THE WIRELESS MESSAGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21414, 11 February 1933, Page 13 (Supplement)

THE WIRELESS MESSAGE

By CECIL H. V. STEERE

With the marks of her wanderings 6tamped on blistered hull and upper works sadly in need of paint, the deep-sea trariip, " Maroubra, 4 rolled sluggishly in a rising / swell. Typical of the many ocean nomads that roam the seven seas and call where- ■' ever payable freight offers, the Maroubra lacked both grace and elegance. On tho night this story opens, the Maroubra, bound from Narau Island to the Wanganui River with jrfcosphates., was about forty-eight hours steaming from the New Zealand coast. In the M arcon i house, tho ship's transmitter roared and crackled. The, operator, pounding on his key, 6ent the signals speeding into space with that swiftness characteristic of most wireless men. Bending over tho operator's shoulder was Martin Radley, the Maroubra's chief officer. For a short time Sparks continued his sending, until, with a quick upward motion, he switched off the dynamo and the transmitter became silent. Adjusting head-phones, the operator adopted a listening attitude, and then wrote on one of the forms provided by the company. " The weather report," he said, handing the nfate a slip of paper, " and not b very wholesome one at that." , .. 'Going along to the master's quarters, w&ich were situated under the bridge, Ridley knocked on the door, received a gififf response, and entered. Captain Jaines Burton, the Maroubra's white haired old skipper, was stretched out on a with a book in his hands. " Humph," he grunted, after having read with a certain amount of difficulty. " I expected as much. The glass is too low to be healthy, and it's a bad time of the year to be knocking about here." He looked at' Radley as he spoke, the mate was about to leave the room. " Sit down, Mr. Radley," he said unexpectedly. "What is the hurry? You are not due on the bridge for an hour or so." A rathet surprised chief officer obeyed. It was not usual for the skipper to be sociable. In many ways he was an old autocrat who kept to himself, and except for occasional lapses, was not prone to conversation. " Strange, to-night, ainfc I, mister," he spoke with his eyes full upon Radley. " But a riian gets rather lonely sometimes. This boxed-up life, and dodging about every infernal corner of the globe plays upon a man's nerves. Do you know," he said suddenly, "I have, a son somewhere who is about your age? Twenty-five, no?" " Twenty-seven, sir," responded the mate. /

