THRILLING MARITIME EXPERIENCES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2148, 2 August 1907, Page 2

THRILLING MARITIME EXPERIENCES.

MISHAPS IN THE SOUTH SEAS. Press Association. AUCKLAND, last niglit. The ship Drummuir from San Francisco to Algoa Bay put into Papeete early in July. The vessel was laden with timber. She went on a reef near the Island of Mangarewa. It was blowing a gale of wind with heavy rain squalls at the time. A cast of the lead showed 4 fathoms of water all round the ship. Getting off, the vessel, struck again. The crew sot to work, arid jettisoned the deck load, and about 15,000 ft out of the hold. Two anchors were got out astern, and with the aid of a donkey engine on the deck efforts were made to get the ship off, but without avail. A hurricane from the south-west then came on and the vessel came off in 15 fathoms. Tlie anchors were sliped, and the ship made for the southwest end of Mangarewa. The crew refused to proceed until the ship was surveyed, and a course was shaped for Papeete, 1000 miles distant.' Oil arrival a diver was sent down to examine the ship’s bottom. Repairs were effected and the vessel resumed her journey on July 9th. The Norwegian schooner Alice, bound from Malden Island to Wellington, laden with guano, put into Raratonga on June 27th in distress. The vessel sailed from Malden Island on June 4th and on the 20th was caught in a heavy north-west gale about midway between the Kermadecs and Raratoriga. At midnight the giale increased 'to a- cyclone', the schooner running before it. All the sails were blown away, and the vessel was under bare poles until noon next day. The deck was continually flooded, and the port pump brrike down. The schooner was leaking badly, and baling noth buckets had to be- resorted to to keep her clear Next day the gale moderated, and it was decided to run for Raratonga, 500 miles distant. A survey of the vessel was held and it was decided to discharge part of the cargo, and have the top-sides of the deck re-caulked. The vessel was to sail about July 26th.

Two Aucklanders, Mr. and Mrs. Motley Smith, who arrived from the eastern Pacific Islands by the steamer Hauroto to-day, had an expedience while in the Society Group which they should remember for some time. The couple left Auckland a few months ago on a holiday trip. While waiting the arrival of the Hauroto at Papeete they consented to join a launch party in an excursion to the island of Mourea, ten miles distant. Besides Mr. and Mrs. Smith there were also on the launch Dr. Schultze, German Vice-Consul of Tahiti, on<?. of the French officials, and several natives. The shaft of the engine broke when the launch was some distance from land. Sails were hoisted, but the party failed to make the land, and the boat drifted about for 30 hours At times the weather was calm nnd at others a hard gale was raging accompanied by considerable rain and sea. There were no provisions on board and the party suffered greatly from hunger. After being tossed about in the sea for 30 hours the launch drifted into one of the native settlements where the members of the party were hospitably received. Owing to the heavy gale raging in the strait it was 3 days later before the party could get back to Papeete.

Received August 1, 11.39 p.m

United Press Association—Copyright

SYDNEY, August 1. The crew of the wrecked steamer Ysabel have arrived in Sydney. Tho Ysabel ran on a reef on the night of Jure 7th off the Island of Nanai. Tile crew landed in the morning, and brought stores ashore, and proceeded to the island of Butariri. The steamer Titus picked them up and brought them to Sydney. The Ysabel is hard and fast, and almost dry at low water. It is considered she will become a total wreck. Two men were left behind to look after the stores and 100 tons copra, which slie has on board. A schooner has been sent to- the wreck.

