WARATAH MYSTERY.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIV, Issue 55, 10 March 1910, Page 6

WARATAH MYSTERY.

A PASSENGER'S DREAM

LONDON, Jan. 21. Mr Horatio Bottomley's paper, John Bull, gives this week a remarkable story concerning the Waratah. It is the narrative of a passenger, Mr Claude G. Sawyer, now in London, avltlo joined the ship at Sydney, but left her at Durban, because, having closely watched the behavious of the vessel, he believed her to be dangerously top-heavy. A strange dream also deepened his anxiety. Upon landing at Durban, Mr Sawyer Avired to Mrs SaAvyer in England the following AA'ords: "Booked CapetoAvn. Thought Waratah top-heavy. Landed Durban."

This telegram Avas received by Mrs SaAAryer before anything appeared in the London papers as to the Waratah being overdue at the Cape. According to Mr Sawyer, he "saAV the Waratah in a big sea. She partly took it, then pitched over on her starboard bow, and disappeared." The Waratah left Sydney on Saturday, June 26th, and all Avent Avell uivtil the vessel passed Albany and Cape LeeuAA'in, when the weather became someAi'hat rough, though nothing out of the way. The statement proceeds:—

"This AA'eather lasted for eight or 10 days, and Mr Sawyer noticed how the ship rolled, and thought she did not recoA rer herself quickly enough—that she remained on her side too long. She seemed to him top-heavy. She rolled too much for the sea she Avas then in.

"One morning Mr Sawyer, on his way to the bathroom, met his bedroom steward, who remarked, 'that the ship had rolled heavily during the night/ to which Mr Sawyer answered, 'he had not noticed it, as he had slept well,' but while in his bath he was astonished to see the water take an angle of apparently 45 degrees, and remain there so long that it brought to his mind what befell H.M.S. Captain in the Bay of Biscay. Subsequently, Mr Sawyer spoke to the officer on the bridge, asking him what angle she had registered. The reply was, 'I don't know,' whereupon the officer was asked if he had an instrument on the bridge. He replied he had not, but that the builders had seen to this rolling, and he supposed it was all right.

"This made Mr Sawyer keep a critical eye on the behaviour of the ship. He was not satisfied in his own mind as to the way she pitched and rolled. She often gave a peculiar jerk Avhen she rolled., which caused several passengers to have bad falls, and Mr Sawyer even went so far as to speak about this peculiarity to one of the officers. Mr Sawyer was so impressed with the behaviour of the ship that he was induced to speak about it to a passenger. They agreed to watch the ship's behaviour.

The day was calm, Avith big rollers coming straight tOAvards the Waratah; AA rhen a particularly big roller came along the ship did not take it as she (,-should have done, but put her nose into it, remaining there, apparently without any life in." her. "Some fine days followed, and the passengers' misgivings were forgot, ten. Mr Sawyer had, hoAvever, a rude aAvakening, in a most curious, and, for him personally, a most lucky dream or apparition. The impression this made upon him was intensified by the fact that the apparition appeared to him on three different occasions during the one night he saAV it. Another fact to be noted is that Mr SaAvyer actually sat up in bed and saAV it each time. All this happened on the Wednesday before Durban was reached, and so vividly did the apparition appear to Mr Sawyer that he has since drawn an exact sketch of Avhat he actually saAV. During that Wednesday night there appeared to Mr Sa\A'yer saAV a man standing at the head of his cabin, Avith a long, straight sword in his left hand, with his left foot fonvard, holding up a rag saturated Avith blood in his right hand. The SAA'ord was between Mr SaAvyer and the rag, as if to keep him ofL There Avere large drops of blood dropping from the rag to the floor. That such an apparition should appear three times in a night to any man who was half awake at the time, seems to be an extraordinary fact. Next morning at breakfast Mr Sawyer related his experience to his next door neighbour, a lady passenger, and also to Mr Elsworth, an ex-naval officer." Mr SaAvyer left the Waratah on Monday, July 26, at Durban^ and on the following Wednesday night he had another extraordinary dream, which differed in one important aspect from his apparition on the Waratah. It only appeared once to him. Mr SaAAryer relates hoAV he saAv the Waratah in a big sea. She partly took it, then pitched over on her starboard boAv, and disappeared. Subsequently calling at Donald Curries office to select his berth, Mr Hadfield remarked to Mr SaAA ryer that he was most fortunate, and must have the gift of second sight, for the Forte had just left in search of the Waratah.