LAST OF THE TAHITI.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 19 August 1930, Page 5

LAST OF THE TAHITI.

FOUNDERED YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.

PASSENGERS AND CREW ABOARD THE VENTURA PARCEL MAIL LOST, MOST OF LETTERS SAVED. ' WELLINGTON, Last Night. The Tahiti sank at 4.42 p.m. (Ventura’s time), according to the Union Company’s advice. • The captain advises that 3-11 the passengers and crew are safe aboard the Ventura. The latter is now proceeding to Pago Pago, where the Tahiti s islands passengers and the crew will be disembarked. The Ventura is thence going to San Francisco with the Tahiti’s American and European passengers. The Tofua has been diverted to pick up the Tahiti’s islands passengers and crew at Pago Pago. All the Tahiti's newspapers, packages and parcels mail were lost. During the transference of the letter mail aboard the Ventura six bags were lost and sixty bags became wet. All the remainder of the letter mail was saved intact.

THE CARGO,

WELLINGTON, Aug. 18,

The Tahiti’s cargo comprised 100 tons for Rarotonga, 200 tons for Papeete and 200 tons for San Francisco, The steamer was carrying a quantity of foodstuffs for the islands and a miscellaneous assortment of goods for San Francisco. The company refuses to divulge anything about the insurances. CAUSE OF ACCIDENT A MYSTERY ENGINEERS CAN SUPPLY NO CLUB Received Monday, 7 p.m. SYDNEY, Aug. 18. The officials of Mort’s Dock where the Tahiti was last overhauled are unable to offer a theory as to the cause of the breakdown from the limited information available.

They are mystified by the overwhelming inrush of water when the watertight door should have checked it and sav6d the engine room.

They can only surmise that the break was of an unusual character seeing that it did such sudden and extensive damage' that the engineers were powerless to cope with it. No accident producing a similar result has previously been recorded.

MAUNGANUI TO TAKE TAHITI’S

PLACE,

MARAMA FOR SYDNEY SERVICE

WELLINGTON, Last Night

The Union Company announces that the Maunganui at present engaged in the New Zeaiand-Sydncy service will take the Tahiti’s miming in the San Francisco service.

The Marama at present laid up in Wellington owing to slackness in the inter-colonial passenger service will take the Maunganui’s place in that service.

The Maunganui will commence her new running from Sydney on October 2, the date on which the ill-fated Tahiti would have left on her next tiip to ’Frisco. The Marama will pick up the Maunganui’s running in the intercolonial service from Auckland, leaving that port on September 26 for Sydney. The Tofua is returning to Nukualofa and is due there on Wednesday morning on her run round the islands. She will call at Pago to pick up the Tahiti’s officers and crew and is now to leave Suva on August 30 for Auckland where she is due on September 4, three days later than usual.

ENGINEER’S THEORY.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) V DUNEDIN, This Day.

A former marine engineer advances the possible theory that one of the Tahiti’s propellers struck some floating object, possibly a spar, the effect of which might easily be to drive the other end of the object with terrific velocity against the hull plates, penetrating a vital part and possibly involving serious damage to the bulkhead.

M ATT, arrangements.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day.

The Secretary of the General Post Office advises that, due to the loss of the B.M.S. Tahiti, the letter portion of the mails for Great Britain which were despatched by that vessel on August 12th have been transferred to the Ventura and will now reach London on approximately the 14th September. It is further announced that a request has been made to the London post office to despatch by the S.S. Rangitata, which is due to depart from Southampton on August 29th, mails for New Zealand that would have been forwarded to connect at San Francisco with the Tahiti on September 3rd. These mails are now due to arrive in Wellington on October Ist, instead k of September 22nd.