MOTOR-SHIP DELAYED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20987, 25 September 1931, Page 10

MOTOR-SHIP DELAYED.

PORT ALMA AT TAMPICO. SILTING OF RIVER MOUTH. For nearly a month the Commonwealth and Dominion Line motor-ship Port Alma, which berthed at Queen's Wharf yesterday morning, was delayed at Tampico, in the Gulf of Mexico, on her voyage from New York to Auckland. The vessel had called at Tampico to load 5000 tons of bitumen. The town of Tampico is some distance from the mouth of the River Panuco, and the ship berthed at a wharf about six miles below the town. No sooner had cargo operations commenced than news arrived of disastrous floods inland. About 1000 tons of bitumen had been loaded when it was reported that the mouth of the river had silted up. Ihe bitumen was hastily put ashore, the captain deciding that it would be wise to put out to sea without delay. This was found to be impossible, for soundings showed that the depth of water at the river mouth, which was 24ft. when tho vessel entered, had been reduced to 17ft. Loading was continued, but it was only after 26 days had elapsed that the ship was able to leave tho river. Her departure was made possible by tho work of a suction dredge, which had recently arrived at Tampico from Glasgow, and was able to clear away enough of the silt for tho passage of the vessel after the flood waters had subsided. Normally loading operations at Tampiro would have taken no more than five days, flic Port Alma left the river on August 30. In the meantime those on board, including 12 passengers, had little to interest them and suffered from the intense heat during the day and tho attacks of mosquitoes at night. The wharf was connected with Tampico by a railway, but visits to the town were not popular. Evidence of the flood damage was to bo seen in the river, down which floated parts of wrecked huts, dead bullocks and great branches of trees, around which were seen entwined brown snakes about 4ft. in length. Although a swimming bath had been erected on tho foredeck bathing was impossible, as the only water that could have been used was that from the flooded river.