COLLISION IN MID-OCEAN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16793, 22 February 1915, Page 3

COLLISION IN MID-OCEAN.

MAORI GUNNER'S IMPRESSIONS

(limner A, Skipper. Ammunition Column, Field Artillery Brigade, a Maori from Little River, describes a collision between two oi the transports v\hen sailing between Albany and Coons Island.

The vessel he was on ran into the Maungauui. lie wass.tanding on guar] on the top of the mess-room and was feeling very sleepy, when ho was suddenly fully awakened by the noise ami impact, ''Didn't 1 get a, fright!'' he writes. ':! thought that we had struck a submarine. Our vessel began to roll an fully. Then there was a rush by the men to get on to dock, but the hatches were closed down. The result of the collision was merely the knocking off of a little paint, and no damage was done.' 1 Dealing with other subjects, the gunner savs: '"' i'ou have heard of course of the affair of the Emden. It was our vessel that received the wireless call and nil the other vessels were busy calling one auother up to discover it they wore on the proper course. The Sydney was trying to make the Australians put out their lights, but it was useless to do so. As soon as.the lights were put out, the troopers set them going again. Ultimately, the call was received and was sent on to the Maunganui by means of a morse lamp. The Maungauui in her turn sent it on to the Sydney. Some, hours later we heard that the Emden had been sunk. We wero in Colombo for two days. Nearly everybody on our vessel wont ashore, hut it was just like ray luck to lend my boots to a mate, who stayed over his time, and so 1. hail to remain on the vessel. At Colombo we took some German prisoners on board, but as they could not speak English we could not understand them, and thoy were taken off at Port Suez. We stopped there about two hours, and then began the journey through the canal. Suez is a very pretty place, but nothing like Cairo or Port Said. The ea,ual i<? a fine piece of work. 1 cannot really describe it. Work is continued on it night'nnd day. " Labour is very cheap here. ( \ native earns about od a day. The natives arc a miserable lot of people, and nothing like the Maoris of New Zealand. They do not know what to think of me. They believe that I am an Arab or a Japanese, and nothing will convince them that T am anything else. We have to treat them like dogs. As far as thieving is concerned, they are the limit.''