SALVAGED SHIP

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 29, 3 August 1939, Page 20

SALVAGED SHIP

INDRABARAH'S STORY COMPARED WITH PORT BOWEN

ANCHORS WILL HELP

! (Special to the "Evening Post.") | WANGANUI, July 31. i "Mushroom anchors and work on winches and windlass will play a big part in the salvage operations on the stranded Port Bowen," declared Mr. A. D. Adcock, of Palmerston North, in an interview at Wanganui. Mr. Adcock played a big part in successfully refloating the Indrabarah, a vessel of 7395 tons gross, which ran ashore near the mouth of the Rangitikei River on May 10, 1913. He was her second officer. Mr, Adcock had been to Castlecliff to see the stranded Port Bowen. Naturally, the first question asked him was whether he thought there were good prospects of the vessel being saved.

"As to that I cannot say," he replied, non-committally, "but I can tell you this much. The-Port Bowen is in circumstances almost identical with those in which the Indrabarah was in 26 years ago. Most people thought she was doomed, but the mushroom anchors and work on the ship's winches and windlass got her oft". It wasn't a tug, though the Terawhiti had done splendid woi-k in laying those anchors. The Indrabarah did not have one bank of sand to contend with, as I understand is the case with the Port Bowen, but several. There was a series of them." ON A LONELY BEACH. Asked if the Indrabarah had come as close inshore as the Port Bowen, Mr. said he believed she had. Where the Indrabarah was stranded, however, there were not the facilities available, such as are at hand today for the Port Bowen—power, electric light, city water supply, and others. The Indrabarah grounded on a barren, sandy shore, miles from the nearest habitation. The whole of her 'cargo of frozen meat was kept on board and steam was kept up in the engineroom, providing power to maintain i refrigeration. Other cargo, such as tallow and wool, was jettisoned, but gathered up on the beach, carted over landi and loaded into trains for Wellington at" Greatford. Mr. J. E. Walker, now chairman of the Town Board at Bulls, did the carting. Reverting to the plight of the Port BoWen, Mr. Adcock said that the first task ahead of those doing the - salvaging would be to lighten the vessel qf; cargo, bHbe thought that no time would be lost in getting overboard all that could be thrown into the sea or left on the beach without risk. If the wo^st came to the worst, the meat might be loaded on to shore and rushed quickly to cool storage. The making of a road suggested that lorries could be got down fairly close to the ship. Once she was lightened of cargo, he felt sure that the use of mushroom anchors would be important in any attempt to get her out to sea. HOW THE MEAT WAS SAVED, ' Frozen meat on the Indrabarah, he explained, very nearly came to be thrown overboard. • A gang of men was sent up from Wellington to do the job, but they had a dispute about pay and would npt work. They were taken back to Wellington, the refrigerating machinery was kept going, and the whole cargo was saved. When the Indrabarah was, refloated and was able to sail to. Wellington under her own steam, after-being two months on the sandy Rabngitikei shore, she unloaded her frozen cargo and it was transhipped to anqther vessel and sent to London. Full use was made of horses to pro-: vide power for pulling boats backwards and forwards between the Indrabarah and shore, Mr. Adcock said. He produced a photograph of two horses hauling on a line on shore. Nearby were five other horses on which sightseers had ridden to see the, stranded vessel. "Different days and more inaccessible, country than you have to deal with here at Wanganui with your Port' Bowen," Mr. Adcock observed. "But the problem here is much the same as we had it, twehty-six years ago. Read these headlines. ..." DRAMA IN HEADINGS. bHere he produced a scrap-book, and the headlines, though sm'? Iler, were much the same as have been appearr ing in the Wanganui Press these last ten days—"Overseas Liner Stranded," "Firmly Aground on Sandy Beach," "Seaman Says She is Breaking Up Fast," "Still in Dangerous Position." "Vessel Drifting Inshore." Then, at the end, a simple heading. "Indrabai'ah Afloat," "Convoyed to Wellington," "Successful Save Effected," "Cargo of Meat Safe." "And I hope that you will be able to use the same headlines for the Port Bowen." Mr. Adcock said.

The * Indrabarah was valued at kIOO.OOO and her cargo at £93.000. It was stated in reports published at the time that the tue Terawhiti was costing the owners of the stranded vessel £120 a day.

It was the weather that the crew of the Indrabarah had to fight. Mr. Adcock added, telling how. by hard and persistent work with winches and windlass, the vessel was shifted from ber position close inshore to the last of a series of sandbanks. Then the wind spransr up and the ship was within a few feet of deep water. One wire after another snapped. Gradually. with wind and set against her, the ship was driven back to her original position, and the crew had to wait another month before conditions were as favourable. Ritterlv disappointed. yet determined to- fight the weather i and beat the- beach, the crew made iplans for the next big attempt. This time the work was successful. She •reached and passed the outer bank of sand, became a free shin, and made good time to Wellington under her own steam. Later, when she was docked at Port Chalmers, the blades of her screws were found to be damaged and part ,^ F hor vnrMnr -<*.nc gone.