PENYBRYN AT SOYA

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1058, 23 August 1930, Page 9

PENYBRYN AT SOYA

COAL NEARLY FINISHED; IN RESCUE WORK I TRUNK FOUND FLOATING j United P.A.—By Telegraph—Copyright Reed. Noon. SUVA, Today. The Norwegian steamer Penybryn, which went to the assistance of the sinking Tahiti, reached Suva this morning with five tons of coal in her bunkers. QAPTAIN SALVESEN, telling of the ship’s adventure, said that following the wireless message to look out for the Tahiti, he spent the entire day in the cross-trees searching the horizon for any sign of the Tahiti’s lifeboats. At 7.30 p.m. he saw rockets and reached the Tahiti at 10.30. He took the Penybryn close to the sinking vessel and offered to transfer the passengers, but as their case was not urgent he stood by until the arrival of the Ventura. On the arrival of that steamer the Penybryn lowered some of her boats, under command of the mate, and assisted in the transferring of passengers and light luggage to the Ventura. The captain states that there was no confusion and the Tahiti’s winches were going to the last minute. All heavy luggage was left on the Tahiti, but the Penj’bryn found a large trunk floating in the water and will land it in Auckland. It is believed to belong to a naval officer who was on board. The sea was fairly calm during the transferring operations. On his arrival at the Tahiti, Capi tain Salvesen asked Captain Toten the cause of the accident and the number of the ship’s complement, but received no reply. Captain Toten said there was four feet of water in number four hold, lift to the ’tween decks and that the engine-room was flooded. PASSENGER’S STORY

According to Mr. John Menzies, a passenger on the Venture, who was interviewed at Pago Pago, the Ventura, when GO miles west of Pago Pago, was ordered to assist the Tahiti. Averaging 17 knots, she arrived at the Tahiti at 10 o’clock on Sunday morning, in fine -weather. She found the Tahiti lying low by the stern and throwing dense black smoke from her funnel. All the pumps were working hard, as well as 40 gallon buckets worked by winches which were lifting water from number three hold at the rate of two buckets a minute. When the Tahiti sighted ,+he Ventura all the passengers and c ew were in the lifeboats ready to board the Ventura. No mishap occurred except that one canary was dropped overboard by an excited passenger. After the passengers had been transferred the cabin luggage and a portion of the mails were retrieved. About 2.30 all were aboard the Ventura, the captain being the last to leave his ship. Seeing that there was no chance of saving the vessel, the captain took a boat’s crew and smashed in all the visible portholes of the Tahiti before returning to the Ventura. He also drew the plugs from the lifeboats and turned them adrift. STERN AWASH Half an hour later the Tahiti | showed signs of sinking. Her stern i was awash and she took a list to port, the water reaching the deckhouse. The stern was now well down and the bow was lifting in the air. There were loud noises from falling machinery and the water reaching the boilers sent up dense volumes of steam and black smoke. As the ship tilted the funnel crumpled and fell into the sea, and the foremast cracked into several pieces. Amid the seething waters a big i patch of a whiteish-looking substance appeared, and then, the swirl subsiding, there was only the calm sea again, leaving little to show the spot where the liner had vanished.