PORT OF BLUFF.

Southland Times, Issue 20539, 16 July 1928, Page 2

PORT OF BLUFF.

ARRIVED. —Sunday, July 15.—• Karetu s.s. (Captain G. M. Ruxton) 3210 tons from Sydney direct at 12.20 p.m VESSELS IN PORT. Karetu s.s. Kurow s.s. EXPECTED ARRIVALS. Northumberland, Liverpool, July 18. Willesden, Juan de Nova, July 22. W’aikouaiti, Melbourne, July 23. Karetu, Oamaru, July 24. Paua, Wellington, July 24. Rotorua, Wellington, August 1. Port Napier. London, September. Turakina, Liverpool, September 28. Canadian Challenger, Montreal, Octobes 20. Sussex, Calcutta, October. Waitemata, Los Angeles, November 8. Tainui, London, November 28. PROJECTED DEPARTURES. Kurow, Port Craig, to-morrow. Kaponga, Dunedin, to-day. Karetu, Dunedin, to-day. Calm. Dunedin, to-day. Northumberland, New Plymouth, Julj 24. Willesden, Dunedin, July 24. Waikouaiti, Dunedin, July 24. Karetu, Sydney, July 25. Paua, Wellington, July 25. Rotorua, London, August 4. Port Napier. Wellington, September. Turakina, Wellington, September 30. Canadian Challenger, Wellington, October 21. Sussex, Wellington, October. Waitemata, northern ports, November 11. Tainui, Wellington, December 2. GENERAL NOTES. The Oreti which has completed her annual overhaul and survey, is expected to arrive at Invercargill from Dunedin tomorrow. The Karetu sails this evening for Dunedin, Lyttelton and Oamaru and returns to Bluff about the 24th inst. to load for Sydney via Port Craig. Although the Federal Line steamer Northumberland which arrived at Dunedin on Friday might sail to-morrow evening for Bluff, it is probable that she will not clear Dunedin until Wednesday. It is expected that she will remain in port at Bluff for the best part of a week. The Turakina will replace the Somerset which was scheduled to sail from Liverpool on August 18 for Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, Lyttelton and Bluff, being due here on September 28. The Tainui which. sailed from Wellington on the morning of July 4 for Southampton and London via Panama Canal, will load at London on October 10 for Lyttelton, Port Chalmers and Bluff, being due at this port about November 28. The Rotorua which arrived at Wellington on Saturday from Southampton will load at Port Chalmers, Bluff, Timaru, Lyttelton and Wellington. She is due at this port on August 1 and will sail finally from Wellington on August 18. No alteration is advised in the itinerary of the Port Napier which is expected to sail from London on July 18 with general cargo for discharge at Auckland, Port Chalmers and Bluff, being due here about the middle of September. The Shell Company of New Zealand’s coastal tanker Paua which has been discharging a cargo of bulk oil at Auckland, sailed at 4.45 p.m. on Friday for Wellington. She then proceeds to southern ports being.due at Bluff about the 24th inst. The Waitemata is expected to load at Vancouver, San Francisco and Los Angeles in September for New Zealand ports including Bhiff. Leaving Los Angeles in the first week of October she is due at Bluff early in November. Messrs J. E. Watson and Co., announce that the s.s. Willesden from Jtian de Nova is expected to arrive at Bluff on the 22nd inst. The Karetu arrived from Sydney direct about mid-day yesterday. She left Sydney on Thursday last and experienced a rough trip across, a strong south-west swell being experienced. She has a small quantity of cargo—fruit and general—and mails to discharge. She will sail for Dunedin about 7 p.m. to-day. The Kurow which arrived from Dunedin late on Friday afternoon commenced the discharge of her 400 tons of Bluff cargo—sugar and general—on Saturday. She will continue discharging and loading to-day and will proceed to Port Craig to-morrow morning to load timber. With favourable weather she will reach there in 36 hours when she will sail for Dunedin. She will not return to Bluff on this occasion from Port Craig as has been the custom in the past. MARINE JOTTINGS NEW BLUE FUNNEL STEAMER. The newly-established firm of Workman, Clark, Ltd., completed negotiations recently with Messrs Alfred Holt and Co., Liverpool, for the building of a high-class passenger and cargo ship for its Eastern trade. The new vessel will be 470 feet long, with a tonnage of 15,000, and will be propelled by twin-screw Burmeister and Wain engines of the very latest type, and will be laid down in the North Yard as soon as the preliminary arrangements are got through and the material ordered. HEROIC SEA CAPTAIN. A notable record is held by Captain Francis Inch, of the Cunard steamer Valacia, which is now at Auckland. He commanded the Volturna, which met disaster in the Atlantic in 1913 with the loss of nearly 150 lives. The Volturna was en route from Rotterdam to New York, via Halifax, with 800 immigrants and a cargo of super oxide of barium. The rolling of the ship created friction which ignited the cargo, and fire

