THE MARAROA'S MISHAP.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14234, 28 February 1917, Page 5

THE MARAROA'S MISHAP.

STORY OF THE ACCIDENT. HEAD ON TO THE BEACH. CONVERSATION WITH SHORE. The Mararoa le& . EyVtte.ltQn/ at the s usual time on FriaSJ 1 ' evening, when the I weather was calm and clear, She ran I into a heavy log abput- three hours later, 3 and made the rest of the passage m the f cloud. She struck at about 8.50 a.m. s Soon afterwards the Monowai was standing by and, m the afternoon, she took off the passengers, who were evenv tually landed m Wellington at 7 p.m. , Tlie trip through the ; fog was made under from easy to slow steam, and the I siren was blown at frequent intervals. j The sea was> quite smooth, and; there was I no wind^'V, At daylight the fog was as ! dense as eyef ; . .... i i- . . After breakfast th;©.. comment was ! made by pome of the, passengers that the fogseeme4vto have become, denser ahead, ' and.." that .it. seemed*' to be thicker m ti patches. Very soon : aftei*;y ; the engine^ ,- room telegraph was. hpard, land a* fracl tion of a second later -j.the^ ..began a 1 rapid .series of buni^s, and; tsi£ steamer stopped. Then as their, eyes became accustomed to the con^itio-^,,^ people saw rooks ahead aijid ; o.ii ..^th-jtiowa. I "■". ve*se,l I The engines wer& p-iib^a^^hfethen ,1 stopped, 'then astf-jrv*. ( 9fl^, : i^i>,XJpjpny repetitions .showed' that this process "wa.* vain. It was just possible to see through r the fog that the ship was head-on to a „ rooky coast line, and that on the star- \ x board side were a number, .of ugly pin;l nacle rocks. On the-other^ide -was a flat n ledge of r 'rtick, 'so -close to the shore that t if necessary a landing could have been i made Jn : 'that -direction witlv a minimum „ of trouble.' P The ---vessel was hard' and fast. Her own engines could not move her, and s t.be tide was falling fast, so that those on B board [ qiiickly reconciled -themselves to _ a long >vai,t for relief,;;.... „,.,. „ , By apd ; by, > there appeared for a, moment;as.,the fog;U£ted,.the,hazy. figure of a man standing out oil- the rocks, and he was promptly ... hailed for .information. ' ' 'Orongqrqngo'" .-*• w^s : • liis - reply,, and proniptly this was interpreted as .VRiddi- '" ford's. 'StatJoniV:^ '">•:■: i'- X- ■ * ■•" . ' " J , PA^S^NCIERS PROMENADE. !~ As the Mararoft lay firmly . upon a perfectly even!. keel,- most of- the <passengers c fell to the Ipromenifiding . with, which they 0 had ; .to ibe^iiile tlijsr^eater-ipart of the day. .The jpassengers,' maintahied a^ most ; complacentj'iatfci.tude.. throughout, and. .tl^ absence'^ or. -bus-tie and. r e^c'i''tement :was , very, mam f est, even at the first, when j tl» ship* was- shrouded in^d 61 ?? 86 ' f°g an^ V her. position- wasVjjquita unkuown. / ,l 'The f^rst '-"fagn q|. operaiioljs -on board was thej prep{U'ati|n pf a k'edge apchor, which. waj^i,taKe > n.. \astern m. a "boat a n( i dropped', to , present 'the ship ..'svvinging g- broadside , on .to^.^hß-^oi^/'.-r-'-This, workoccupied some lime, -.r,.- „ ■■-.'-■■-■■ I 1 ..., •,•,..; ; A^uaaEH coast. , „ .. ,| [ Gradually tlie Jpg -lifted and showedv up.