WHERE IS THE PENGUIN?

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8831, 24 March 1909, Page 8

WHERE IS THE PENGUIN?

DANGERS TO NAVIGATION. CHRISTCHURCH,, March 23. A correspondent writing to the ''Press" says:—ls it not a particularly sad thing that even a disaster of the magnitude of the wreck of the Penguin cannot shake certain heads j of departments out of the apathy that 1 envelops them? If, as suggested, the Penguin struck the submerged schooner Pet, lying possibly on a reef —and from the quantities of timber 1 coining ashore on the set of the current it seems at all events probable % that she might have done so—what is there to hinder the Penguin in her turn becoming a danger to tion, unless she has gone "deep down, beneath the wave?" Then there is the case of the unknown submerged (or partially so) derelict, supposed to be the Rio Loge, sighted off Kaikoura, and evidently floating somewhere tn the Vicinity of the direct route between Lyttelton and Wellington, j "Would it hot in the interests of hu-w ! inanity for the Government; the ship- l| ping companies, or whoever else it concerns, to unite and charter a ves--1 sel to cruise round till she finds this derelict, and blow her up or otherwise dispose of her before we havo' another of these appalling tragedies? A short while ago the area in whicli&jg to look for her was undoubtedly al limited one. Surely' even now it is not too late. The set of the tides 1 and currents must be known to some of our navigators and scientific men. People with relatives at sea would be much easier in their minds if they could know that this dansrer had been done away with. We all know that two slight attempts to locate her have been made, and that steamers are M warned to keep an eye out for her, 18 but, as in the case of passenger stea- * mers making their run at night, there is unfortunately only one way they are likely to sight her. The " Press " says:—lf only in justice- to the master of the Penguin wjM think an attempt should be made t<», ]| locate the exact spot where, the steamer came to grief, and in other ways to clear up this mystery. But apart, from this aspect of the case, we entirely agree with the correspondent, who urges, that the Government have been greatly at fault in not taking' more active steps to locate and the derelicts which have been report--!! Ed, and which undoubtedly_ e a serious peril to navigation. The' American Government spends large' sums annually in .removing derelicts from the broad highway of tlie_ Atlantic. Our own Government might nt" least endeavour to trace out and desf troy any derelict which is reported t<>have been seen in close proximity ip the tracks of steamers up and doJi||~ our coasts. if|£