" And with a life before you. Yes, it. must be the same with young Dick," mused the Old Man. " But he was only a youngster of five when I last saw him. i wonder where the deuce he is to-night?" Radley sat and smoked in silence. The master appeared to be in a very thoughtful mood. His steel grey eyes were now fixed on the cabin ceiling. " Peculiar place, this world," he said after a few minutes of reflection. " I think we humans have a lot to do with it, but I don't know. There are some things a man can't control—the weather—and women—for instance. Not married , are you, Radley? No, but hope to when we get back home. I see—" and the Old Man was silent again. But not for long. " Well, mister," lie said, " all that I can wish you is every bit of luck, and I hope you have better luck than I had. I married a New Zealand girl about twenty-five years ago, or more, and settled in Auckland. For a while I was the hajppiest man alive. But the fates that govern those things don't like the idea of-"a; man - being too happy, and my luck changed. I'm not going into details. The wife left me five years later, and took the only child, a boy, with her. Perhaps Fhe was in the wrong, or maybe I was. It is a difficult matter to decide. Bub I have not seen her since, and—well—" here he checked himself. " But I have said too much, mister. Maybe you understand?" The mate understood. On the old captain's face was the look of a man who had never forgotten the past. < Going back to his oid self, the master changed the subject and commenced a discussion 'on maritime matters. " Have me called when the wind changes, said the master, and Radley left the cabin. Going up to the bridge, the mate relieved the second officer, passed a few remarks about the weather and the vessel's course, and then commenced his lonely four-hour vigil. The night was dark, cold and cheersles. So complete was the wall of inky blackness, that Radley experienced difficulty in even making out the rise of the fo'c'sle. Nothing worth recording happened until about half past nine, when the wind went round to the south and commenced to blow up afresh. The mate reported this change to the captaia. " Watch your steering, Tucker," Radley 6nid to the" apprentice at the wheel. " Keep her off a bit." " Rotten night, sir," Radley said when Captain Burton came on to the bridge. " Ah, do you feel that?" There came a dull thud as the ship thrust her blunt nose into an extra venturesome sea, and a shower of spray clattered over the bows. " Easfe her off a bit more," ordered the skipper. " There's no sense in diving through this head on." The helm went over, the ship began to get the'' seas more abeam, and the Old Alan felt satisfied. But half an .hour later the steamer was roiling to a sickening motion, and tho wind had increased to pale force. Speed was then reduced to half, the ship settled down more comfortably, though she still rolled like a log. The Maroubra had the reputation of being a " pig " in any kind of sea. " Leave 7 " her at that, Mr. Radley. 111 be up again before midnight." The master was about 'to go below when a dnrk figure came on to tho bridge, and somebody touched his arm. " What is it, Mitchell ? " Wireless message, sir! 'All stations —there is sumo ship calling for help!" The radio operator thrust a slip of paper into the captain's hands. " It's an S.O.S. from some steamer. I can't understand her name or call, and I don't know where she is. But she has a ■ broken tail-shaft and is for help. She says she needs it urgently!" " Probably a job for the tug," said the master. " Some fellows send out-an S.O.S. when the least thing goes wrong. Anyway, fihe be anywhere. Go and get more details!'The wireless operator was absent for sonic time. When he returned he came with startling news. " She is sinking,' he said excitedly, " and from what I can gather wo are the only ship anywhere near her! Here is her position!" On the table lay the chart where it had been knt after the noon sights were taken. Going over to it, the master made some rapid calculations. " Here he is, Mr. Radley," Burton pencilled a mark on the chart, " and this other X indicates our own position, or at least where we ought to be. See here, now. There is at least a hundred miles of water separating us from him, and he has broken down with a gale of wind to contend with. At ten knots we can't possibly reach him before nine o'clock in the morning. If the wind gets up any more it might take us longer. But dash it, mister, it ain't human to let him founder!" There came a moment of indecision; but only a moment. " Alter your course, Mr. Radley— and give her full speed! Mitchell, fiend il/is radio!" The mate jumped to the telegraph, and the bell had hardly ceased echoing in the engine room when a quicker throbbing told of increased speed. Round to the wind came tF/e vessel's head, and down swept tile gale. A sea came over the bows, Bpray leaped high ; the steamer dived again and commenced a series of antics. As the night advanced the weather became The wind screamed and howled//with a nerve-racking persistency, and the steamer rolled and dashed through the seas. As yet, she had shipped little vater, and with the engines working at full pressure, the " Maroubra " held her own. tin the wireless room, the operator

A NEW ZEALAND STORY

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thumped feverishly at his kev. He was in communication with tho disabled vessel again, and when she sent out her name and number, Sparks scribbled them down and hurried out to the bridge. " The ' Southern Queen.' a mission steamer returning home." said the skipper later. " Humph, probably full o* . parsons and the like—but they have got to be got out of that mess all the same. Here, Mitchell, send this!" " Cannot reach you before 9 a.m. Try to keep afloat—Maroubra," wrote the master, and Mitchell hurried it off to tho Marconi house. A look of added determination , was in the Old Man's eyes—men who saw that look knew the captain well enough to understand it, muttered to themselves. Into the fury of the gale he drove his steamer with all the skill he knew. In the wireless room, Mitchell remained at his post, cheering the crew of the " Southern Queen " with comforting messages ' through the ether; an ether undisturbed by tho turmoil of tho storm. Three hours later the steamer was in the thick of it. Despite tho protection of weather cloths, the bridge was cold and wet. Spray constantly came over the structure in showers, and at regular intervals tho steamer shipped cascades of water. It was impossible for one to do very much, other than keep the ship on her course, the " Maroubra's " crew could only trust in some greater power to guide their ship through the ordeal. More complaints camo up from the engine room, damage was reported from hero and there on deck, but the Old Man onlv bit his lips and kept on driving his vessel through. At last old McTurk. the chief engineer, came up on to the bridge. " She can nae do it, captain," he said. " My pour auld engines are racing most o' their time! She'll nae do it, I tell ye!" . " Mac," shouted the skipper. " I'm relying on you. This old boat is as stout as the day she Was built. We'll get there, and we'll get there on time!" " An' I'm with ye," grunted McTurk. and he went back to his kingdom. What he said to the stokers as they toiled in the glaring dazzle stripped to their waists, cannot be repeated here. But an added kick came to the engines, and though the gale still blew fierce and strong, the revolutions were increased. At one o'clock, Mitchell brought a further message from the " Southern Queen." " Fires nearly out. Pumps soon be useless. Cannot last more than six hours. Hurry." " Six hours," said Radley. " Why, sir, we can't—" but the master cut him short. " Mitchell," he roared. " Tell them to hold on ! Tell 'em somebody has lifted the lid clean off hell—but we'll get there in time to save every man of the crew, parsons as well !" While Mitchell's dynamo broke into life again, Captain Burton went down the greasy flight of steps that led to the engine room. A deck hand came onto the bridge—more damage was reported. One of the boats on the weather side had been swept from its davits and smashed to splintered matchwood. " This can't go on," growled the skipper. "We want our boats. Mr. Radley, get those boats lashed properly; but for. heaven's sake watch those seas !" The words were hardly out of his mouth when a sea tore its way over the steamer's bows. The vessel lurched, dived deep, and when she staggea-ed yet another monster loosed hundreds of tons of water upon her. The engines raced, a crashing sound was heard, all the lights went out, and a moment or two later the throbbing ot machinery ceased. The ship lost way and commenced to wallow at the mercy of the gale. Hard upon one another came a series of ing seas. They smashed their, way from stem to stern, they filled.the fore and after decks with water, and the steamer gasped for breath. Part of the starboard bridge railings went in the rush, the dodger was smashed, and the bridge and wheel-house wore flooded. .

