THE MISSING WARATAH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXI, Issue 9696, 29 October 1909, Page 5

THE MISSING WARATAH.

lleport of a fire at.se a

Press Association—Electric Telcsraph—Copyri_h\ (Received Last Night, al 9.15 p.m.)

LONDON, Yesterday,

Lloyds have received a detailed account from the captain of the steamer Harlow, previously reported to have sighted the missing Lund liner Waratah, in which he states that the supposed Waratah was sighted six miles off, smoking fiercely; two explosions ■occurred with a few seconds between. The captain only heard of the Waratah being missing a few days before he arrived at Manila, and he assumes that she was returning to Durban. He estimates the Waratah lies in _0 fathoms of water between Cape Hermes and the St. John Kiver.

When the Harlow arrived at Manila, it was reported that the captain had made a statement to the effect that he suited a smoking vessel at halfTOsJjߧ_ou the evening of July 27th— after the Waratah left Durbau for The vessel blew up at S o'clock, but the distance was too great to enable her ideutity to be ascertained. The positiou of the wreck was latitude 31deg 3Sniin south, longitude 29deg oomiu east. The owners of the Lund line stated that the (Jlau Mclutyre reported having sighted the Waratah at halfpast 9 on the morning of July 27th. The approximate position of the vessel was latitude 32deg lTmiu south, lougitude 29deg lTmiu east, a distance of about 51 miles ahead of the positiou of the wreck seeu by the Harlow. The captain of the Harlow suggested that the bottom of the sea in the locality be swept. Tho followiug instructions were cabled from the Loudon office of the ■ h Union-Castle Co. to the commander * of the Sabiue in connection with that vessel's search for the missing s.s. Waratah :—Search the following limits acccordiug to Admiralty chart 74SA : Northern line of bearing from Gordon Bay, latitude 31 to St. Paul's Islaud, longitude 78 east. Southern line from latitude 40 south lougitude 20 east Agulhas, thence to Crozet Islands, thence to St. Paul's Island, subject to anjjlralready exhausted by naval subject to weather couditious. Waratah last seen 15 miles off Bashee river on July 27th. The Waikato, after its breakdowu on June 6th, 1899, in latitude 37.30 south, lougitude 21 east, drifted to 40 ■"»_* south 65 east, and was picked up ou 15th September.