A LONG TRIP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6215, 27 June 1898, Page 1

A LONG TRIP.

THE ROTOMAHANA IN A F49S. i PAINFUL SUSPENSE. STEAMERS SENT IN SEARCH. INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE. £Fkou -Gob Cokresi'Onhknt.] WELLINGTON, June 25. If the anxiety felt in Christchurch. and the ■south generally concerning the log-bound Botomahana at all approximated that experienced in Wellington, the friends of those <m board must have had a period of painful suspense, followed by a corresponding sense of relief -when the vessel's saiety was assured. A brief narrative of the voyage will be of interest as showing the slight causes that may produce momentous results at sea, and will prove that the anxious experiences of those .ashore were fully ahared by Captain Manning;' his officers and crew, and: the sixty odd passengers who. were making their way from Lyttelton 'to Wellington' in the erstwhile "" greyhound" of the Union fleet, .whieu has now established records for the'longestpassages northward and southward between the ports named. The gilt effigy of a greyhound still flaunts irom one of the Rotoinaharia's mastheads, but in view of her eighty hours' voyage from Wellington tD Lyttelton fifteen months ago, and of her forty-three hours' trip last week on the northern run, the boastful emblem should be removed. It is not denied that the Rotomahana is still a crack vessel for speed. Her run from Lyttelton on Thursday evening last was accomplished in good time, and despite the fog which prevented land being sighted all the way, she was within twenty miles of Wellington Heads on Friday half an hour before noon.' For an hour or two prior to then she had been going half spesd or slow, and had several times been brought to a stand while her careful commander had soundings taken to make certain that the vessel was not dangerously close in shore. Now was the time of greatest perplexity, for tEe course was being repeatedly altered as well as the speed, while chart and log were closely scanned .and the officers were seen to be in anxious consultation. One of the passengers at this time declared that he saw the smoke of a steamer a short way off, but though others peered keenly through the fog no further' trace of- the reported steamer could be seen. There is little reason to doubt, however, that in a temporary shifting of the fog the warship Tauranga had been sighted, as she .was approaching the heads at that time, and reported on her arrival in Wellington that she had sighted the Rotomahana feeling for the entrance of the harbour. A southern M.H.R. of nautical experience was positive, too, that in alifting.of the fog he saw. the contour, of ' Terawhiti and other. high land near the entrance; but the momentary sight; was unreliabtt Captain Manning and his otiuers, at any rate, were nob satisfied thatthe position* of the vessel was, safe, or-tl.at.it. wasadvisable to attempt to make the for'the order was given to put the ship about and run soxith-east out to sea. The officers. of HM.S. Tauranga saw this change ot course adopted, an! followed the Rotomahana for aome distance, all the time mobserved from the latter vessel, but noticing a break in the fog towards the land, the wai--5 wal again put about and after waiting a while was able to make the port about half-past two. The Rotomahana, meanwhile, Kptsteadily on to the southward and eastward in the teeth of a stiff galo, which SSed ?he vessel to roll and pitch .and strain and creak and rattle in every part, with the Silt that nearly all the passengers were Sessly sick. *All were, however secure in the knowledge that the captain "adjsely Sected to take plenty of sea room md that there was no danger so long a* theie was no breakdown of the machinery. It was well on in the night befoie tne steanS head was once more turned north™ith well-known land-marks to guide her Se "greyhound" asserted herself. Shortly £ envelop the Rotomahana, and render the outlook from her obscure, while at a disStTof a mUe or so it enabled the Tauranga's officers to discern the entrance clearly. While it is probable that by steaming off and on for an hour or so, Captain Manning would have been able to make port on Jm- . day afternoon,- it is recognised that he did the absolutely safe thing in the interesferof his owners and the passengers m heading for the o T pen sea. In the absence of any certain ""indication of the whereabouts of the vessel, he doubtless feared that if he went further in shore he might have got intangled m the rocks of Palliser Bay, before land was sighted. The event has shown that there was no such danger, and that the Rotomabana was all along in a perfectly safe positioTl - ' , ' i i- j The anxious strain on board was relieved by several amusing incidents and humorous sallies. The latter had reference to the probable cause of the unfortunate delay. It was suggested that the "wicked magician," Heller, had raised the.fog to show the power of his Mahatma. On the other hand, it was maintained by a Conservative politician, who recently addressed the Christchurch electors, that there was a political reason for the delay of the steamer. "We are being punished," he said, " for the recent calls to the Legislative Council." Then there was talk of pitching the Jonah overboard, in the person of one of the newlycreated lords, but he pleaded that he could not be two prophets, at once Jonah and Jeremiah, and his "lamentations" saved him. When the Rotomahana reached Wellington, and it was found that two steamers,^ the Takapuna and the Tutanekai, had* gone out in search of her on Saturday morning, and that she had not seen or been sighted by them, the theory was revived that the " wicked magician " was alone responsible for enveloping the "greyhound" in a fog, «o that she was rendered invisible. Now that the adventure is over, the tendency is to make light of it, and to declare that it was not the first time that legislators were •" in a fog " or " completely at sea " ; but there is nio 'doubt that there was ample ground for the uneasiness felt by those ashore. An incident of the trip is that Mr Lambie, the Clmstchurch manager for the Union Steamship Company, came by the Rotomahana, to meet Mrs Lambie here, and accompany her to Lyttelton ; but, owing to the length of the passage, she was home as soon as he arrived in Wellington.

[Pkr Phkss Association.] The Rotomahana, Avas delayed solely by

thick weather. Captain Manning could not pick up the land on Friday, and put the vessel to sea in a south-easterly direction, traversing a zig-zag course all through the night. The weather cleared somewhat yesterday, enabling him to pick up Wellington Heads. The'Takapuna and the Tutanekai, which were sent to search for the overdue vessel, and render assistance in case she had broken down, returned to port early yesterday evening.

When no tidings of the arrival of tlic 'Botomaliana at Wellington had reached Lyttelton on Saturday afternoon, considerable uneasiness was beginning to make itself apparent. It had generally been sup Dosed that, the steamer had taken shelter during the dense fog of Friday night, and 1 it was expected that she would have reached Wellington about noon. Every confidence was felt in the navigation of the steamer, for Captain Manning knows every inch of the coast, . and "is regarded as one of the most cautious of the. many careful captains employed in the coastal trade. '±ne general ■opinion at Lyttelton during Saturday afternoon was that the steamer must have broken down, and when, later in the evening, the news of her safe arrival was telegraphed, there was a general feeling of relief. The long delay in the Koronmhana's passage from ..Lyttejton .£o Wellington caused considerable uneasiness in Christchurch, and when no news of the steamer was received in time for the evening papers, grave apprehensions for her safety were expressed. The newspaper offices and that of the Union Steamship Company were continually telephoned to by anxious inquires. Shortly after five o'clock the welcome news that the vessel had been signalled at Wellington was received, and was quickly disseminated through an extra issued from this office.