DEEP-SEA MOORING

Hokitika Guardian, 10 June 1932, Page 8

DEEP-SEA MOORING

SHIP’S UNUSUAL TASK. IN THE 'MAKATEA ROADSTEAD. AUCKLAND, June 8. Laying deep-sea moorings means nothing to the landsman, but ask the. sailorman what he thinks about 1 it. It is a safe bet that he will' toll you it’u jolly hard work. The British steaniei Mineric, at present discharging phosphate at Auckland, recently laid now moorings, at Makatea .Iscand in 232 thorns, of water—tho deepest in the world.

Eighteen days were occupied In the work, so. .the' lancan realise that the job w:i« niot;e than tipping a mbofijng anchor', chain, and buoy over the sidef-t Offi arrival Makatea, the Mineric,' a typical tramp that has been afloat for over 20 years, loaded a part cargo before slipping over to Papeete,to take on hoard a six-ton reef anchor to replace one .which had been lost when the moorings broke adrift some months previously. New mooring gear had been taken on board at Makat;a, and at Papeete everything was nr de ready for the big job. When find out in readiness for a commencement of the work, the gear occupied the whole of the starboard side of the foredeck. GEAR WORTH £2ouo.

Back at Makatea th e Mineric hove up .part of the old mooring, consisting of j 45 fathoms of heavy chain and 120 ' fathoms,, of wire. The new reef anchor was lowered in 232 fathoms ol water, and the' work of putting all the gear ! over the foVsle head occupied three days. It was a ticklish job, for which special rollers had been rigged on deck, and, with the gear worth something like £2OOO, every care had to be taken. At last, the job was completed and the ship completed her cargo of 7000 tons of phosphate before coming on to /Auckland. | One hundred and twenty-six in ks I distant from Pepeete, Makatea is an I inland of coral formation with a popuj frtion of about 1030. The workers on I the phosphate fields are natives from Tahiti, many of them half-castes, and the officials .are. French. There are also a number of Chinese and Japanese, but the only Britisher is the harbourmaster, who is ap Australian. The A-des of the island are practically unscaleable, and at Port Temao, where the phosphate is loaded, one is carried to the,,top ; of the cliffs by a small elevator running on rails. The p. o phate is dug well inland and is brought to the coast by a light steam railway. By means of pipes the phosphate i* loaded into baskets which are taken by lighters to the ‘ship at the loading buoy. ■Here the baskets are hoisted aboard .and landed on a tipping block, fie pncspluue being precipitated, into th • ship’s holds. The master of a ..hip loading at Makatea has constantly to 'be on the watch for threatening wester, lv weather, and at tile first hint of a blow he has to cast off and head tor the open sea. Fruit and water are scarce on the island and amusements are unknown. Altogether Makatea is not the sort of place to which any crew longs to return. "CURFEW BELL” AT SHANGHAI. Before going to 'Makatea the Miner c, which has tramped over 57, C00 m i •£•« sinc ß ileaving Eng/and thirteen n.on.hs ago, took a cargo of grain from uflong to Shanghai. The fighting was over when tile ship arrived at Shang hai on March 20, but she passed a number of. Japanese warships lying off the river. Woosung village was seen, in ruins and in Shanghai sandbags and barbed-wire entanglements were sti.l much in evidence. At half-past eleven each night a “Curfew bell” was rung and from that time until four o’clock on the following morning tio one was supposed to be about the streets. when the bell rang the doors of the dancehal.iS were shut and bolted and the dancers had no ehoie e but to continue dancing until! the bell rang again. The Mineric was ten days at Shanghai, and the city was much quieter when she departed for Mi ike. where she replenished. her bunkers before going to Makatea.