WHERE IS THE PENGUIN?

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12185, 29 March 1909, Page 3

WHERE IS THE PENGUIN?

DANGERS TO NAVIGATION

A correspondent writing to theChrist church "Press" says: Is it not a. particularly sad thing that even a disaster of the magnitude of the wreck of the Penguin cannot shako certaiit heads of departments out of the apathjr that envelops them? If, as suggested,, tho Penguin/ struck the submerged/, schooner Pet, lying possibly on a reef — and from the quantities of timber coming ashore on the set of the current itseems at all events probable that she? .might have done so—what is there to binder the Penguin in her turn becoming a danger to navigation, unless shelias gone "deep down beneath the wave?" Then there is the case of theunknown submerged (or partially so> derelict, supposed to be the Rio Logey sighted off Kaikoura, and evidently floating somewhere in the vicinity of the direct route between Lyttelton and Wellington. Would it not be in the interests of humanity for the Government, the shipping companies, or whoever else it concerns, to unite and charter a vessel to cruise round -till she finds this derelict, and blow her up ojt otherwise dispose of her before we have another of these appalling tragedies F* A .short while ago the area in which to look for her was undoubtedly a limited: one. Suroly even now it is not toolate. Tho set of the tides and currents--must be known to some of bur navigators and scientific,jncn.v";'^J?edple withy .relatives; ,at se^^u^';.^ .inu.clv■"ejjslbrr in their^xnin*6KJ';rt:'s|te3y_>.lcnow that' tliisdanger had fcfeen done uway with. Weall know that two slight attempts to* locate her have bocn made, and that steamers are warned to keep an eyeout for her, but, as in the case of passencer steam:rs making their run at night, there is unfortunately only on© way they aro likely to sight her.

The ''Press" says: If only in jp.sticeto the master of the Penguin we think, an attempt should be made to locate the exact spot whore the steamer cameto grief, and in other ways to cloar upilrs mystory. But r,part from ibis aspect of tho care, we entirely agrea withthe correspondent, who urges that theGovernment have been greatly at fault in not taking more active steps to locate and destroy tr.e derelicts whichhave been reported, and which undoubtedly constitute a serious peril to>navigation. The American Government' spends large sums annually in removing:* derelicts from the broad highway of the Atlantic. Our own Government might at least endeavour to trace out and destroy any' derelict which is supposed to have been sunk in close proximity to the tracks of steamers up and" down our coasts.