomo Caves,' Arapuniyßotorua,' Wairakei, The Chateau, and the'.'Wangariui River. Twenty-two"r "people,- -travelling via Rbtoruas Wairakeii and .Napier, should reach .Wellington shortly .after .4 p.m. The shipVhad not .put in an appear^ ance at 2 p.m., and* it was decided'; talcancel;the public inspection.this afternoon.:'. As the Otranto is scheduled to leave Sydney, next Saturday on Her next trip to Britain, and as she will have Hot ;caTT; at ?Sydney and Melbourne :to disembark her tourists, it is scarcely .Jikeiy that her visit to Wel-imgtpn'^ilT-be'fiextended^ • ;She (is' at present:•■ scheduled.':to leave, here at.7 a"in; tomorrow!for Sydney... ".'■ ■ it-A-repbrtifrpm-Beacori H^l shortly befnre'^^ePost'' went to press stated that;the-,fPg rstilt; cQvered the- harbour entranceiandithe; south ai-tifar as the eye could: see. Thejbank was impenetrably ■thick-and;there was-no,sign: of theVsteamer. - '?■--■ - - ' . ; . ,-,- v^Atvthettime.of -going .to- press the -ship'had■ stUl-not;iieen sighted. v LAR(SES| XIST, CARRIED. .' iS^The-.'jOtranto"' had;■ 530. 'passengers on board. ;wheriv she: arrived,; at; Auckland last Wednesday afternoon from Bris-Jjarie.--^Nearly. 130 ■ people .joined her in London "fpr T the round trip, and of • these" 108 are.Jnow visiting New Zealand. ■--> Many^of the .tourists.are accus-tomed-to-spending ; ttie English winter months,in- the : -south^-of France. The Otranto's present passenger list- is the largest sh'ei'haseyer carried. Twentyfour -offtheti.tourjstsjfrom ; Australia left'the-ship, at Auckland." ■CaptaiifvL.^y/Jariies'is, in command ofSthe-- ship,l; which .is the fourth liner joi 'riiorethan^O.OOO tons gross riieasureriieritrVthat- has visited New Zealand this ,summer.'-,. The Otranto has been preceded by the P. ; arid O. ships Strathriayer and, Strathaird arid the ; liner: Oronsay. The Oronsay wasih Wepirigtpn:at the end of December.- '■-"■■ :-;-:,. ■■''...'..; ■ ■ '-':-..; :.