-the rocky coap.t r .andthe ; massive hills, I "which, "at the, time, of the. stranding, " liadv : the misjb its peculiar .patchy " appearance. .Still -nothing IWas done; to " . ej3lighteii the passeitgers, as] to what was--1 ts : jtj'a 4°n"e.; for'tliemV Some brought tljtelj: luggage .on deck, others bewailed the? lack; of foresight that j' had allowed them to *-. confign 'their-., chattels to the hold,; a! mysterious '.caverm'- which .they pictured ; yividly as, full, of .deep,, and swirling; waters on which their posses,sip*ts:.^pate<?,. , 4ct-ual]yj. the ' Mararoa , made scarcely any .watei'^ m spite. of -her » long captivity, oil. ttej reef. .> -.: „ ' Abouli eleven o'clock the Monowai ap"peared to the eputhw-ard, an^, soon she |. 'w' as, Vf airly near. , Naturally, everyone expected to be . transferred'; £o. the and sent, ' without ; delay to, Wellington, and more ! was brought up on deck. „The ' nexL move wafl.;that one .of the Mpnowai's bqats, was/lowered and an officer came on board the Mararoa, bringing a : coil, of rope.-,. Then the passengers, . for ' the first time, i heard what; their, move- ': ments were, likely ,to;be. .The Slonqwai's officer y was publicly told that the pas-. nengers were, to .be transferreli: to ,-his ; ship. . . , ; •• . • V -. j LUNCHEON SERVED, , ' About, -noon - the^Umon-^ Company's • small tug Natone capie ih view, and ex- ; pecfcatioA of an early departure rose high , ; but the luncheqn^beli - intervened i and Avhat, m the , circumstances, was a .very good meal, was served. After *i*-n.ch, r however^ a commehcemerit was made with the transhipment. V • The Natone |towed five of the MonoWai's boats ad'oss* .to;'the Mararoa, a ladder was placed m; a : coal port on -the. Mararoa's side r and a ', staging fthro\vn. out, yand'. the* slow- pro-: ' gr-osa. of 'disembarking 'began. '„4 .< ■• Womejv and (Jliildren -were, of course,. ' taken fiijst. fThcre:.were many of them. [ -Some Wei'e very elderly, somevei-y young and mahy had iqddling ,cHl^re;ii. with ; them, i'hevwork :.qf vgettingyithem iirto^ ' the boats. was, . therefore,; slow ya.i'yJ. diffi-l cult. ' and. was nbt'.*nade .easiei-;'iDy,.tha fact that thohe who got ip; first had to cros-ii over .into another .-/J" pat- lying be-. 1 yond the first. '.. Later^i/bo-sun'i-i chair was rigged and the I Tpi-ocieiss .was made fa?iter and, more comfortable. x .:■■... . When; at last the five=; boats had been filled, three o* them ! W^re twedvofi .by '.the Natone. The other two y for ., some! reason yf-ere left behind' and j with two seamen m. eaQh^Vy* ere J ; l^°P,^ '> to, the Monowai. , »• . Meanwhile the rest of. the •passengers. i-emaivWd 1 on bpald ah'd' hot till 4.30 did vthQ\Moi|owai.cpjme - back to; her position ; avid " the^ato*die*s"!)rih£s^;;back the .heats. , ". XX: Si^AGE TUGy ARRIVES, v ■ '.The^|snion '-.Gompany'.s:: salvjage tug J Te^awhttiiKad By ; thk time iai'iived, with : aVßilvage party., Most of the Mararoa"s company;, stewards included, were pressJ ,e<i.into Service and all; preparations made: for a to,w when the tide should serve. . . When- all wa^ ip readiness,, the .Mararoa's engines were put full speed astern' and just as the lest of the, passengers, were getting into, the boats,' triumphant - whistle 'blasts./ proclaimed '■• a rapid, siuc-' .. ce.