THE COLONIES AND THE NAVY. ■ INTERVIEW WITH A CANADIAN SIR WILFRID LAURIER’S DILEMMA. m —— • Special to Times. WELLINGTON, Julv 31. r In tlie New Zealand Budget for IPO7 tlio Premier expresses a hope that tlie colony will .willing to increase its contribution‘ to the Bntisb navy to £IOO,OOO a. year. Sir ri. Joseph Ward has made it clear that in his opinion the importance of so- .T.'Tgg curing the fullest protection from ih.j navy cannot be over-estimated. i*j T i the event of a change in the present arrangement, our Premier is . . satisfied that Parliament' will do v l.ni is required to jjrovide suitable headquarters for ship? of the British ! Navy at Auckland, where the pro- - since of a dock and other facilities for carrying out the work of repair markT ite suitability as a centre. “it. Ma-ssey, the Leader of the Opposition, has on more than one occasion expressed similar views, and is j strongly of opinion that we must give | ill possible assistance to the British | V«vy which must remain om; first A line of defence and the protection of \ our commerce on the high s ? as i, 11A Australia, on the otlier hand, there | has been a disposition to create » ~. .. ra te navy and to cease contribut- rig n'g owards the upkeep of the Impe-’ I riii sea-power. In Canada for some „ . tme past there have been evidences gl of the adoption of a stand-off policy on the part of the powers politicaland Sir Wilfrid Laurier s attitude especially Ims been rather a puzzle | co people at the Antipodes. The position is, however, made clear by an interview which I had tlus morning with Dr. Stephen Leacock, professor of political science at McGill j University, Montreal, Canada. Dr. Leacock says that the question of naval defence has come into promi- A nence, and at the next general election, which should take, , p i;*£ > 1900 it will form one of the leading issue's Ever since the wrthdrawal of the Royal Navy from Halifax, the g, question has been growing in import- ; ; ar.ce, and there is now a distinct feel- :-j -up amongst the British population cfcliao Canada should make some contribution to the upkeep of vhe British Navy. Unfortunately, however, .5 the racial question comes in and com- ijj plicates the position. Neither Sir Wilfrid Laurier s Government nor the Opposition Conservative party can affoid to offend the sympat of either section of the people. Ihe French Canadians, though loyal enough to the connection with the British Crown, and free from any leantowards republicanism, annexalion by the United States, or rapprochement with old France, are nevertheless strongly opposed to any form of closer Imperial connection. ; In particular they would resent any political nexus between their community and the Imperial Parliament. Th's feeling, Dr. Leacock tells me, is probablv shared to some extent by dir Wilfrid Laurier, the HOll. L. F. Brodeur,- and the other French members of the Dominion Cabinet, while to the extreme Nationalists who follow M: Henri Bourassa any such closer connection would be extremely distasteful. Indeed, the latter would regard any step in-this direction as an attempt at a betrayal of their nationality. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, therefore, is unable to move beyond the present status for .fear of losing the support of French Canada. It is provided by the Canadian Constitution that the province of Quebec shall have 65 votes in the local House of Commons. Of these . Sir Wilfrid Laurier now commands about QO, ana if lie can keep his hold on his members it will be almost impossible for the Conservative party to put him out of office, since the British provinces are always balanced more or ioss evenly between Liberals and Conseivatives. It remains, therefore, to be seen whether tlie Conservative leaders and the Conservative press will venture to take the hold step of turning their backs on the French Canadian-vote in the hope, of making a clean sweep in the British provinces'll! favor of a more advanced liberal programme. Dr. Leacock does not profess to prophesy in which di- $ roetion the pendulum of public opin- , ’ ion will swing, but there is every indication from the articles now appearing in ‘ the Conservative press tliac it will go in the direction of a revised policy of naval defence. “From wliat I have told you,” added Dr. Leacock, “you will now be able to understand the Canadiai} Premier’s attitude at the Imperial Conference. The prime motive for his conduct throughout was his fear of the lass of the French Canadian support. « He- sat in tlie Conference with his ear p to the ground listening for the opin- ' _ ion of French Canada.” Private let- fw tors received by myself from respon- ; b siblc authorities in London confirm all -j that Dr. Leacock says, and even go the length of asserting that Sir Wilf.il Laurier’s attitude was very dis- g pleasing to some of the other British riS—representatives at the Conference. Dr. Leacock also confirms tlie state- ;; nient. He said it was widely known in Canada that the Premier was not •* at all anxious to go to this year’s grjjjgl Conference. He had attended the previous conference, and had obtained all the Imperial feathers lie desired. Now he wished to stay at home, because he was anxious that the Con- •/ ference should do nothing to disturb f the status quo and force this para- -ft!? mount Imperial issue into Canadian rpolitics. Finally, Dr. Leacock point- rif - _ cd out that the Roman Catholic, Church, which is all powerful in French Canada, is strongly in favor ~3!’ of the existiirg colonial relationships, 4 and does not wish any approach; to a • nearer connection with the naval and - foreign policy of the Mother Country . [ than at present exists. -,f|