TAHITI’S LAST PLUNGE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1068, 4 September 1930, Page 1

TAHITI’S LAST PLUNGE

Stories from the Passengers SECOND ENGINEER’S BRAVERY Survivors Arrive on the Tofua WHEN we were all safely on the Ventura the stern of the Tahiti suddenly buried itself in the water. Her bow stood out of the water almost perpendicularly and then, with a human, groaning noise, she sank into the depths.” This description by Mr. Hector McQuarrie, an Auckland journalist, vividly describes the final plunge of the ill-fated Tahiti, which sank in the Pacific on August 18. Passengers who returned, speak in eloquent terms of the heroism of the officers and crew. Special praise was accorded the second engineer, Mr. A. Thomson, who closed the doors of the engine-room against the rush of water and in a flash prevented a terrible disaster. Crowds welcomed the Tofua, which brought back the passengers, officers and clew from Pago Pago.

Quick thinking and prompt action on the part of the second engineer of the Tahiti, Mr. A. Thomson, averted a more serious disaster, state members of the crew of the vessel. According to members of the engine-room stuff i on duty at the time, a grinding crash and a terrific vibration astern was the | first indication of trouble. Almost ; immediately water came pouring through the tunnel shaft info the j engine-room. j “Mr. Thomson was standing near the dynamo, and in a flash,” stated one of the oil-burner attendants, “he jumped to the throttle and stopped the engines, which were racing madly. He did the right thing just at the ; right time,” he said. He then rushed into the shaft tunnel, but was immediately washed out by a rush of water With water pouring through, they managed to get the watertight door closed, and this stemmed the torrent. The “second” then ran round and started up the pumps. All this was within the space of a few moments. 1 It is surmised that when the proj peller came off the shaft raced and I broke, and threshing about, tore a hole ' in the side of the ship. ! The call for volunteers to work in ■ the engine-room was quickly rej sponded to. Although the waterj tight door was holding fairly firmly, ! the bulkhead dividing the tunnel from j the engine-room started to bulge I ominously and from cracks water comj menced to pour through. Bottlejacks and stout pieces of timber were ! used to stay the bulkhead up. which | otherwise must have broken In. j According to accounts given by the ! men, it must have been a trying time. | The watch that had just gone off duty ! was called back and worked all that I night and the following night without ' sleep. | When the ship was abandoned, said one man, the water had risen to the

top of the cylinders. The rising water had forced the floor plates up and as the men were working waistdeep in water and could not see where they were walking, they occasionally fell through into the bilges. Several of them were pulled out, and ife* was fortunate that nobody was drowned. “We stayed down there a# long as we possibly could.” said one of the men. “We would have been in a regular trap if that bulkhead had given way.” This was known only by the officers and engine-room staff. MISSING MAIL BAGS FOUND SOUTHERN REGISTERED MAIL Press Association WELLINGTON, Wednesday. The Post Office authorities have received advice that two bags of registered mail from Dunedin and Oamaru which were reported to be missing when the Tahiti was abandoned have been found among the mail that was saved.