" What the blazes is wrong down below," stormed the Old Man. "No lights, ■ the engines have stopped, and we'll be swamped in a minute !" " Starbo'd bridge ladder gone, an' engine room skylight carried away, sir!" "I want all hands," barked the captain. " Mr. Radley, get some sheets and cover that skylight! Look alive —Smith. Jones and Barker go with the mate —if any more water goes below we'll founder! The gale had reached its height and conditions were as bad as they could possibly be. Pandemonium reigned. Seamen cursed the darkness and at times held on for dear life while a wave swept over the ship. One man had his arm wrenched; but with indomitable spirit toiled with his other limb. Down in the engine-room, men waded up to their kriees. for with each tresh sea the water came pouring down upon them. McTurk. fearful of the boiler fires being extinguished, had closed all doors leading to the stoke-hold. " Man th* 'mergeucy dynamo !" The voice of the chief rose above the confusion, and while Radlev and* his team toiled to cover, the gaping hole above, the lights came on. " Th' pumpj 1" shouted McTurk, and the long-drawn sob of a suction pump added further to the din. Another order, and the ship's engines began to beat a-frash. The nitrht wore on and the " Maroubra " passed through the centre of the storm. Sometimes a sea would find its way onto the bridge; at others more damage was reported. But the Old Man showed no sign of relaxation; ho was as determined as ever. " Poor devils," he said. " But stick to it, Mitchell, and let them know there is somebody about." The wireless operator, who had brought a further appeal from the wreck, went back to his instruments with a haggard look. A little before dawn, the " Southern Queen " sent her last radio. She stated that her boiler fires were out and that her pumps were useless. " The beginning of the end," said the skipper. With a frown lie studied the chart. Dawn broke cold and grey. At first a faint, ghostly light stole over the world of wateib, and as night laded away, and the curtain lifted, something of the horror through which the ship had been passing was revealed. On all sidos the sea was white and soothing, the sky was heavy with racing storm clo'ios, and now that the wind had eased off a little, a steady rain poured down. Captain Burton was on the bridge surveying the havoc wrought to lr.s ship. The rrir.to cast a glance toward him; the skipper's lace was a study. The Maroubra bad suffered severe punishment Hei fere and after decks were swept clean, bulwarks torn and carried away, while railings were twisted and broken. Stanchions were wrecked, the fo'c'slo was flooded, and a small deck houso abaft the bridge had a door torn off from the liinges, and its interior ruined But from the steamer's funnel, volumes of black smoke poured and curled away astern, and though the screw was out of the water most of the time, when it buried itself with a whirring sound, it drove the old tramp steamer further and further on its errand of mercy. And then a sudden cry from the masthead sent a wave of excitement over the ship. " Wreck to starbo'd —wreck to starbo'd! " " Thank God, maybe there is time yet!" The Old Man rushed to the railings. Putting a pljiss to his eye, he stared at a small object which had appeared. The mate followed his examplo, and together they studied what was evidently a derelict steamer. "It's her, all right," Radley spoke excitedly. " She has one stick standing, but her stack has gone, and—gad, she's in a mess!" The haze cleared as the Maroubra rolled up, and the rain ceased. A big sea was still running, but with the abatement of the wind, it had gone down considerably. To the naked eye the wreck became plainly visible. The pitiful remains of a small steamer, paintea white, and with

