A TOW OF 13,090 MILES.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 September 1925, Page 4

A TOW OF 13,090 MILES.

LONDON. August ]O. Gradually the crippled ship -City of Singapore, which is being towed round the world for repairs by two Dutch tugs, is nearing lier destination—the dry illicit at Rotterdam, Holland. When she gets there, the world’s record tow of 13,000 miles will have been established. She reached Algiers on .August M. All aboard are well. The City of Singapore, wit 11 a cargo of pertolcum. caught fire at Port Adelaide lns| year. She was badly damaged by I la; (lames, and was blown practically in tw<* by an explosion. She was purchased by Mr W. .1. Russell, marine architect, and surveyor, of London, and he engaged the two Dutch tugs, which had just completed towing a limiting dock m Sabang. Singapore. to take the patched-irp vessel to Kuropo. "When the vessel left." said Mr Rtt**--ell i'u an interview, ".she was compelled. owing to delays in repairs at Adelaide, to face the monsoon season. Therefore she took a roundabout course to Fremantle, then to Diego Garcia Island. ill the C’napos Archipelago. in tin- Indian Ocean; and then to the Soniiiililaml coast. Thus the vessel avoided Colombo. "She weathered the monsoon successfully, thanks to the skill ol the tugmasters and my son, Samuel Bussell, who is in charge of the runners aboard the steamer, and is supervising the navigating lights, attending to the tow-ropes, and carrying out the pumping operations necessitated by the presence of leaks. "Ho tells me she did everything hut overturn. Although she is safe now. it. was a hair-breath eseane. which would have been avoided if we could have left Adelaide earlier.

"I pointed out to officials ol the Adelaide Trades Hall that this delay was due. to the cn-ennny action of certain of the repairers employed, especially in the early stages. 'lbis necessitated my conferring with tin* union. Work was allowed to start- after 30 days’ uegotial ions. Alter that we got very good fellows, though even they included a few who caused delay. For this neither the Boilermakers' Society nor the Shipbuilders’ Union was responsible. "Subsequently 1 went to the Trades Hall and met the good fellows and a few of the had ones face to fare. I pointed out that they should realise that the delay entiled encountering the monsoon. Thereinto it might he responsible for the ship’s loss and men’s deaths. As it was we left oO davs too Into.”