broke out with a violent explosion on the morning of October 9. Everything on board was wrecked, and many of the passengers were trapped below and sent to an awful death. Attempts were made to get the boats away, but the seas were running so high that it was found to be impossible, and the first two boats lowered were never seen again. In response to the Volturna’s S.O.S. the Carmania and other vessels arrived, but they were unable to do anything on account of the heavy seas. Meanwhile, the Volturna was in an awful plight, with a raging furnace spreading in spite of the efforts of the crew. Darkness came on, and another boat was launched, only to be stove in. An officer and a crew of four remained on board, however, and after a two hours’ battle they won their way to one of the vessels standing by. The fire reached the bridge, and the ship’s magazine blew up with a terrific explosion, which again drove terror into the hearts of the helpless immigrants. It was the coolness of Captain Inch, however, that saved the lives of the remainder.- He ordered all to jump overboard, and they were picked up by the boats of the eleven ships now clustered round the doomed Volturna. A tanker' had arrived on rhe scene, and poured oil on the troubled waters at 8.30 that morning. When everyone was off Captain Inch went over the side, and was taken on board the Kroonland. He was blind with the intense heat, and did not regain his sight for eight days. Captain Inch was rewarded for his bravery with the freedom of the city of London, the freedom of the city of Rotterdam, the freedom of Freemantle, and a silver medal from Llyod’s. “BLACKBIRDING.” Stories of the old-time piracy and kidnapping of natives in the South Seas, to be sold into slavery, are amongst the adventurous yarns told by one of the former pirates himself, an Australian 79 years of age, who has just arrived here from a pleasure cruise in the West Indies (writes the New York correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph). His name is Archibald W. Watson, and he is a college professor now. He declares that in his youth he was a pirate, or “blackbirder.” A price of £lOO was at one time placed on his head, he states. After he went ashore he studied medicine, and for 35 years was a professor of anatomy at Adelaide College, Australia. He says:' “I was born at Adelaide in 1849, and my life at sea began when I was seven. My parents wanted to make a child prodigy of me, but I did not like the idea, so I ran away. I was big for my age, so I did not have an trouble in shipping as an apprentice cook aboard the brig Carl, which was then in Adelaide Harbour. I had no idea she was anything that she should not be, but. I soon found out. We set sail for the Solomon Islands, and the first thing I knew we were ‘blackbirding,’ or kidnapping the unsuspecting natives, to sell into virtual slavery in Peru or the Guianas. They used to come aboard, when we dropped anchor, thinking they could sell us fruit and vegetables. They seemed so happy, but before they knew what it was all about they were down the hold in irons. It was terrible. The poor fellows died like flies. Once we were away from civilization so long that war was started, and we never heard of it. That was the Franco-Prussian War, and it was nearly over before we even learned it had begun. Another time one of the crew was sentenced to be hanged. His name was Frederick Frank, and he had killed the mate in a fit of temper. It was decided to swing the fellow, and a rope was run over the yardarm. Just as the hanging started it began to rain, and the rope stretched so that his feet touched the deck. One of his friends cut him down, and he was smuggled ashore in a bag. I was cook in the vessel until I was 16, and then I managed to jump ship at Tahiti. By that time I had seen enough of the sea, and so I got aboard another brig, which took me to Melbourne. I then decided to begin my education, and went on to Bonn, because I wanted to study in Germany, and it was the only name I could spell. There I met Joseph W. Warren, of Springfield, Massachusetts. He saved me from committing suicide one day when I was feeling despondent.” WITHIN WIRELESS RANGE, The following vessels were expected to be within wireless range over the weekend : Auckland. —For Saturday only: Aorangi. For Saturday and Sunday—Scalaria, Waipahi, Maui Poniare, Ulimaroa, Canadian Challenger, Port Huon, Marama, Tofua. Wellington:—For Saturday only—Maori, Wahine, Tamahine, Ngaio, Taranaki. For Sunday only:—Makura. For Saturday and Sunday—Niagara, Dunedin, Waitemata, Moeraki, Cumberland, Valacia, Paua, Canadian Highlander, Maheno, Willaston. Awarua.—For Saturday only—Makura, Pipiriki. For Saturday and Sunday.—Maunganui, Karetu, Waikouaiti, Tutanekai. Chatham Islands. —Borderer, Huntingdon. TELEGRAPHED REPORTS. COASTAL AND OVERSEAS, (Per United Press Association.) Auckland, July 15. Sailed (Saturday): Canadian Challenger II a.m. for New York; Tofua 11.35 a.m. for Fiji. Arrived (Sunday): Aorangi 3.45 p.m. from Vancouver. Wellington, July 15. Arrivals: (Saturday):—Kaimai 1.30 a.m. from Greymouth; (Sunday), Wahine 6.55 a.m. from Lyttelton; Breeze 3.10 p.m. from Lyttelton; John 3.50 p.m. from Lyttelton. Departures: Rotorua 5.40 p.m. for Lyttelton; Kairanga 6.30 p.m. for Castlecliff. Christchurch, July 15. Arrived (Saturday) : John 4.30 a.m. from Wanganui; Wahine 6.50 a.m. from Wellington; Port Denison 7.15 a.m. from Auckland ; Orepuki 7.45 a.m. from Timaru; Pipiriki 8.50 a.m. from Wellington; (Sunday), Katoa 7.5 a.m. from Timaru; Maori 7.20 a.m. from Wellington; Rotorua 8.20 a.m. from Wellington; Storm 7.40 a.m. from Timaru. Sailed: (Saturday), Calm noon for Bluff; Golden Coast 445 p.m. for San Francisco; Breeze 6.15 p.m. for Wellington; John 6.20 p.m. for Wellington; Wahine 8.25 p.m. for Wellington. Dunedin, July 14. Arrived: (Saturday) Holmdale 10 a.m. from Wellington.