yacht-like bows low., in the water, and at times lost from sight. There was not a minute to be lost. As the Maroubra steamed closer and the visibility became better, a string of coloured signal flags streamed up the disabled vessel's only remaining mast. On board the tramp, the message was read: " Bulkhead gone. Hurry." •• ' " Volunteers for the boat," bellowed the Old Man. " And it's not going to be any picnic! " ' AH right, I don't want the whole crew! " The Old Man's eyes gleamed with pride as one by one he selected his best men. for the boat. "Mr. Radley take the long boat on the port 6ide. I rely on you to do the rest." " Good luck, mister." A little later Captain Burton caught his chief officer by the hand. Down went the boat with a wild splash. The men bent their backs and pulled at the oars, and with Radley at the tiller the small craft, tossing like a cork, began to force its way toward the wreck. After a long and exhausting pull they reached the sinking ship, where, huddled on the bows, were those who had almost despaired of hope. The "Southern Queen's" stern was already submerged, and in a very short time the vessel Vould be no more. With daring and skill, the mate ran his boat alongside the derelict, and a line was passed. The work was extremely dangerous, but the rescue began, and after many narrow escapes, passengers and crew were taken off. Only just in time the boat got clear; with a final plunge the Southern Queen slid down to her grave. There is something very touching about the death of a ship, and there was more that one misty eye as the crowded boat commenced a tiring pull back to the Maroubra. But with smoke belching from her funnel, and her bows a smother of spray, the tramp steamed to meet them. A wild burst of cheering rose from the men that lined her rails; the proudest of all was the! old captain on the bridge. "By heavens —there are women aboard!" With a glass to' his eye, the master stared at the boat as it rose and fell. " Where's the steward ?" he bellowed suddenly. " Get some rooms ready—by the livin' powers I thought it was only a boat load of parsons!" The boat bumped against the ship's side, willing hands helped the rescued up a crazy ladder, and the last to come were Radley and the " Southern Queen's " young master. A few minutes later, Radley took him up to the bridge, where he insisted on thanking the " Maroubra's " captain personally. " Thank you, sir, ho said as he shook old Burton's hand. " I can't say very much, but it was fine of you," and then said something that made the Old Man step back .a pace. " Burton is my name, and my mother was aboard. She's rescued, thanks to you stout follows!" " What—what is your name ?" " Burton, Richard Burton, of Mount Albert, Auckland!" "Dear God, can ifc ue true?" Old Captain Burton stared at the other with eyes agape. " Where is your mother, boy ? Take me to her—gad—l think I'm going to " In the captain's own cabin, and attended by one of the rescued women, lay an elderly woman with white hair and pale features. As Captain Burton and the others entered, she Jay with closed eyes. For a few minutes the Old Man stared at her with amazement, and then she opened her eyes. "Dick, where are you, Dick?" she asked. " Here, mother " the younger man broke off. Captain James Burton, master of the deep-sea tramp, " Maroubra," had stepped forward. " Mary—Mary " There came a pause, a long pause while a strange drama was being enacted. " Jim—Jim—" the recognition was mutual. The white-haired old master went down on his knees before the woman whom providence had' so unexpectedly returned to him, and the last thing Radley heard as he made a hasty exit, were the words, spoken by Mrs. Burton herself: " Jim, my dear, after all these years " Eight bells sounded in four pairs of strokes, the sun broke through a rift in the clouds, and the mate rushed on to the bridge for his sextant. The second followed, together they worked out the Ship's position, and the old " Maroubra " turned her bows in the. direction of the Wanganui River. An interrupted voyage was continued.

About three weeks later a, small knot of people, were gathered on the Castlecliff wharf. It was a beautiful afternoon, and the occasion was the departure of the " Maroubra " for Westport, and bunker coal, but from there —nobody was quite certain of the old tramp's future movements. On board the steamer James Burton, late master, shook hanas with Captain Martin Radley, grizzled old McTurk, and all the other members of the crew. The pilot was already aboard, and the steam tug waited impatieptly. With a hasty farewell, Burton went down the gangway and reached 'the wharf. A whistle blew, the bridge bell rang, and the screw commenced to thrash the water. As the ship moved slowly away, a rousing British fheer was borne far and wide by the wind. " Yon are getting on in* years, Jim," Mrs. Burton said, as they watched the ship take the bar. "I am glad you cabled the owners. The time has come for you to rest ashore." " I know, Mary," Burton said with more than mist in his eyes. " And there goes the bravest, the stoutest old ship that ever flew the Red Duster from her stern."