PANIC MESSAGES

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 33, 9 February 1931, Page 8

PANIC MESSAGES

STEAMER MISLED

FRUITLESS RUSH TO WAIROA

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

GISBORNE, Bth; February.Ac misleading radio message caused tho liner Northumberland to hurry fromJSTapier to "Wairoa tw succour the inhabitants at a time wlnain they were not in great need of help; It cannot bo gainsaid that wireless has proved of invaluable ■■•■help in the present disaster and time of stress, but, nevertheless, some misleading messages have acted in a cruel manner on relatives and friends in oth<sr parts of the Dominion. Apparently as a result of a radio message on Tv esday the public gained a wrong impre esion that Gisborne was badly affeeteci by the earthquake. The fact that the telegraph lines were down beUueen. here and Hawkes Bay deepened that pression, and, as a result, hundreds of telegrams poured into Gisbo fne, and are still being received, the majority from anxious relatives. Even • on. Saturday a large number of messsyges was received. The result of the heavy shake on Tuesday was only minor damage to shops, and no one was injured. ■ Another instance of a panic ,Mdreless message, however, may prove V(tsry expensive, for it resulted in thes liner Northumberland being ordered to» leave sixteen thousand carcasses of mesvt rapidly deteriorating at Napier ands rush to Wairoa on Friday morning. The Northumberland, then lying at ; N fvpier, was ordered to go to Wairoa to pick up thirty or forty thousand carciasses of'meat from the Wairoa .freezing works which had been .damaged.by Tuesday's earthquake. The Wairoa freezing works caught fire on Tl lursday night, but that fact was not kn own; at Napier at the time, and when the liner actually left Napier the wewks were burning. When 20 miles out fisom Napier the ship was ordered by witreless to go back to Napier and tsike aboard 16,000 carcasses which were r (ipidly deteriorating as a result of ,12ie fire at Port Ahuriri. BACK TO WAIROA. : The liner drdpped anchor and commenced the preliminary loading',of <& few bales of wool, which were alongv side, while the meat was coming oflC. Then a message was aeeeived from tho captain of H.M.S. Dunedin stating.thats a wireless message had just : been received that Wairoa was in a state ■ of panic—houses had gone, sanitation had failed, and assistance was wanted at once. The Northumberland was ordered to proceed to Wairoa. All work'immediately stopped and the liner set out without delay. . , OVER UNCHARTED WATER. . Considerable anxiety prevailed on board, as the vessel was rushing over uncharted seas, and the lino was kept going continuously. Two doctors and three medical students were aboard, and on the way across cots were hastily fitted up to accommodate sixty cot cases. When the liner reached Wairoa. at 6.30 p.m. she lowered a launch and a party, including Commander Up-ton;-who is in charge of the Northumberland, two medical men, three cal students, a first-aid outfit, wireless equipment, etc:, tumbled into the launch. The small craft made a hazardous crossing of the bar, and proceeded at full speed up tho river to the town, noticing on the way up that the freezing works had been burnt. On the wharf a man was standing, and hailed them. "Save you brought the mail?" he said. ■ "What's all tho trouble?" was the reply. • '■ f ... "There's nothing much happened here since the big 'quake on Tuesday," said the man, "except that we've had a few more shakes since, and tho freezing works have been burnt down." Commander Upton, Dr. Bice, of Gisborne, and the other medical men went ashore and waited on the Mayor, who, after hearing the reason for the visit, expressed' sincero regret. A SPORTING CAPTAIN. Commander Upton took the inatfcor sportingly aiid expressed pleasure that their visit had been a fruitless one. As it was impossible _td rccross the bar on account of the tide, the commander wirelessed his officer on the ship, which proceeded back to Napier, and Commander Upton flew\back there yesterday morning. ; y . The same wireless message had been received by other stations, for at 5:40 jy.m. on Friday, Mr.. Backet, of the "New Zealand Herald," arrived, by 'plane from Eotorua. He said that he had received a message from Auckland to a similar effect to that received by the warship Dunedin. Finding the latest report was false, he left again at 6.30 p.m. ■■.-...■■ (. ■ . Dr. H. Goulding Rice has Suggested that in times of national disaster like the present private wireless.Sets should be scaled and messages sent only under official authority. It is not known here whether the Northumberland arrived in time to save the Port Ahuriri moat.1