STRANDED LINER.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1748, 13 May 1913, Page 5

STRANDED LINER.

DRIFTING INSHORE. ATTEMPT TO REFLOAT HEft ON SATURDAY. CONFLICTING REPORTS. Tlio position of the strambd lit.ei Indrabarah lias not- undergone any improvement since fcho first grounded oil Saturday morning. Whether the vessel's plight is worst' than originally is a matter oil which tho 'reports to hnn<l last liight differed greatly. Thero scorns little doubt, however, that the Indrabarah now lies much closet- inshore than slip was on Saturday. ,It will bo noted that Mr. Daniels, tKe Union Company's salvage expert, who lias returned to arrange for tiio transport of gear to the seeno of the disaster, takes a ilec-id::dly moro optimistic view of the situation than is contained in the Press Association message from Marlon. The' Postmaster at Bulls telegraphed as follow;; at 5.15 last evening to the secretary, Cv.P.O.' "Indrabarali's position has not improved to-day. Sea, still very high, causing her to rook and como closer in; holds nmniu dry. A strong effort will bo made about Saturday to tow her off.

"A MORE PERILOUS POSITION." J NOW CLOSE ON THE BIiACH. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Marton, Jlay 12, The Indrabarali is now in a moro perilous position. To-day she canio in ft good distance, and is now witliin her own length of the shore. When tho tide is .out and I lie sea normal, .*ho could bo reached on horseback. At high tide tho tea is breaking right over the hull. Tim ship is rolling considerably, and the sea is not subsiding. The crow are still aboard. The Tcrawhiti arrived about i) a.m., but sailed away. Tho chances of towing the ship off are doubtful, but she still has her cargo aboard. Tho beach is sandy, and shelving, and there is a strong undertow. "EVERYTHING IN OUR FAVOUR." GOOD PROSPECTS. OP REFLOATING (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Wanganui, May 12. Arrangements' aro being pushed forward for tho refloating operations in connection, with tho lndraburah, and tho ollicials speak most hopefu.lly of tho attempt to bo made to put the big liner into coinmission again. "The prospects are very bright," said olio official to-night, "and everything ii in our favour. Fortunately, tho ship cnine ill on tho neap tides/ so that tho tides will bo making, and should, assist materially in a successful itoating." Another official to-night said that -in view of the latest information lie had received, he could not understand tho message telegraphed from Marlon, and was disinclined to accept it as accurate. SHIPPING REPRESENTATIVES RETICENT. DIVERSE OPINIONS. (Jly Mcsrapli.-Spcclal Correspondent.' Feildillg, May 12. The Indrabarali has,moved in considerably towards tho shore sinco Saturday. Local settlors, who havo watched the ves sel every day sinco she stranded, all affirm that sho has driftedshorowards by at least two hundred yards. At noon today tlio men aboard could bo plainly seer from "tho beach. Tho shipping represen lalfvos at tho seeno of the stranding colli tinue to adopt a" very reticent attitude, and any information from the scoilo oi 'he disaster is conjecture only. Mr. Daniels, the Union Company s salTage expert from Wellington, visited tho beach this morning, and left again tor Wellington at 1 p.m., in view of tho posBibilities of some salvaging operations being conducted from tho shore. It is understood that a large quantity of tackle will be taken to Bulls to-morrow, and carted to tlio bcac'h, Many of yesterday's visitors to 10 beach had unpleasant experiences on tlm return journey, to . tho main road. Ono part v of seventeen, several of whom were ladies, onlv readied a settler's house at daybreak, after spending tho night in amongst tho sand-hills.

. IN A COMFORTABLE POSITION. MR" DANIELS INTERVIEWED. " Mr. Daniels, salvage expert for tlio Union Steam Ship Company, who left on Pnmliiy afternoon for tlio scene of the indrabarnh wreck, returned, to town. aguin last- evening. AVhcn ' seen by a Domisiok representative last evening, Mr. Daniels had very little to fav. As to Iho vessel's chances of beinp refloated, Mr. Daniels said that, provided the weather conditions moderated, there appeared pro.-peels of having the ship towed oil' -al'ely. When ho let! tin- heaeh yesterday morning, ihere was still a -heavy -en ninninK, Vint, the vessel s position had not altered. Mr. Daniels stated that a number of the crew were still on boaid, and the vessel had steam up. Ihe Union Company's Tcrawhiti had nrrived yesteidav morning, but the state of tho sea prevented her from Rcltms alongside tlifl indrabarah. , , . . . \-sfccil whether in his opinion tlio wlioto of Iho bottom of the vessel was on tlio <anil Mr. Daniels replied in tho aihrnia. tive. 'J'lie vessel, lie said, is quite sound, anil is not: making water. ■Jlr Paniels, in conclusion, -said tliat Die Tndrabarah was iu a comfortable position, and provided (lie wcatner moderate? the likelihood of her beiliß towed ot» is favourable.

