CAUSE NOT EXPLAINED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16914, 1 April 1929, Page 7

CAUSE NOT EXPLAINED

SINKING OF THE SELJE KAITUNA MUCH DAMAGED .Elec. Tel. Copvrteht—United Press Assn.i MELBOURNE, March 31. The.Kaituna reached port on Saturday night with her bows badly stove in and shipping seas in the forward tanks. The crew of the Norwegian steamer Sclje, which sank at 10 o'clock on Friday night, were aboard. i A man named Kcyes, a member of the Sol jo's crew, stated that, when he reached the deck after the crash, he found the Kaituna's nose pushed halfway through* 1 the bigger ship at number six hatch. The water was rushing in at a great rate, so the crew took to the boats. Captain Endresen and the wireless operator, Osbjornsen, were the last to leave the ship and had to jump for it, the wireless operator being a quarter of an hour in the shark-infested water beiore being picked up. The Selje sank 25 minutes after being struck. There was no explosion. The ship carried 114,000 bags of wheat. When questioned last night, Captain Endreson declined to indicate the cause of the collision. He said the visibility was good. He saw the Kaituna, but was not prepared to say from what direction she came or why she struck his ship. | Tho master of the Kaituna, which was en route from Adelaide to Auckland and New Plymouth, declined to say anything. So far as could be ascertained, the night was clear. The Kaituna must have come down on to the Selje from the top of a wave. Her own bows were so badly damaged that she probably would have sunk if the forward tanks had not been promptly pumped out, tho lifting of the forcpeak enabling collision mats to be placed over the gaping holes. Several ships answered her calls, but, when they arrived, the crew had the ship's safety assured.