MESSAGES SUPPRESSED BISHOP BENNETT’S PROTEST HONOLULU VISIT PREVENTED The deliberate suppression of mcs- j sages to New Zealand from Pago Pago, American Samoa, after the foundering of the Tahiti, was severely condemned by Bishop Bennett, of Aotearoa, on his arrival by the Tofua last evening. He was a passenger with his sister, Mrs. Steel, on the ill-fated Tahiti, intending to go to Rarotonga for a holiday. When the vessel was abandoned they were forced to return to New Zealand by the Tofua. Another incident which Bishop Bennett thought extremely curious was ihe fact that after making arrangements to go on to Honolulu he was asked to leave the Ventura at Pago Pago. “It seems that I would be an undesirable citizen in Honolulu/’ laughed the Bishop. However, he feels extremely annoyed about both incidents. “I wish to protest against the terrible difficulty we had in sending messages of any kind to New Zealand,” lie said, on the Tofua last evening. •It was really too bad. Personally I think some action should be taken to see that in the event of such happenings as the sinking of a vessel, messages to the land from which the boat sailed should be allowed to go through. The friends of everyone on the Tahiti —passengers and crew—were waiting to hear from us, not knowing what had happened or what was happening, and yet not one of us could get a message through from I either Pago Pago or from the Ventura. “When I tried to send a Press Association message to New Zealand they wanted to charge me full rates—ls 3d a word for it. the message to be paid for on the spot. This happened on both the Ventura and at Pago Pago. “There is evidently no international arrangement concerning such messages, but surely something should be done about it. “The American Press Agency people evidently had ‘the use of the cables and wireless. At Pago Pago the agency men came on board and ‘pumped’ everybody and then sent the most distorted messages away.” DISTORTED MESSAGES Bishop Bennett had in his possession two sheets of typewritten news containing messages from several sources. He protested against what he called the “distorted and hysterical” account of the sinking of the Tahiti which ran as follows: “Nonchalantly the passengers and crew of the Tahiti faced death iir"the South Pacific. Their dangers over, they are speeding toward Honolulu today on the Veutura, which rescued 317 persons just before the Tahiti sank in the coral reefs near Rarotorga, in the Couk Islands. The Ventura is expected to arrive in the Hawaiian Islands next Tuesday night, but when the ship reaches San Francisco will come the real recognition of the heroic work of its captain and crew who. in heavy seas and with the menace of an approaching storm, transferred safely every person aboard the doomed craft.” It will be remembered from the accounts given by the New Zealand passengers and the captain of the Penybryn that the sea was calm and the weather beautifully fine during the transference of the passengers from the Tahiti to the Ventura. There are no rocks or reefs near where the Tahiti sank, the nearest being at least 400 miles away.

N.Z. JOURNALIST'S EXPERIENCES; Bishop Bennett said that one of the most trying circumstances was the fact that at Pago Pago the story which had been written of the disaster by Mr. Hector McQuarrie. a New Zealand journalist, was held up and then he was informed a day later that it was impossible to send the story through because they had too much of their own to handle. It was also stated by Tahiti passengers on the Tofua that although money was made available for the sending of messages these were held up. "i feel very sorry for the captain ! of the Ventura,” Bishop Bennett said. | ‘He was an awfully nice man. and 1 j am sure he would feel ashamed of the 1 way he has been lionised. “We are not belittling the hospitality which was extended to us by | tho captain, officers, men and pas- ; sengers of the Ventura. “However. I am sure the captain would be the first man to object to the extravagant reports of this *ort (and he produced the account given above) which have been sent out. “Everybody’s nerves were highly strung and the fact that we could get our messages away added to the tension.” The Bishop stated that the account JWi he sent of the disaster was at : ne special request of the New Zealand Press Association on receipt of J. m ©ssage from Wellington, but this did not arrive in the Dominion for lome days after the Tahiti had sunk. Bishop Bennett and his sister intended going on to Honolulu as they had to abandon their trip to Rarotonga. The Bishop received a message from Sir ADirana Ngata, in Wellington, telling him to do this. He showed it to the £&ptatn of the Ventura, who said that, he would be able to go on if he received the written signature of the 'hwernor of Pago Pago. This was readily given, and the Bishop and his sister stayed on board "J® Centura. However, just when jhe second whistle of the Ventura blew Before she sailed Bishop Bennett was hformed that it would be better if the vessel and that by doing jo he would save himself a lot of bother at Honolulu. HURRIED FROM SHIP It was not necessary for the Bishop o have a passport as he was going ♦m* terri tory at Rarotonga. He oid the authorities that any necessary formation regarding him and his ister could be obtained by communicating with Wellington. Howyer, this was of no avail. He and v lB sis ter had nothing packed. They to gather their belongings toe her hurriedly and the Venlra. which sailed for Honolulu alI »08t immediately. I .* e *t very resentful. They seemed