PRE-WIRELESS DAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20646, 19 August 1930, Page 12

PRE-WIRELESS DAYS.

SHIPS THAT WENT ADRIFT. HELPLESS WITHOUT RADIO, MISSING FOR LONG PERIODS. What might have been the fate of the Tahiti and her crew and passengers had 5t not been for the miracle of modern wireless it is not difficult to imagine. The history of the sea is full of tragic instances of ships that have bcon lost through similar mishaps and of ships that havo drifted for weeks without any moans of communicating their plight, depending purely on tho chances of fate whether they wore discovered by some passing vossel or left to tho mercies of tho first storm. Looking back to thoso pre-wireless days one finds tho case of the Perthshire, which broke her tail shaft two days out from Sydney Heads. She had left Sydney on April 26, 1899, for Bluff. For eight weeks the vessol was a mystery ship on the face of tho Tnsman. She was sighted on three occasions by sailing ships and signals were exchanged, but owing to her sizo it was impossible for these small vessols to render any aid and all they could do was to pass on tho signals when thoy arrived at their respective destinations. Tugs and steamers were despatched to look for her and for weeks on end they sroured the seas in vain. Then, eight weeks after the mishap occurred, tho Talune found her and took her in tow to Sydney. Years afterwards, the Perthshire was taken over by tho British Government in war time and converted into a dummy warship, in which role she "did her bit" to delude tho Germans in tho North Sea during tho height of tho submarine campaign. 900 Miles On One Blade. Twenty-six years ago occurred the caso of the Huddart-Parkcr steamer Anglian, which lost three propeller blades in tho Tasman Sea whilo en route from Sydney to Now Zealand and steamed 900 miles to Auckland on the one remaining blade, A somewhat similar case to that of the Tahiti occurred in October, 1901, when tho Union Steam Ship Company's steamer Monowai broko her propeller through striking an unknown submerged object whilo en route from Bluff to Melbourne. TJiero being no wireless in those days, no means was availablo of communicating tho vessel's plight to the shore and for several days the country was left in agonising doubt as to the fato of tho overduo vessel. Ships were sent out to look for her and one of the search vessels, tho Mokoia, eventually sighted her and towed her into Dunedin. Tho Monowai had a second adventure in 1909, when the steering gear failed and she was rescued under most difficult conditions. To-day her bones form part of a breakwater in Gisborno Harbour. Moro sensational was tho case of the steamer Waikato, which was adrift in tho Indian Ocean for 103 days, crippled and cut off from all communication with tho land or other shipping. Finally she was sighted by tho tramp steamer Asloun and towed into Fremantle. Another rescue vessel, the barque Tacoma, was damaged whilo rendering assistance. Marooned lor a Year.

Nothing but the fact that she was equipped with ' wireless saved tho crew of the New Zealand schooner Helen B. Storling, which was abandoned on January 23, 1922, about 290 miles north-west of Cape Maria van Diemen. tensive leaking was started as a result of the straining of tho hull in a sevcro galo and the crew wa3 unable to man the pumps while the hurricane lasted. Very few sailing ships carried wireless eight years ago, , but tho, Helen B. Sterling did and this fact enabled distress messages to bo sent out and tho despatch of aid in tho shape of 11.M.A.5. Melbourne, which was then nearing New Zealand on a. visit. Tho warship was diverted to the assistance of the Helen B. Sterling and took off tho crew of 16 and two women and a child by means of a breeches-buoy whilo tho storm was at its height. Tho ca§e was different with tho British barque Dundonald, which went ashore on Disappointment Island on a pitoh dark night, with a heavy sea running. Tho survivors got ashore and experienced unbeliovable hardships until they built a small boat and reached the main island, where they found ono of the dopots established by the New Zealand Government for tho use of castaways. When they ultimately reached civilisation a whole year had elapsed and thoy had been given up as . lost. ' News Delayed Pour Days. Very near homo was tho wreck of the Wairarapa, which went ashoro on the Great Barrier shortly after midnight on October 28, 1894. Those wero tho days before wireless was even droamcd of and becauso of the lonely and rugged nature of tho spot whero the wreck occurred it was not until tho survivors rnado their way overland to Port Fitzroy that the disaster was made known to the outside world. Auckland was in blissful ignorance until four days after, wards, When tho Huddarfc-Parker steamer Elingainite was wrecked at tho Threo Kings on November 9, 1902, while on the voyage from Sydney to Auckland, tho majority of her passengers and crow took to tho boats and rafts, s One raft was adrift for four days before being picked up and ono boat was never recovered. Altogether 45 lives were lost. Numerous vessels havo put out from New Zealand ports, never to bo heard of again. In these days of wireless such disasters could scarcely occur as that of tho Union Company's steamer Ohau,' which left Greymouth for Dunedin in May, 1889, and never reached her destina-. tion. Sho was sighted two or threo days after leaving Groymouth near CajHi Campbell, but after that her fato was wrapped in mystery. Tho barque Constance Craig, which disappeared with all hands r in was supposed to have foundered off tho New Zealand coast and tho barquo Loch Lomond disajjpearcd in tho same way in 1908. First Use of Wireless. Matters altorod vastly when wireless came in to diminish perils at sea. It is of interest to recall at this moment tho loss of, tho Union Company's steamer Waitotara on Juno 10, 1917, Tho vessel caught firo in tho Pacific while taking a cargo valued at £250,000 from England to Australia. Tho crew mado valiant efforts to fight the flame,# but tho holds wero soon burning like furnaces and tho men had to take to tho boats. If it had not been for wireless tho chances aro tho boats would never, havo reached land, but, :thanks to the : appeals for help sent out by radio, a French vessel cajnq on the. 'scene in 24 hours and saved the entire crew. •' r "... ■ The first', time that the use of wireless .was practically demonstrated as a. means, of, saving life and property'at sea was on, ■ jainuary. 23,-' 1909, when the ..White Star, liner - Repiiblio collided with, the Florida' in a dense fog off Nantucket; Island. Six, lives, were lose but tho story of tho wreck gained i'amo through. tho important part : ,which wireless telegraphy, jri bringing other vessels, to the rescue and thus a worse, disaster., The most ; striking instance ,was the lease, of the Titanic, which sank in the Atlantic on, April 14, 1912, ' with 'the, loss,.of 1635 ■Jives, 'after colliding with an iceberg off Cape Race, Newfoundland. The wire-' ; less operator, who was drow.n'ed, - fear- ; lessly stuck to .his post, sending out wire-; > less appeals for help until tho dynamos' ceased and water invaded his room. As a result steamers hurried to tho rescue and picked up tho survivors in the boats,