DISAPPOINTED HOPES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3861, 13 March 1928, Page 5

DISAPPOINTED HOPES.

INTERESTING STORY OF THE SEA M ELLINGTON, March 8. The hopes of two brothers who had not seen each other for five years , that they would meet somewhere in New Zealand were not realised last week. One brother was Ciptain J. F., B. Hunter, commander of the New Zealand Shipping Company’s steamer Rotorua,., .which arrived at Wellington from London. The other was Captain A. Hunter, of the motor ship Ashburton, which is at present at Lyttelton on a. voyage fronv New York. It is now something over five years since they met. and they had hoped to see .each other in Auckland or Wellington; but it was not to be. The Rotorua left Wellington for Auckland at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, while the Ashburton sailed from Auckland at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 29, for Wellington, where she arrived at 1.25 a.m. on Saturday, March 3. The two ships passed each other somewhere off the East Coast of the North Island, probably midway between Wellington and Auckland; and the long-looked-for meeting did not take place. This mischance recalls the meeting a. few years before the war of three seafaring brothers who had not met for over 15 years. Two of them were in the service of the Union Company, the late Captain E. Stott, who was then master of the Aparima, and a brother who was chief engineer on one of the company’s intercolonial steamers. The third was Captain Stott, master of a tramp steamer, the Trafalgar, which was on a voyage from New York to New Zealand. The meeting of the three brothers took place at Lyttelton, and was probably the last occasion on which they were all torgether.

The motor ship Ashburton, which is commanded by Captain A. Hunter, after completing discharge at Dunedin, is going on a somewhat unusual run. She will! proceed to Port Lincoln. South Australia, and thence to Fremantle to load a cargo of wheat for Japan.