THE MISSING WARATAH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXI, Issue 9699, 2 November 1909, Page 5

THE MISSING WARATAH.

CAPTAIN BRUCE'S REPORT

EXPLOSIONS IMPROBABLE

Press Association—Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received To-day. at 5.6 a.m.) LONDON, Last Night. The Times states that Lloyd's at first determined not to publish the fuller report of Captain Bruce of the s.s. Harlow, owing to lack of substantiation, but private perusals aroused conjectures justifying its publication. A critical examination shows that if all was well, the Waratah was 11)0 miles from Cape Hermes wheu the Harlow's captain saw the explosiou, but if the outbreak of fire occurred duriug the day the captain of the Waratah would undoubtedly havo re-traced his course, huggiug the coast iv order to beach the steamer and laud the passengers. This would explain the Clan Maclutyre aud Harlow sighting her, though not the Guelph's observations.

Those disbelieving Captaiu Bruce's narrative argue that if tiie burning Waratah retraced her course she should have beeu sighted by the Clau Maclutyre, which had beeu passed bound from Durban, earlier.

The Times adds: "If the explosions occurred ouly three miles off Cape Hermes it was strauge that nothing was heard at the lighthouse or that no wreckage was fouud." The Times repeats the statement that owing to the difference of opinion between the captaiu and officers as to whether what the captain of the Harlow saw was bush fires, aud owing to inquiries at Durban failing to show that auy ship was overdue, the captain of the Harlow did not roport what he had seen till he heard that the Waratah

was overdue,