A TRIP TO ENGLAND

Waikato Times, Volume 84, Issue 13212, 30 June 1915, Page 7

A TRIP TO ENGLAND

LETTER FROM MR ISAAC COATES.

To the Editor. Sir, —As I promised some of my New Zealand friends that I would send them a short account of .my trip to England pet the New Zealand Shipping Company's s.s. Rotorua, which left Wellington, April Sth last, with your permission 1 will do so through your column. The Rotorua left a full ship both as regards cargo and passengars. and several passengers who intended going second-class had to be content with a berth in the third, an the second was quite full several days before'sailing, for amongst the others were 51 nurses, while the accommodation in the second-class does not exceed 100. Ihe third ha 3 nearly that many, and there were about 230 passengers in the three classes. For the first few dqys the weather was fine, and the sea smooth, but before the we§k was out—for of course we had two Fridays both called April Bth—the vessel began shipping some heavy seas, and many of the passengers did not attend at the table for their meals. After about a week, during which we had made south a good deal, the wind seemed to con:e from the vicinity of the South Pole, so that we had it very cold. We got round the Horn at about 6.30 south, but the sea before we got to the Horn had become smooth again. The country around the Horn looked very bleak and broken, and covered with snow. We had done 15 days of bleak miserable weather, and never saw anvthing bigger than a sea bird. From the Horn it took us five days, mostly fine weather, to reach Monte Video, at which place we stayed about 23 hours, and discharged about 100 tons of apples, and took on a large quantity of tinned beef, also about 1500 tons of coal, and over 60 passengers, all of which had to content to travel third-class. Amongst the passengers was Mr William Breckon, who at one time was a driver on the New Zealand Railways, and he it was who drove the first engine over the Funiu bridge to the King Country with the late Mr Ballance on board. Mr Breckon has been engine driver in the Argentine for over 20 years and has done well. He is now an inspector of locomotives, and has been granted six months leave ef absence on full pay, and expects to retire on his pension of some £SOO per annum next year. The climate seems to have agreed with him, for he has got very much stouter than he was when he drove the contractor's engine for me on behalf of the Railway Department in 1886. From Monte Video to Rio de Janeiro it took five days. Here we discharged nearly 100 tons of New Zealand apples, but I noticed that a greater loss and waste of apples took place here than at Monte Video. As the Portuguese do not seem to handle the cases with much care, many cases were broken. I think, through carelessness, and apples were being trod upn by the men working in the hold. The apples seemed to' have kept well, and were well packed in tissue paper. From Rio to Teneriffe took us about eleven days, and although in the tropics nearly all the way we had a nice head wind, so that it was not so very hot—in fact it was a pleasant passage all through the topics. Here we first heard of the loss of the Lusitania, with the great loss of life, and I need not sav that it caused a lot of anxiety amongst the passengers, as they said that if the Lusitania could be torpedoed with her speed, how could we escape travelling little more tha>i half her speed? However, our captain took no n'sks, for we had special boat drill and every passenger was twice ordered to muster on the saloon deck with their liifebelts on, and we were told what to do in case the vessel was struck. Twelve of the bo&tj were lowered level with the decks. Each of the boats were to take about 40, while the women and children had to be got away first. The two guns mounted at the stern were manned night and day for the last ew days, and each gun had an expert gunner, while about 40 of the passengers volunteered to do night watch, and, of course, during the daytime a good watch was kept. The sea being smooth a periscope could have been seen over 700 yards away, and judging by the results of practice at dummies put overboard, I think a periscope could have been hit at 600 yards. On the morning of the fourth day after leaving Teneriffe we arrived safe and sound at Plymouth, where we all disembarked, and most of us were in London by about 5 p.m., landing at Paddington Station. My old friend, Mr C. Birch, who only left New Zealand in March, was at the station to meet us. I think London is as busy as it was before the war—it seems that every vessel that arrives in England brings more people wishing to join the army. Our vessel brought at least 40 who wished to join, among others were quite a lot fron. South America.—l am, etc., ISAAC COATES. 10 Caxton road, Shepherd's Bush, London W., May 24th, 1915.