A GREAT VOYAGE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13728, 19 October 1908, Page 7

A GREAT VOYAGE.

o AN Of'KAX HKCOItI). I'IUNVK AS STOKKIi. After h-r r.conl ttin ai-ros* the Atlantic, tin- Indomitable was an object of \vondnanil aiiinit.itinn all the ~-a-farinjj folk ,-is*.-nibled at (.'owe*. Th-- s crrtv ohvrv.il regarding her construction wh.-n cli.- wa< on tlie .-ttnTii in tin- Civile yar.l is now r.i-allvd iv ill iviiewcd inteiei.t. fur hei lar.-*t iun throw* n>-w light ~n the putpos<of :hat *et-i.iv. Although h-t average *p<-. .1 from Que bee to K.i-tne: »;i< only about 77. knots, anil that (tir the full journey to ('owes «.:ill Io«.-, liv nearly two knot.. i„ r ikmh «|n«-fl ;«-»t woik« on; mm h be! ter i''-ikonr«l from land to latui from South Point. IU-lle lil'-. to Land* Knd -the iiti; «er» average wotk« out at 24.8 knot*, whiih i» a re.-ord for war-hi|n ami m al n»o»t •*ijual to th** arhi.v.-nieni s of ot*-an gl.yhouri.i* ltk«* :he Lu«i:ania and 'lie Manretanin In fai t, at •m«- Jtage of the voyage the i ruiser excelled the bi»t work of th»«- liiHt». 'or >h- strained a '- >h>ra'«- of 2h.4 knot* tor four houir.. It I. It I "it AI. CuNSlMI'TitiV. Th- chief impi-**ion moir on \|*r!a;'.t> oik- whih wouhl have delighteil the l.ratt »"• i Mr Samuel I'lim-01l «a* that thf Itnlomit.ihlr'" walei lili- :s 6l! o r 7fi higli* r than w *h- hft (Quebec -ii ii.lV* .Igo. I'll- . OUslllllp'.oil ill ;► -.1 tot,, of ii.ai. whiih »he bunkered a: IJue Iki . ha* lf«vnf'l her di-plac«-meri: lo tint etunt. making hrl look liwe at; o».«uii -ramp aft' r d»i ha: iln car^o.

I The next thing that struck one on a near view of the colossal cruiser -were the airv stur-l : ke devices adjusted between ner "masts, the wireless telegraphy apparatus which has kept the Indomitable in constant touch with the Admiralty from either I the American or the British side ever I since she cleared the .Straits of Belle Isle, and thus escaped '.lie dangers of fogs and icebergs. One of these floating icebergs, which sugges:ed a transference of the Arctic legiou* to the mouth of the St. Lawrence. seemed to rise 300 feet out of the sea. and was computed to weigh twenty million tons. THE PW.VCE IX THE STOKEHOLD. To-day the Indomitable has lost th = most distinguished member of her c-rew The Prince of Wales, who for a orir period acted as a stoker —and enjoyed tho experience—left this morning, and too c up his quarters on boaid the Royal vac! > Victoria and Albert. If any ofticer . seaman of the Ind'mitable were asked hiv opinion of the Prince. the frank and democratic answer would be. "tie's a jolly good fellow and a fine sailor." Throughout the voyage hi.. Royal Highness, who held the rank of an admiral, enjoved himself thotoughly, and was in the best of health and spirits. As a tried sailorman, in stomach, mind, and hear;, he took the keenest interest in all the details of the working of the beautifullybuilt, powerfully engined, and brilliantly liandled "battleship-cruiser."

