THE INDRABARAH ARRIVES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15827, 28 July 1913, Page 4

THE INDRABARAH ARRIVES.

The Tyser liner Indrabarah arrived off the Heads early on Friday morning, but owing to the bad weather and the fact of the vessel being in very light trim; she had to remain at anchor tinder the shelter of Hay ward's Point until yesterday morning. Pilot M'Dougall was in charge of the vessel, and shared with Captain Hollingsworth a good deal of anxiety for her safety during the two days she had to lay at anchor within a few miles of the Heads. Early yesterday morning the -weather moderated considerably, and the anchors were hauled in and the Indrabarah wa6 headed for 1 Port Chalmers, where she was safely berthed at 9.30 a.m.

To look at her as she lies at the wharf she does not appear to have sustained any serious damage, but the extent will not be known until after the vessel is docked and examined. The Indrabarah went ashore on the Rangitikci beach during a thick mist on the night of May 6, and remained there until July 6, .when she was refloated after a large quantity of her cargo had been jettisoned, Great difficulty was experienced in getting her off the beach owing to the fact that she had to bo taken over a shoal patch for about half a-mile before she could get into deep water, and that feat alone presented a huge problem to the salvors owing to the difficulty in getting the anchors and cables to stand the strain imposed upon them. The Indrabarah is the largest vesvel that has over been saved after coin! ashore on the New Zealand cocst. which presents unusual difficulty owing to the comparatively small rise and fall of the tide?. When she first went ashore the vessel and her cargo were worth probably about £200.000. A largo quantity of lier cargo had to be jettisoned to lighten her, but the fact of her frozen mutton (about 50,000 carcases) being kept, in perfect condition until transferred to the Makarini at Wellington, constitutes in itself a big save. It is roughly estimated that as she now lies safely at Port Chalmers the Indrabarah represents a saving of fully £100,000 to the underwriters, who kovo every reason to bo grateful to G'aptaiirllollingsworth, Captain Bainey (Tyscr's # representative), Captain I'lunket (Lloyd's representative), and Mr Daniels, of the Union Company's staff, for their dogged perseverance and skill in setting the vessel into a place of safety. The magnitude and difficulty of their task may bo gauged somewhat bv the fact that the big liner was looked unon as doomed by the great majority of shipping people, owing to her very dangerous position, and, the fact of her being at the mercy of the long sweeping sens rolling in towards the land from Cook Strait. ITer presence in Port Chalmers- to-day constitutes one of the greatest salvage feats in the history of the dominion, and it is satisfactory to know that the facilities for docking the big vessel and effecting any necessary repairs will enable the Indrabarah to lenvo Port Chalmers in a« sound and seaworthy a condition as could be attained for her in any part of the world. _ . In view of the heavy losses sustained by Lloyd's underwriters through past shipwrecks on our coast, it is a matter" for sincere congratulation tliat their loss in this instance has been greatly minimised by the skill of the salvors and the plucky officers and crew who stood bv the vessel throughout. As a maritime font against heavy odds, the saving of the Trdrnbanh will long lie regarded as a praiseworthy one.