COLLISON AT SEA

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 1 April 1929, Page 5

COLLISON AT SEA

KAITUNA REACHES PORT. IN BADLY DAMAGED CONDITION. CREW OF SELJE ABOARD. (United Pres- Association —By Electric P.-l-■ tfr<i (Copyright.) (.Australian Press Association.) MELBOURNE, March 31. The Kaituna reached port on Saturday night with her bows badly stove in after a collision with the Norwegian steamer Selje. Tho vessel was shipping seas in the forward tanks. The crew of the Norwegian steamer, which sank at 1() o’clock on Friday night, was aboard. A Melbourne man. named Keys, a member of the Selje’s crew, stated when he reached the deck after the crash lie found tho Kaituna’s nose pushed half way through the bigger . ship at No, 0 hatch. The water was rushing in at a great rate, eo the crew took to the boats. Captain Endrosoii and the wireless operator Osbjornsen were the last to leave the ship and had to jump for it, tile wireless operator being a quarter of an hour in the shark-infeste<l water before be was rescued. r Thc Selje sank minutes I after being struck. There was no es- [ plosion. Tile ship carried 114,000 bags of wheat valued at £75,000. When questioned last night Captain Endreson declined to indicate the cause . of the collision. Ho said visibility j was good. He saw the Kaituna but j was not prepared to say from what direction it came or why it struck hisi ship. , - i i The master of the Kaituna, which was on route from Adelaide to Auck-j land and New Plymouth, declined to say anything. The Kaituna is of -’Old tons. So far as could he ascertained the 1 night was clear. Tho Kaituna- inu.-t have come down on to the Selje liom the top of a wave. Its own hows wore so badly damaged it probably would have sunk if the forward tanks had not been promptly pumped out, so lilting the forepeak and enabling collision mats to he placed over the gnpihg liples. Several ships answered the Kaitnna’s calls hut when they arrived the crew had the ship’s safety assured.