TAHITI MYSTERY

Taranaki Daily News, 1 September 1930, Page 7

TAHITI MYSTERY

NEW ASPECT OF DISASTER PENYDRYN'S ‘CAPTAIN’S TALE SHIP’S RACE TO THE RESCUE -TRANSFER OF -PASSENGERS By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Aug. 30. “The Tahiti was on an even keel. I noticed no list, but the vesel was low at the stern. She may have had a list before we arrived, but not when I saw her.” This statement was made by Capt. T. Salvesen, of the Norwegian steamer Penybryn, which arrived in Auckland early this morning witli sugar from Cuba.

“We did very little,” said Captain Salvesen in excellent English. “It is one of those cases where one goes to bed at night as' an ordinary individual and wakes up inLthc morning to find oneself famous. “The Suva papers said that the Tahiti went down at 4.42 p.m.,” confined Captain Salvesen.” To me it seemed impossible that she could sink at that time. I don’t think anybody knows much about it, or why she went down. It is easy to say things after an event. I certainly did not envy Captain Totem with all the passengers and crew he had on boaW. My ship was their safety. She was like an island with food for all, for a time at least, and a place to Test.” “I would prefer to be on a ship like the Penybryn than in a lifeboat. I would know I was safe in any weather. “I did not see the Tahiti sink, I left at 2 p.m. on the day the passengers ■were transferred. Captain Toten left the Tahiti at J .20 p.m. I dared not risk staying on longer, as my bunkers were running out. When I left the Tahiti was in a condition not different to what she appeared to be in all the time I stood by. THE TROUBLE A MYSTERY. “I did not' know what the trouble was. It was not stated in any of the radio messages I received. Nobody seems to know what happened to the vessel or to understand the mishap. I did not know the Tahiti had lost a propeller until I arrived at Suva. “The messages the Penybryn received stated that the holds were flooded and that the Tahiti was sinking. When we received the first radio the weather was bad. We turned round and put on full speed but could not travel as fast as we wished because the Penybryn was dirty, not having been in dock for six months. We were able to do about ten knots. “I figure that I travelled in the race to the Tahiti between 260 and 280 miles in 27 hours. We worked out the position when we received the first message and. reckoned that-we were 180 miles distant from the Tahiti. “It was difficult from the start to find the Tahiti’s exact position, she was drifting so much.. It was a dark night on Sunday when we came into the Tahiti’s vicinity and there was drizzling rain. Wo had fired rockets and when we observed her rockets there was great excitement on board. “We were then 35 miles distant and four hours later wc came up with her. I had come out of the cross trees before this, being thoroughly fed up of looking out. We would get one position in the afternoon and steer for it, and a little later another. It was just a lucky chance that we sighted the rockets and the same may be said for the Ventura, which arrived about 12 hours after us. She came up from the south instead of tlfe north, which shows that she had the same difficulties to contend with. “My greatest surprise on reaching the Tahiti was to find that she had not lowered her boats and I was further surprised that the passengers were not transferred on the night we arrived. We raced to the Tahiti for this purpose. Of course the captain had to be guided by the circumstances and no doubt he did the best in »,the circumstances. He certainly knew more about the Tahiti s condition than I did. BOATS LOWERED FAULTLESSLY. The Penybryn stood by for about 12 hours before the Ventura came up. Half an hour before she arrived the-life-boats were lowered and the passengers placed in them. I was glad I had not been asked to take them on boardI had no accommodation, although I could have fed them all for a few days. The Tahiti’s life-boats were lowered beautifully. I have never before seen so ninny boats lowered so faultlessly. They were placed on the water from both sides, and the passengers were transferred fpm both sides. Light luggage arid mails were also transhipped from port and starboard. The members of the Tahiti’s crew appeared to be weak and over-strained. They had had no rest for many hours and that was the reason for them not making more trips for the luggage and mails. Nobody knows the awful strain that was put upon Captain Toten. He had hundreds of souls on board and did not know when his ship might sink. “I was much amused at the statement that the Ventura had raced across 800 miles of uncharted seas to the rescue. It is laughable. She travelled across the most beautiful and safest portion of the pacific Ocean. There was absolutely no chance of touching any? th in it for hundreds of miles.” Asked if the Penybryn would receive compensation Captain Salvescn answered: “Why should we? The next time may be our turn. We carried out the tradition of the sea and hurried to the scene of the mishap to save life.”