WHEtfE THE TERAWHITI WAS. TUG ARRIVES ON THE SCENE. Through the courtesy oi_ Mr. Elliott, Owen Street, ~\ewtown, Tun Dominion* was enabled .to dispatch eight carrier pireons bv the Torawliili to the scene of Die disaster. It was thought that olio of tho birds would arrive homo in timo for -I message to be published on Monday mornini!, but evidently the strong southerly wind and cold weather generally pre- . vented the bird from getting through beforo 10 a.m. yestorday morning. \viian the pigeon did arrive it wo* found that the following message had been dispatched from the Terawhiti on Sunday afternoon. The message read as follows:— . S.S. Terawhiti, 11-5-1."), 3 p.m. Sheltering under Kapili from southerly rale and thick weather. Leaving for Indrabarah :U'> a.m. May 12. Rough trip from Well ingl.~m. ENperlencod exceptionally heavy seas and winds, l'lease / advise manager of Union Company immediately. A message was received from Bulls by Mr. 11. I). Nathan, shipping manager for Messrs. Bnnnatvno and Co., local agent* for the Tyser Line', late yesterday afternoon. statins that the Tcrawhiti had arrived at tho seeno of the mishap. At !).?0 p.m. yesterday a telephone ines. sr.ge was received from Mangaiiui statin? that the wind had dropped and also that I the sea showed signs of decrcasin.;. Captain WnhMrem, of Messrs. John-, ft on and Co.'s steamer Putiki, which'ar-' rived at Wansanui from Foxton at 9.3} p.m. on Sitm-day, reported to his owners that he stood by tho .stranded steamer Indrabarah for one and a ball hours after she struck on Saturday. Captain ITollingsworth reouoslcd Captain Wahlstrom to send immediate assistance. AN OUT-OFTTHTWAY SPOT.

WJIMK't: THE DISASTER OCCUKKIW. ' The spot where ihe Indrabnrah lies is slated !o Ik> about tironfy-five miles soulh of Wniißaiiui. It is difficult to reaeh by land, as there nro 110 roads within four

r 'l five miles, and a. long ~ walk of from four to fiv.e miles over tho saiul is neces- . Kiry to arrive opposite the ship. The "Manawatu Standard" states that two tracks to ■ tlio wreck aro availablo to peoplo visiting the scene. After leaving Bulls the road ito I'arewanui is.taken, .where a road, known as theltaumai ltoad, branches oft'. This, however, is;the'longer track, as when the road .ends 'a.'dreary, walk of about five njiles oyer, heavy sandy country awaits tho' traveller. If tho bightseer should miss the track, tlie walk is lengthened considerably. Furthermore, a swauip has to bo negotiated. The other and shorter way lies through Parewamii, whence, by keeping to the road, tho homestead of Sir. W. A. Anion is reached,' near Scott's Terry. After 'reaching Mr. Anion's house his property is traversed. A dray path denotes tho way. For a good distance over .the fields this can bo negotiated by a motor cyclist or motor-car, but after a couple of miles i'he sand becomes too heavy, and machines have to be abandoned. Thence onwards the road lies 'through heavy sand for a mile •■further, till tho open sea front is reached. From where the track branches into the sea front the wreck lies about a distance of three miles along tho sandy stretch of beach. The vessel, lying , helpless and at the mercy of the elements, ' comes ftito , full view immediately on Teaching tho coast. 'She presents a verj striking figure, smoke belching irom the funnel 'making it apparent that everything is being done to endeavour to get the vessel off, and to keep tho refrigerators going. For miles she is the only sign of life on a desolate foreshore, fringed with belts., of low-lying sandnius, where the wind strikes in.an ice-cold manlier.'

Captain J. C. C'ooucr, now'of the \\airirapi. states with reference 'to the Ifangitikei Bight's rccord of meek?, and ■that the statement that the Weathersfield was purchased by Messrs. T. CI. Macarthj and J. Saunders, is incorrect. Ibis, he Fays, was not the enfo, that he (Cnpt-ain Cooper) was the purchaser for .-£375, and subsequently took the other two gentlejuen .in with him to finance the venture. The motor-car which went' from \\ ellington to the 1 scene of tlio disaster on Saturday did not break down (as previously stated), and was delayed only ten piimites through a'puncture.