OFF TO MACQUARIES

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1826, 12 August 1913, Page 6

OFF TO MACQUARIES

STRIPPING & EQUIPPING. • SCENES ON S.S. TUTANEKAI. "Well, I didn't .think tre would ever have to take out that> machinery again— look at it—it's frozen'in!" It was Captain Post who spoke, and at the time lie. was watching .the unshipping of tho heavy cable-laying and repairing machin'ery rigged on the forodeck of tho T.utanekai. "See, that bolt ?" said.lie, indicating one on which threo men were engaged.with a spanner, the handle of which was length.encd to help the trio by a pieco of iron piping. "That was put on by hand—look how they have,to take it oft'—rusted in. : . . Now this Macquario business comes along, and we have to send all this gear ashore. After, four or five years!" But- why? ■ Couldn't the ' Tutanelcai mako the trip with the gear on-board?" asked the innocent reporter. "Yes—l suppose it .would be possible, but hardly advisable." Why? * "Como here and I'll show you something," and he led the way down tho sfeps •from -tho boat to the main deck. "See ,that'solid teak backing (indicating tho lacking to tho slops), put on in England— look at it now!" An inspection showed it to be smashed to splinters. "D'ye know what did that? Solid bodies of water coming over the bows, and tearing along tlie deck." .■Wl'tlie reason? "Backing into n. lifad sea with all th n weight of that cable machinery for'ard. T HI you, wo had a nrettv bad time on I'-e East. Coast. We had to shelter at. To Araroa, and afterwards under Kahili."

Tt is no 'light task putting ashoro the cable-laying machinery. One of the big tasks yesterday afternoon wns unshipping the big paying-out and taking-in drums, a piece of cumbersome machinery weighing 17 tons, which is located just' forward of the fore hold. Tha unbolting, securing, and lashing, and swinging this'big weight ashore, cut well into the afternoon.' Th*i the big iron cone round which the cabin is wound in the hold had to bo lifted out bv one straight pull from its bed of coal. Tiiero is another eablo cone aft. and innumerable mushroom anchors, quaintshaped buoys, and an accumulation of gear connected with cable-laying which has to lie cleared out before the vesjnj is clear for her deep-ren. trip to' the=.Maequaries, where the Mawson expedition men are on low rations.

Captain Post beim? ready for sea somo time ihis evening. Tho Tntan'ekni will proceed /rom Wellington to Half-Moon B,iy (Stewart Tsland) t" tak" in, stores from the schooner Rachel Cohen, and that done will clear for the Macquarie;. Captain Po=t slates that given normal weather, the Tuteneki.i would make tho trip from Stewart Tsland to the islands'in two and a. half days.