BOUNTY MUTINY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 290, 2 August 1932, Page 7

BOUNTY MUTINY

REMNANTS OF FAMOUS SHIP ST'ILL AT PITCAIRN ISLAND. Although it is nearly.a.century and a half ago since. the crew of H.M.S. Bounty rose in mutiny, remnants of the old ship can still be seen at Pitcairn Island, where the . mutineers hurnt their ^essel,. Mr^ Ch'arles Chauvel, who. arrived at Auckland by the mqtor liner .iRangitiki last w>eek, spent two months on .the- island and secur-ed a number of . photographs of the wreck, which lies in shallow water in Bounty Bay. Mr. Chauvel's introduction to Pitcairn was an exciting one. - With his wife, he went from Wellington to the island in.the Ruahine, stormy weather being encountered as Pitcairn was approached. A heavy sea was running when the passengers tranferred to the motor boat which came out from the island, and soon after the- trip back to the island had been commenced the engine of the launch failed. For a time Mr. Chauvel and his wife feared that th'ey would be upset, but they eventually reacbed the shore and safety, although soakdd to the skin, . Where the Bounty mutineers decided to make their home on Pitcairn Island they tied their ship to a tree and set her on fire. The vessel burnt to the water's edge and th'en sank in about 20 feet of water. The inhabitants of the island informed MT., Chauvel, that large portion of the yyreck could still be seen, and when he went to photograph it he found that there was little of the vessel left. The under-water photography proved ri|Rcult, but the inhabitants of the island gave every assistance. . . It .was Mr. Chauvel's original inT tention to stay only a month on the island, but the Remuera, in which he had booked his return passage, did not stop at the island, and he and his wife were marooned there for another month. The people of Pitcairn, said Mr. Chauvel, were splendid hosts, but he did not enevy them their existence. Steamer ealls were uncertain and there were no signs of prosperity. The coastline of the island was extremely rugged and the continual ocean swell sent up breakers 60 feet high. When Mr. Chauvel was there one of the islanders' boats was smashed on the rocks, and it was considered fortunate that there was no loss of life. A severe earthquake, lasting several minutes, was experienced on the island on June 5. Thousands of tons of earth toppled to the shores of the bay from a height of 800 feet, making a great noise as it came down. It was learnt that a severe earthquake had occurred on the same date in Mexico, 4000 miles away. From Wellington, Mr. Chauvel, who is producing a film which will depict the comp'lete voyage of the Bounty, will go to Tahiti and Tooboual to take further "shots." He estimates that he will _have travelled 16,000 miles beforq his job is done. Mrs. Chauvel, who will appear in the film, was previously on the stage and also appeared opposite to Conway Tearle in Hollywood.