CHANNEL COLLISION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13992, 30 August 1909, Page 7

CHANNEL COLLISION.

MISHAP TO AVHAKATAXE. A Dover message to the London papers of July .3th, says: — A thrill of excitement was caused at Dover on the report being received Unit a" large liner had been in collision in the Channel and was extensively damaged. Immediate steps were taken for sending tug service, and owing to the dense fop which prevailed in the Channel all night and during the greater part of the day. the harbour tugs were in readiness to proceed at once. Several hours elapsed before confirmation cf the occurrence could be obtained, as an extraordinary policy of secrecy was maintained by those who could have given details. To-night, however, I learn that the, liner is the Whakatauc. belonging to the New Zealand Shipping Company, which left the Royal Albeit Dock at 1 o'clock this morning for Auckland, New Zealand, with passengers and mails, and some valuable horses. She is a steel screw steamer of. D,9'.12 tons, built at Newcastle, and registered at Plymouth. The colliding steamer was the French steamer. Circe, of Caen. The collision took place at 0 o'clock this morning, about a mile off Dungencss, which, is the scene of many collisions, such as that of the two Sapphos ( only a fortnight ago, and H.M.S. lilackwater recently. It was not until this" afternoon that news of the occurrence reached Dover. Then, through the thick haze which had succeeded the fog, continuous hlasts from a steamer's siren were heard oIF the port indicating that assistance was needed.

The tugs Liidy C'ruudiiU and Lady. Vita went out at once, and afterwards were such in attendance on a cargo steamer just off the western entrance to the harbour. The strange steamer' (the Circe) was down by the head, and had damage forward, which was partly covered by a sail. Almost at once the Lady Crunrlall proceeded on full steam to the westward. and the Lady Vita: transferred two men, a. woman and child, from the stunner, landed them at the Prince of Wales pier, and proceeded westward. The .Danish salvage vessel Valkyricii, lying at Dover, followed within a tew nuautcs. Those. landed by the Lady Vila included an' officer of the .New Zealand Steamship Company, whilst the luggage of the others bore the company's label, which gave coiour to the repoi is that'a liner had been in collision. In reply to my inquiries the mail stated tha,t they were irom a IScw Zealand liner winch had .been in collision, but that tiuy wcru not in a position to tell me tno name of tiie vessel. Tlie ship s oflicer took the same extraordinary line oi 'declining to give ievui the vessel s name to the Press. Later, however. 1 was able to get from another source a few details ol tin; collision'. Tiic ship left j,oudoii at 1 o'clock this morning, and had a foggv passage down Channel. She was oil Duiigencss about !) o'clock this morning, when she was struck amidships by the French steamer Circe, which was bound up Channel. The damage must have, been considerable judging by the appearance of the vessel nil' Dover to-mgbt. The Circe took oil one officer, and the passengers previously referred to, in order to bring them to Dover, the ship's officer to make arrangements for the salvage, while the other man, 1 understand, is concerned with the valuable stud horses on board the liner. The towing of the liner had to be done slowly and carefully, and when' she arrived off Dover just before 8 o'clock to-night' she 'presented an extraordinary appearance, being very low in the sea astern,' and with quite a flotilla of salvage vessels ill attendance. Three were tow ing her, and one was steering her as she would not answer her helm. The Dover tug Lady Crundall was lashed alongside to use her powerful salvage plant to the best advantage, and was pumping out at the rat* of eight hundred tons an hour. A Hull tug, the Danish salvage steamer Valkyricn anil a tramp steamer were landing by the crippled liner which proved to be the W'hakatane.