MID-OCEAN RESCUE

Hawera Star, Volume L, 11 September 1930, Page 9

MID-OCEAN RESCUE

RANG IT AT A ANSWERS SOS

GERMAN SHIP AFIRE.

PASSENGER’S VIVID STORY

An account of the thrilling experience of (he KangitataL passengers, when tile passengers, and crew of tne German steamer Xiugis were rescued in midocean, is toad. by Mr. H. Butcher, a well-known Auckland business man, who was. on the Rangitata bound .for England. Writing to a iriend! ni Auckland) tie describes tne incident vividly. The trip front Wellington had been quite uneventful until juiy 47, when the steamer waif about- 700 miles from Bermuda. After breakfast Mr. Butcher noticed on the horizon what might have been either a. white cloud or .a column of white smoke. Some joking remarks were even made about “seeing a fire at sea,”' but the captain said it was a cloud as. it was too white for. smoke.

Later in the day there was much excitement when it was learned that the Rangitata was turning round to answer an SOS call. The passengers then learned that there actually was a ship •on fire and the Rangitata .was rushed to. the spot at top speed. There was great excitement on board. The smoke rising over the horizon, was followed by I bursts of flames as the Raugtata, drew [ nearer, and; finally the burning vessel! itself became visible. Every binocular on the Rangitata. and every camera was brought, out., and the. barber’s, shop was ' besieged; for extra films;. ’ Mr. Butcher says the appearance of the burning vessel, a German steamer of 5962 tons, was suggestive of a volcano. Flames) and smoke, were, pouring out of the. tore part. The Rangitata’s passengers were relieved; when they saw floating near the burning vess el four b oats containing the crew and passengers, numbering 63' all told. Fortunately the weather was. perfectly calm, so the ship’s boats were in no. danger. The Rangitata. stopped about three miles from the burning ship and the boats, pulled toward her. Among the people in the boats were three women and three children. The Rangitata’s arrival was obviously a great relief to them, and they cheered loudly. A rope ladder was let down over the side of the liner and the. rescued popple were soon on board and well cared) for. As soon as the boats were empty they were scuttled. The unfortunate, people lost nearly all their belongings, but the Rangitata’s passengers were interested to see a canary, a monkey and) a. cat brought off in one. of the boats. .One of Hie rescued passengers, D. Bary, told the story of the Targis. She was bound from Valparaiso to Hamburg with 600 tons of saltpetre. All went well until the morning of the 17tli, when at breakfast, time smoke was seen coming from one of the ventilators. Before there was time to investigate there was an explosion. Steam was.turned on to the bold in an endeavour to stifle the; fire, but in view of tlhe: dangerous nature of the. cargo the captain took no risks. He ordered the. lifeboats out and 1 broadcast the SOS. The wireless operator got in touch with four yes sets, but aiot with, the Rangitata, which got a relayed message from one of the other four.

At 9.30. v-hen the passengers were getting into the boats, a. big explosion blew off the hatches of both No. 1 and No-. 2 holds. There was no time toi get any food, as it was t-oo near the fire, and the uassengers also had to leave their clothes. The passengers had to slide down ropes into the boats, and some of them had their hands badly (burned in doing so-’. o*ne man wanted badly to go hack for his money, hut Mr. ‘ Bary told him there was plenty of money in the world hut he had only one life. The Rangitata came over 1 the [horizon during the morning!* but not* too soon for the people in the boats, who had no shelter from the burning sun. There was not a, breath of wind, which made things more uncomfortable still. —“ The Dominion.”