PATEA BOAT IN A LONE, LONB PORT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 398, 6 January 1909, Page 2

PATEA BOAT IN A LONE, LONB PORT.

v. ■'■'-..;■ CALLS, AT WAXPISCH BAY V :- .\'-'y- ','''-.- ' "- CAPTAIN DIXON'S IMPRESSIONS. ;,:;'.' Perhaps lor the nrst time on a Naff Zealand steamer has called.at Walfiseh. Bay.•"-.■ In; the course of ..conversation yesterday with .■-■:• one of The ■' Dominion's representatives, Captain ' Dixon, of the steamer Arapawa,-referred to his visit to this lone little spot of British territory on the south-west; cbast of, Africa, attached to Cape Colony.- The Arapaiya, which ihas 'just'■■ ■■"'■ been built for the Patea Shipping; Company. - met south-easterly gales.; after-leaving Teneriffe," . and made such slow progress that it was decided to put'into Walfisch Bay.: A stay, of'fite" days was'made at'the'port, and bunkers-were :~ .replenished. During the time the '.vessel .was' -''■ delayed there.by the heavy.weather^the-crew-' were able to look .round "this isolated icoalihif- ■■■■;■ '"■ '•'•'■' ■■■• •>•- •';■. 'i; :if y^&: : - "Very few ships in their ordinary ; tredTjig'"J;V call at .Walfisch Bay," said Captain Dii6n.V'<n #; is a splendidly sheltered harbqur, provides: good-' •"",.:'■ anchorage, and:could easily accommodate;the:':'• : vessels of an entire: fleet.' : There'-'is.'a"good..-;" wharf, and big iron-lighters are.used-to"cbaV v: ' .' the warship's. -, - .-■-.'.::•. or-. -..;;.- r • '!^ ne British flag flies over thirteen squwe ••'' miles at-Walfisch Bay. The total white popula-. tion numbers about' 23,": but there are a good: many natives, mostly. Hottentots.. The placeis '■ : : almost entirely of • vegetation;, it is sand,, sand-sand"everywhere.'- The people have-to ' - ■ use condensed sea-water for-domestic--pur-: poses, and,, although from its situation.'• 'the ''' climate is hot, Walfiseh Bay is-very'h'ealtliy..' Host of tne whites hold official, positions; there are a magistrate, two policemen, an engineer, and a doctor. Besides these, and their wives, the only other, white, people, are .engaged,- ono:: as a missionary and .two as storekeepers.-. Stores- '<-'- are landed every three weeks."- . ; .', : .. ;. /,-:'.: '".' ,-" While f the ..vessel :wa's there," continued Jhe; *' • captain, "we saw an enormous number' v 6f-'-'V whales sporting in the' bay; ' The place" is torious for, its whales, and I may, : say that--' never before'in'my life'had I seen-so many'at « one time." 1 v'>-'- ■:-. . ..-:-..: ./''im:-!-::-,:.--. ~:cr-. .. It was; cabled a month' ago that ac uhsuccess^::i• ful attempt, had. been made to secure-Walfisoh,- -i Bay ..permanently for Germany. - .■■ The/: cabla ' '• - : ' : stated,, inter. alia, that-',"Germany,': offered M .'■£'.'■ . return a:concession to a British. company'ftb -~ ; - : construct a. railway linking up-;the'.Ge^maa^ , "■•' South-West. African lines; with the Johannesburg system.: Had tiie offer : been .cepted,- Johannesburg-'•• would■•■have 'been 1 cbn-' '•- nected'by railway-.-with Walfiseh' Bay; the dis-" tance being only ..one-half the distance-, fronts' Johannesburg.; toi Capetown. •. Mr. J. ■ X: : iMerri- - ":■■ - ; man =:■(Premier,-: of;-'. Cape Colony) ■: and i General "'-> Botha (Premier of- the .-Transvaal), resented -tha. >•:,-■: overtures' of. Herr. .Dernburg (Director of Colo- ■"'-•>' mat. Affairs -in. Germany), whibhY.were'.made'-!'-';" without -the. knowledge- of the Imperial Govern^ '" : f. pent."'. ':.[,;_-■; .. ■'.'.-• '.'■•' •'• '■;.'/■—-. ■?.'■.-■ '■':■:-■■■■■■ ■ , When.- this;' was. mentioned; ''Captain': 1 Diioirremarked that. Walfiseh ,'Bay was the Only "good- J - ; harbour about''.that; -part' :of." the' ; 'cbast, ?and >yi there-was not another between itand further, Captain Dixon stated -that" tms'iwas'O-V to. South-West. Africa,,, and had. beeh'-s« kept open :by Great;' Britain to- be'.used:-as (a'"---* coahng-stationi.--If-a. railway; .were -connected-. -*- with thecoast at this part,-Walfiseh-Bay would" ■'.' certainly; go, ahead, .but, under the conditions ; -''■'-- which the. cable stated were imposed,''the ba'y.'V would .then belong- to ; Germany. : ,-:lf ,suoh'a ! ''' transaction was- carried out, British.-resident!' V would-nOt have quite the]same protfetidi'■':as "' :i; ' they possessed,now,-.with the Union Jack ; flying,' :-: ' \