So keen was his concern and interest that, as I have said, he- went down into the stokehold and acted as~a stoker. His turn of duty lasted for half an hour, and I leani that in that titjiev' besides putting into one of the furnaces many shovefuls of coal, he did his shicre of the try'ng work of extracting "slag"' and "clinkers." His Royal Highness went down into the stokehold wearing a uniform and looking ns clean and fresh as if he had just come from bis morning " tuk." Whsai be reached ileck again be ivao, in ino words of one who saw him. "as black as a nigger." DISTINGUISHED CO ALHF. AVERS. The sp'rit of comradeship which animated the Prince in this enterprise was shared to some extent by the members of his suite. Although they did not actually help in the stoking work, they assisted in transporting the coal from the bunkers to the hold. The names of this distinguished company of " coal-heavers" were Lord Annalv. Lieut.-Colonel Sir .Arthur B-gge (the Prince's private secretary I, .r Francis Hopwood, and Captain —oitfrty Faussett, R.X., who. ii memory ser\es me right, was commanding otticer of Ophir in which the Prince and Princess of Wales made their tour of the world. The action erf the Prince and the members of his suite in taking on themselves tbis work was no mere : dh- freak intended to relieve the tediuin of the voyage. It was a serious undertaking, and was matie in response to a call for volunteers. Everyone on the Indomitable was anxious about the record, and the l'rinc-e of Wales was the lirst to utf<-i his scivice;. But the Prince of WaUu showed >nat he had a miud to study as well as stomach to endure, and on the way out ae spent much of his time in and in leading works referring to the e,.ny titstory ot Canada, as may have bven gathered II out his «<-11-;nlormed speeches ;u Vilebee. f In other ie>j>ectf> t|ie Prince showed Ills great ItKirig lor the profession to wlncit he was trained. Laot Sunday he din»-u n the olticers' wardrooul. and before he parted -with tne Indomitable lie pie*eiite<i most of the ollicers with souveniis ol the voyage, besides leaving a sum of money to be distributed amongst the men. LAND-TO-LAND SPEED.

It has been stated that the Indomi table's average speed was 20.13 kr.oto, butwhile that is correct as originally announced, the effect of a commaud given by tlie King ui-day is to reduce that average for the purpose of the official record. The King's command was that tbe bpeed ol the indomitable should be returned "from land to land." In other wordn, his Majesty ordered that the tecoid nhould be made, not from Quel>ec to Cowe«, nor from Quebec to Fastnet, nor from Belle Isle to % itnei, but from South Point, Belle Isle, to Land's End. The effect of thin order was to reducs the average by some points. The Indomitable left Quebec early in the morning, and it was then the hops aud ambition of her commander. Captain H. (J. King-Hall, and his staff, to <lroj> anchor at (.'owtr> i-ix days later. This was ait extraordinary act of prevision; and remind* one of Sir Garnet. WolseU v op ning the map of Egypt before leaving London to crush the rebellion of Arabi.

"Theie." hts taiil, pointing to 'IVI Kf Kebir. "on September 17 n«-xt, 1 shall engage Arabi, ami defeat him " : and lir kept hie. wold. Hut t lit- captain of I lit indomitable was more the victim of oil cumbtanuv, e.«"i*-ci;dly of .uiv.'iw- iidir>. Apart from the cruiser's mord-making spin acrosb til*- Atlantic fch«* ha* giwn complete f,ati.-faction in every way. ami even higher things uiav lit- ex|mttd of her when bh« nettles down into her professional pace*. The First I.ord of the Admiralty in forms Mr iiellaitb that tin- practical t.»t .vrved by the Indomitable being sub jected to 'the c.ti.l in of lacing'' aciix<* the Atlantic i» that of an t-nduianie te t at high *i*-vd. \\ •• all know now how W.-II sh'- h:n, stood th>- let while titling up new t.jn~ d lecoi'iN. For a genuine of • 'iigm< > tlit- 1 .-a t iiinlit jtuiN uvir ar- exacting a* toii'd liav- li.cn di'siied. and the Indomii..!<!»■ har. pmved h-i-lf ill a head s-a M.-ady a» if fhr- w.ic at anrhor. C'oiiiiMan.lci Km;; Mall. l ap tain W.bter. navigating ojli't-1. and tinKngin—1 {'oinmaiider Ay.-i* aiv iuiuitMi»"iv proud of til,- ai hi- Y* lli< lit > ..! ilir.t li.au xiful v.f^l.