HOPE FOR WARATAH

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7023, 11 January 1910, Page 5

HOPE FOR WARATAH

SEARCH TO BE EENEWED WAKEFIELD MAKES AX EXTENDED CRUISE. ENGLISH AID TO DEFRAY COST. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received January 10, 11.35 p.m.) MELBOURNE, January 10. The Citizens' Committee which has been promoting the agitation for a renewed search for the missing Lund liner Waratah, and raising funds for tho purpose, lias accepted tho offer made by the owners of tho steamer Wakefield, now in South Africa, to undertake a special cruise. The Wakefield will leave Durban at the end of January, in continuation of her voyage to Australia, but will make a detour to tho south and search exhaustively tho coasts of the lonely Marion, Crozet, and Korguelen Islands. Then she will make a special seaTch of the ocean between Iverguelen and tho Australian coast.

Tho search of tho islands will extond over a month, for which, £3OOO will 1)6 paid, and for the cruise from Korguelen eastward another £IBSO. It is also believed the committee is considering tho advisableness of extending the search for another month, at a price to bo fixed later. An Admiralty officer will accompany the Wakefield, and act as the committee's representative. It is estimated that the cruise will cost £SOO more than the committee has in hand, but relatives in England of some 1 of the Waratah's passengers have guaranteed £2OOO towards tho outlay on tho seairoh. THE SEA'S SEGEET RETURN OF THE SABINE. SERACH THROUGH THE LONELY SOUTHERN OCEAN. Cape files give particulars of the search cruise made by the steamer Sabine for tho missing steamer Waratah. Her story was merely one of a Ions; search that ended in failure. Sho spoke to four ships on her 14,700 miles' journey, and sighted one piece of wreckage. That was all. Captain Owen and Lieutenant Beatty, who made the journey on behalf of the Admiralty, told all they had to tell of the unsuccessful search for tho missing Waratah. Tho story was brief. In effect it told of tho search that had proved ineffectual, and of a voyage devoid of any extraordinary incident. Mr Duff read it to the little audience who gathered in the skipper's cabin. The Sabine, it was stated, left Capetown on Saturday afternoon. September 11. On Saturday, September 25, she spoke to tho Norwegian barquo Imitra. Tho only time during the voyage that wreckage of any sort was seen was on October 4th. On that day the watchers saw a pieco of scantling floating in the water. It measured roughly about 8 feet by six inches broad, and six inches deep. "Tho ship was worked up as close as possible," ran the narrative of the voyage, "but tho weather was too rough to lower a boat. The piece of scantling was covered with barnacles, and must have been in tho water for a considerable time." SHIPS THAT PASSED. The special circle of search, which had as its centre latitude SSdcg south, longitude iodc\x east, and was about 400 miles in diameter, was reached on September 17, and left on October 6, during which time 3409 miles were'covered. The distance from Capetown' to Possession Island is 71G3 miles. On October 23rd the Sabine arrived at Possession Island of. the Crozots Group. The searchers examined American Bay and Ship Cove, but found nobody there or any signs of recent habitation. On Monday, November Ist, ehe spoke to the s.s. Gryfvale, " and she informed ufl that sho liad no news of the Waratah." On Monday, November Bth, the Sabine communicated with the Italian barque Australia. On Friday, November 12th. the vessel anchored off St. Paul's Island. "Landed and examined the island," proceeded the report, "but found nobody there. There were several fishermen's boats amid signs .of their having been there lately. Distance covered from the Crozets to St. Paul's Island 3315 miles," On Sunday, November 14th, the Sabine sighted a steamer, "but failed to communicate. We saw what we took to bo Ellerman's private night signal." On Friday, November 26th, she spoke the s.s. Marthara. , *' The ships , mentioned," the report concluded, " were the only vessels that wero sighted, during the whole time, except when in the vicinity of the South African coast. The distance covered from St. Paul's Island to Capetown was 4222 miles making a total of 14,700 miles travelled bv tho Sabine." Captain Owen was questioned with regard to tho cable received in connection with the lonic and her wireless telegraph signals. The captain dismissed the story with the remark, "A fertile imagination." .' The Sabine, it seemed, never even saw the lonic. "They might have seen the searchlight." interposed Lieutenant Beatty, "but we certainly did not communicate with or see her." HEAVY WEATHER AT THE CROZETS. Captain Owen went on to say that during the month of October exceedingly heavy weather was experienced, and the ship had a pretty rough, time. This was in the neighbourhood of the Crozet Islands. Much fog, it appeared, was met with, which greatly hampered the steamer's movements. "The weather was eo rough at periods." continued tho captain, " that it was enough to ship going, lot alone lower a boat." In the course of further conversation the skipper said that a look-out was kept day and night. The searchlight was kept going at night for five in every fifteen minutes, except during wet weather, when they could not burn it. and then the whistle was blown continually. "Down south," the captain explained, " the nighta are very 6hort, and we had daylight, practically speaking, from halfpast three in the morning until halfSast eight in the evening." In the circle, e explained, the engines were cased up, and fno ship went fairly slow. " Nothing was seen, captain, beyond the ships yon mentioned, and the solitary piece of wreckage?" he was asked. "Nothing," responded tho captain.