^s. '!Hie t : Mararoa floated, once '.more; , free, and proceeded .to back pht. Unfortunately . her. '. troubles .were not . yet. .over. The hawser on the kedge waa caught m the,- propeller and thoroughly \ fouUd. i\ and the. Mararoa was a cripple. • She Was towed- ijito • by . the ,^two. 'tugs and. Jay m the "stream .until thi^ T ' mo.rning> when she was berthed at the' ferry wharf, i .A RUGGED. COAST LINE, ;' Taurakirae ■ Head, wheris the Mararoa. ■-.truck, sis at the entnanos of . Palliser • Bay, and is five miles irom Pencarrow ': Head,, which i & . the.enti*aUce*to /Welling-. 1 ton Harbor. Vessels from Lytteltqn to WelHng'ion , pass five* mile? off. Taurakirae. Head, and',; vessels. from the North pass ■ ;t\vo milesL oB the point; ,It is a, %ld headland; and shows 1 three- r i qdarters-of.ra-mile.i put Irona )it f /. v ßfthind ; ri^e.'the.V hills -which' gxad«aWy. nwHi.a. height Qf 3425|t,;:where /^the ; Rim\itaka ; mountains begin. Vessels .making . Wjeli lingtqn from Lyttelton have the current, on 'theirf beam, which though, niarked on thechart-as 1 to 3 knots,. :of ten. attains • a.apeedjof 7 to 8 knots, .especiallvi after ; t a s6uth t east .or a north-Afest . gaje,' ar^d vessel making Wellington would !g.et'.the/ , full effects:. Of :the tide. The yicinitv is. frequently, visited by heavy .fogs, which, give the master of a vessel. UiO .chance to qheck how the current' is ruittling. At i' Pericarrow Heads the Devon w£s wrecked > and. 12 ,miies . from where the, Mararoa struck ij.- Tom's Roqk, Avhere the I^epguin vas : wrecked owing tcK the, heavy experienced. . - *,' T „' U^^ .... =HI^T©RY OF THE VESSEt, , The. >j»raroa was built;, m 4885 by , Me^rs- Denny-Brothers, at |)un>b^rton. Her first 'permanent run was in i: the San FrandiscoiAtickfahd-^ydney service, . and, afterwards she <was- usad. m .the^Sydney-Aucklanicl-D.unedin service. Tlje Mararoa was/ always a-.good steaming -vessel, x and made*:f ome good records between Sydney and .Auckland., • j, Ip. fact, right throughi. her;. '.career he F ;r engines have been a credit to tlie erigiheers tliat built them. J^hen- uhe- was cleaned she: couLdj always ;rup. . the vsatne/ -speed asi she; did ..j, on her trial trip!. 'So. mitcli was thought ; . of hoy -speed. |hat m; 1900^ . .*when .thoi " Oceanioi. S,S.. had ;th,e i Sierj*a and .Sonoma built ior -the-. Sari wFraricisco service, f>a, rmb w#|9.aiTange.(i from,Au^klaiid';* Iq Sydnejt. ; betv^ebn, Sonomay and the | Mararoa. , , i*oa waa t*ieir).-,.,*)|^^ years-, ;-.pld' , . : .and- ."he. Sonoma "ku^Jt for' was (beaten by onlyst^eh hOurs.vt"|n .thf6- .ru.nf:W..|!lyd.'- /- ney. Gr^ii 'inter^t-jWas-i.t^keii.* m;; it-he „ race m America, New; Zeal^iidi and Aus- ■ f 1 .i'|-*l ■■••■A'?* * 4-' " ;^;"' ; '■•';'i I .y-i'.' ■■

-~o~»-»m^.-». „» f.ui».| iMMMWWW— —HUH I »■■«»»< , tralia. Owing- to . the Ma.raroa not l-e---_ing a godd .cargo vessel she was y'taken oft the 'Sydney run and.Vwas "iteedf|3r relieving -on the ferry service between Wellington "and 1 Lyt'telton : ? .'uriti) , the Wahine was 'taken' over by the Goverri'rnent; • After tliat' -tlie Mararoa has been | continuously ih tho'.-ferry; service. .She has a tonnage of '^ls9B tons" gross "aiid 138L,t0n9 net, ■ Her length' is 350 ft, beam 42ft„..arid, draught .^fij. and'Sho is- classed- 100 r Al at Lloyd's. ...