OVERDUE CANASTOTA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16461, 24 June 1921, Page 7

OVERDUE CANASTOTA.

TEN DAYS OUT FROM SYDNEY. NO WORD BY WIRELESS. The American steamer Canastota, which left Sydney at 4 p.m. on Monday, dune 13, for Wellington, has not yet arrived, and no word has been heard of her since she left port (says the " Post.”) She should have reached here about last Sunday, and tbo time which has since, elapsed, combined with a complete failure to get into touch with her by wireless, has much anxiety. Since she sailed, the Kaianui from Newcastle, the Westralia. from Melbourne, the Moeraki fjrom Sydney, and other vessels, have crossed the Tasman, hut none of them saw- the Canasvota cr heard any message from her. Since she became overdue, repeated efforts have been made to call her up by wireless. Though no reply has ‘been received, it is of course impossible to tell whether the. calls were heard by her operator. There has been no had weather in the Tasman *Sea since the vessel left Sydney. The Canastota is a twin-screw steamer of 4901 tons. She was built at Glasgow in 1907, and was originally named Falls of Oreby. Her owners, as recorded in Lloyd’s Register, are the Canastota S.S. Co. of Glasgow,, but she now- belongs to the United States and Australasian Steamship Co,, _ of New York ; and she carries an American crew of 38. Her commander is Captain Lockie. The first attempt to call the Canastotn was made last- Saturday, in tlvj shape of an inquiry as to when sho expected to reach port. On \Nodnesdav the ship’s agents (Messrs Dalgety and Go.) sent out a request to all slnps In been a look-out for the steamer and report* to Wellington. . Her owners have also been communicated with by cable, asking whether a search steamer shall be sent out. • Tho Moeraki, which left. Wellington this morning, was instructed to alter her course slightly in keeping a lookout for the overdue steamer. Ihe \\ aitorao left New Plymouth on Tuesday for Newcastle, and the Wailiora 13 due here on Saturday from Newcastle, and both have instructions to try to sight Amalgamated. Wireless, Ltd., as to the possibility of the Canastota being unable to communicate with other ves«(*lh or land stations if her wireless goat wuh in order. Tho New Zealand inanacrer of the coinpanv stated that he did not. know what the Canastota’s equipment was: but if it was a typical American marine set there was little doubt it could be heard at any time, and it certainly could bo heard at night, even if some break-down in the engine-room had made if. necessary to fall hack on the emergency set. The British and Australasian emergency sets are usually of much less power and sending range than the regular equipment, but the typical American outfits include emergency apparatus equal in power to the regular equipment—a much better system considering that when a ship is in trouble she needs as good wireless as possible. If any messages were being sent out from the Canastota he had no doubt that she would ho heard by other ships at sea, or by the Australian or Now Zealand land stations. The steamer came to Sydney direct from New York, and loaded there a quantity of general cargo and cases of benzine, consigned to New York, and left port with her cargo space about half filled. Sho was to load at Wellington about 250 tons of general cargo and 60.000 cases of benzine to be returned to America with that lifted in Sydney.

MAILS ON THE STEAMER.

[Per Press Association-.! WELLINGTON, June 24. The following mails were despatched from Sydney by the Canastota, which left that port on June 13; —For Auckland, fourteen bags and three parcel receptacles; for Wellington, nineteen bags and live parcel receptacles; for other places, thirteen bags and eighteen parcel recep fades.

WARSHIPS TO SEARCH. [Per Press'- Association.! WELLINGTON, June 24. H.M.S. Chatham left Wellington this morning for Auckland, proceeding up the West Coast of the North Island. .She will deviate as far as her coal supplies will allow in order to search for the Canastota. It is understood that H.M.S. Veronica, which is at sea to the northward of New Zealand, will aid in the quest for the missing vessel.