SEA-BORNE MESSAGE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1589, 5 November 1912, Page 9

SEA-BORNE MESSAGE.

FOUND AT KAIPARA, WAS #FKOM THE MANCHESTER What appears to be a genuine message from one of the crew of the missing dredge Manchester, was picked Tip in a bottlo which was washed ashore on the beach at To'Kbpuru, near ICaipara, by JJi'. E. Hope, l on Sunday. The Marine Department received word to this effect from' Mr. D.\ Sarident, .pilot at Kaipara, yesterday. The message in the bottle read as follows:— ; , "April 20.—Dredge Manchester. We Bhall.be all lost if we are not picked up i soon, • •' "LAMBERT." ■ It will bo seen from the list of the crow that there was a fireman named Lambert on I .board the missing vessel. The list 'was. as follow^:—Master, Jas. Downie; chief mate, L. Schultz; second mate, A. Baiter,' chief engineer, J. Sidall; second engineer, A. J. Ayersj,third, engineer, -I. ;W. Crombie; able.seamen, F. Daly, : D. Rogers, 0. liasson, P. Prophet, 0. Augustiri; .F. W. Christie; ordinary seamen, S. ; J.: Gilray'and'.S. Anderson; gteusers, J.-ijhite, A. Bluiidell, and R. W. Aldridge; firemen, H. O'Neill, J. Galbfaith, E. Pitts, C. MDermott, and G. Lambert; steward, J. M'Queeni'cook, If. Wallace. The chief engineer was accompanied by his wife, Mrs.; Sidall, who was, signed on tho articles as stewardess. On reference to the dates of the Manchester's departure from Lyttelton and Wellington to Sydney, it seems that the message must .have. been thrown over* board-when the dredge was sixteen days out.. It was about this time that'anxiety concerning her safety was .becoming general;. Soon, after the dredge left Wellington, vessels v arriving at New Zealand ports.'from Australia, reported experiencing particularly heavy weather, and this lasted for several.days. . - .. . On June 10 a cable message was published which stated that a bottle had been found on the beach at. Thirro'ul, forty miles south of - Sydney, with a noteinside, signed "Jones, fireman on the dredge Manchester." The noto was dated May 24, arid 1 stated that the dredge was then 800 miles south-east of .Lord Howe Islaiid, disabled,- broken , down, and -leaking, and would not last 48 hours.- : The note was believed to be a hoax, as no fireman of the name of Jones was on the .Manchester. . On the present occasion, .however, on tho face of .things, it appears that there is reason to suppose that tho message found on Sunday is a genuine one. . . Several seafaring folk, .when spoken to yesterday, stated that the message itemed genuine enough, but it appeared strange that, if it had been- put .overboard from the • Manchester,' there was no : position given- so that Jiad : it been received -sotirier it. would have' been impossible to have dispatched a vessel speedily to the spot.