SINKING OF THE TAHITI

Taranaki Daily News, 22 August 1930, Page 13

SINKING OF THE TAHITI

TRAGEDY NARROWLY AVOIDED HEROIC WORK BY THE RESCUERS. VENTURA ARRIVES AT PAGO PAGO. By Telegraph -Press Assn.— Copyright, New York, August 20. A message frow Pago Pago states that upon the arrival of the Ventura the vessel’s chief engineer, Mr. Knudsen, received a large share of the praise for his performance on the long run to the Tahiti during which the ice plant and othpr auxiliary plants were shut down in order to save all the steam for the dash. The passengers and crew of the lahiti were apparently little the woise for their strenuous experience. All were loud in their appreciation of the manner in which the rescue was effected. To those who continued to press Captain Meyer for further details the skipper reiterated his. earlier praise of the Tahiti’s personnel. “Several times Captain Toten. decided. to' pi.it the_ passengers iii the small boats, but his excellent judgment, his knowledge of the sea and of his own vessel, together with a calm, sympathetic but firm control of the... situation kept the passengers and crew from the exposure.” Captain Meyer discounted Iris own part in the thrilling race across 750 miles of uncharted sea to the Tahiti, and praised the excellent seamanship of the British, sailors which, he said, prevented a tragedy. Captain Meyer spoke freely of. the details of. the.' wreck. The port shaft of the Tahiti was carried away at 4.30 p.m. oil Friday, and with it the shaft of the propellor, tearing a hole in the ship and • rupturing the tunnel.. This allowed- the water to rush into ■ numbers three and four holds and the engine-room.

ENGINEER'S HEROIC WORK. .“The: second .assistant-engineer,” said Captain- Meyer, “was washed away from the tunnel door by the rush of water, but by heroic effort closed the door; The engine-room was -flooded, putting the ship in total darkness, with only flashlights to work with and .with the water over lift, deep in the engine-room. “They immediately rigged extra pumps and pumped the water from numbers three and four holds. The stewards assisted with the pumps and with'buckets, and by a great effort the ship was kept afloat. “The Ventura first heard of the Tahiti’s plight at three o’clock on the morning of Friday, When a general call from Suva asked all ships within range to report. We immediately offered to proceed to the assistance of the ship- if wanted, and shortly afterwards we received a request from the manager of the Union Steam Ship line. “We immediately directed our course towards the. Tahiti' at the maximum speed. Strong westerly winds and a heavy swell retarded our progress, but we drove the ship through and sighted the Tahiti at 9.15 o'clock on the Sunday’ morning. The passengers were then trying to put on their life jackets. “We arrived alongside and the Penybryn was standing by to render assistance if necessary, and she assisted with her lifeboats in the transfer of the passengers. We immediately started picking up the passengers and crew, and at 1.30 p.m. all hands were safely aboard the Ventura.”

T-lie passengers speak in glowing terms of the coolness and fortitude of Captain Toten and the heroic efforts of the engineers and all the crew in keeping the ship afloat. The fact that all hands were saved by placing them in the boats without the slightest mishap with the ship rolling in a long swell indicates that splendid seamanship was used.

STORIES OF THE PASSENGERS. APPALLING TRAGEDY PREVENTED. Pago Pago, August 20. The first stories from the passengers of the Tahiti indicated that masterly seamanship, on the part of the captains of the Tahiti and Ventura prevented an appalling disaster. Twice before the Ventura arrived, when there seemed no hope of rescue at hand, Captain Toten gave orders to the passengers to take to the lifeboats.. All aboard the Tahiti were grateful for what appeared to be their deliverance when the freighter Penybryn hove in sight and made her way to a point near the distressed Tahiti, but although she stood by and was willing to succour the disabled and sinking craft- the Penybryn lacked the equipment to transfer the Tahiti’s company. Fear ruled the Tahiti for three days throughout the harrowing experience, and .the passengers were orderly and obedient to the dictates of wiser minds. When rescue came to them the women passengers were the first transferred, then the men, and-finally the crew. When the passengers learned that the Penybryn, which had been the first hope to them, was herself in danger, there was much regret expressed, and questions whether some thing could'- not be done to help the little steamer; which was running short of coal.

VENTURA REACHES PAGO PAGO. The Ventura arrived at Pago : Pago at 1 o’clock this afternoon after completing the rescue of the passengers and crew of the Tahiti. They were greeted in Pago Pago harbour by whistles, sirens and the naval station band. All enthused over the gallant and speedy race against time made by the Ventura through a reef-studded and lonely area of the Pacific. The calm assurance and well-known efficiency of Captain Meyer had considerable effect in sustaining the admirable spirit of calmness and resigned acceptance of the conditions by.the Tahiti passengers and crew and by those ashore anxiously awaiting news of the vessel’s fate. Tills news was available only through the Ventura, which radioed messages to her sister ship Sonoma. The Tofua is calling at Pago Pago on Sunday to lift the crew and passengers. TWO WOMEN FAINT. The most serious and emotional upset of the Tahiti’s rescue seems to have been the fainting, of two women, during the. course of, rescue operations, Stories of the Ventura’s remarkable exploit echoed through Pago Pago to-’ day as she 'sailed away to San Francisco, after making a seven hours’ stop to facilitate handling the survivors. The air lanes were swamped with messages of- thanks and congratulations for Cap

tain Meyer and the crew. A banquet was given to the rescuers and .escued. The first assistant-engineer, Thompson, of the Tahiti, is also hailed as a hero. Every signal station in the harbour spelled out “Well done” in the international code flags as the Ventura approached. Sir Hugh Alien praised the conduct of the ill-fated liner’s crew. None of the passengers, he said, knew of the danger until hours after the propelli shaft broke. He added that the fight to keep the Tahiti alloat and the rescue operations were carried out as if they were drilling. ... Bishop Bennett said the passengers became slightly nervous when a commotion was heard among the crew, but came on deck only to meet smiling officers and stewards, who requested that they should don life-belts. IVlien the lights went out on Saturday night flashlights and a few lanterns served the sleepless . company. Bishop Bennett said there was no uncertainty among the passengers and crew of the Tahiti. All hands were admirable in handling the situation. It was done so well that it seemed to lack direction. Chief Officer Trask, of the Ventura, said that all the boats of the Tahiti were scuttled and the air tanks smashed when the ship did not sink as rapidly as expected. Captain Toten and the ship’s carpenter went aboard her and opened two watertight doors and ran for it. They had time to laugh, however, when the carpenter slipped on the wet, sloping deck, in his scramble back to safety. The Tahiti sank in five minutes.. . ' • .’ •• ■■ " , Captain Toten and his crew .-of ' 149, and 17 of the Tahiti’s passengers, left the Ventura at Pago Pago. DELAY IN NEWS OF POSITION. CRITICISM BY SYDNEY PAPERS. Sydney, August 20. The evening Press in Sydney severely criticises the failure of the Ventura’s master to respond early to the radio queries from Australia regarding the condition and circumstances of the Tahiti’s passengers, whereto the United States Consul here, Mr. Roger Tredwell, points out that the radio station at Pago is owned by the United States Navy Department, and therefore the captain* of the Ventura was not entitled to immediately respond through that station to commercial traffic, but he was able to take command of that station and send emergency messages, which he actually did, announcing the safe rescue of all the passengers and also the fate of the Tahiti’s mails and the fate of the ship. His next duty was to report to the company, and then, doubtless, other radio traffic was dealt with in order of precedence.