MAROONED ON ISLAND

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 184, 6 August 1931, Page 11

MAROONED ON ISLAND

RETURN OF FOUR MEN NO FLOUR FOR NINE MONTHS j LONG AV AIT FOR RELIEI I IN V EEC ARGIL L. A ug. 4. | The steamer Tama tea returned to th* j Bluff yesterday from a trip to the! Campbell Islands and brought back a ) party consisting of Messrs J. Warren,' A. Warren, H. Warren and A. Spence, who have been at the Campbell Islands for periods of from two to four years. As there is no communication by wireless between the islands and the mainland, and no vessel had called for two years, the men had no knowledge of happenings in the Dominion during the last two years. One outstanding event since they went south was the death of Sir Joseph Ward, of which they heard for the first time on the arrival of the Tamatea. Captain Hamilton, owner and master of the Tamatea, described the voyage , as being marked by gales, high seas, snow and fog. On Saturday tho vessel met the hardest gale and highest seas < in Captain Hamilton’s 37 years’ experience. These conditions caused a ■ great deal of delay and he Dad a trying and difficult time before the return was ■ safely accomplished. Diet of Mutton and Tea The party at the Campbell Islands greeted the appearance of the vessel « with extreme thankfulness. There was I an acute shortage of rations, apart from meat. For nearly nine months they had been without bread and vegetables and lived entirely on mutton and tea. Stores left consisted cf tea, salt and matches. Good weather prevailed in Perseverance Harbour while wool from the flock was being loaded by pint on to tho Tamatea and two? seasons’ clip was safely stowed on board in good condition. The dogs belonging to the shepherds were also brought back, and nothing now remains’ on tho island except sheepMessrs 11. Warren am A. Spence, on their arrival here, said a boat should have been sent to their relief as far back as June of last year. They expected that a boat would go south to bring them back and also take down tho necessary provisions for other met) to be left on tho island. Relief Long D Hayed With a shortage of rations, conditions became very bad for the party there. Occasionally fish were caught, forming a welcome, change of diet, but the absence of flour, the last of which ran out on November 1 last, and other necessities was severely felt by the men, their health suffering in consequence. Day by day they expected re lief and all hands became very dispirited as days lengthened into weeks and months without a sign of the vessel. The arrival of the Tamatea was hailed with joy by the party and no time was lost in loading her to start the voyage back to civilisation Messrs Spence and Warren expressed appreciation of the manner in which Captain Hamilton, his mate, engineer and crew did all iu their power to make j the party comfortable on board, and also for the sterling seamanship displayed by the captain and mate in the! worst of weather conditions. Tho i handling of the vessel was a revelation I to the passengers, and the way in j which Captain Hamilton himself stood | up to duty without sleep day and night! in the raging gale, excited the admira | tion of all. The Campbell Islands, which form part of the territory of New Zealand, are about 290 miles to the south from Bluff. They are only about 30 miles in circumference ““