BURNED AT SEA.

Taihape Daily Times, 12 July 1918, Page 5

BURNED AT SEA.

CREW’S ADVENTUROUS VOYAGE. 660 MILES IN BOATS. MEN REACH AUCKLAND

It was learned this morning that the Cardiff-owned barque Inverness, bound from Durban to Iquiquc, in Chile, with a cargo of coal, was burned at sea in the South Paeifc, on April 27. The crew numbering 24, reached Auckland yesterday morning from Papeete by the steamer Flora, having made an adventurous voyage of 660 miles in open boats to Rapa Island, the nearest land

Details of the vessels ”s loss are not available, pending the official inquiry but it is understood that the fire was duo to spontaneous combustion in the cargo. The crew were unable to check its progress, and when it became apparent that the ship -was doomed all the stores possible were put into two boats, and the whole crew embarked Their departure was hurried by the fact that the masts would fall, as the interior of the ship had quickly became a raging furnace, and it was

plain that they could not hold up much longer. The boats stood by for a while, and then set sail northward, for Ripa, which was the nearest land. Fortunately the weather was moderate, with generally favourable winds, and, despite the difficulties of navigation, the use of the sextant in a boat being a hard matter, both boats reached' — land —one in nine days and the other in ton. Owing to the fact that they became separated, Captain Hughes and he first mate (Mr Totman), who commanded the boats, had to navigate individually, and their achievement in bringing the whole crew safe to shore is worthy to rank with some of the finest performances of British seamen in the past, uot forgetting Captain Bligh of the Bounty The boats wore fairly well provisioned, and the men’s chief anxiety appears to have been for the supply of water, which they carefully husbanded. On making land they still had a> supply in the tanks, but all suffered a good deal from thirst, the lips of-'some becoming -cracked and brown in colour ON A TROPIC ISLE.

On landing at Rapa they found that the only white man on the island was the French Administrator The latter at once did everything in his* power to supply the needs of the castaways. The natives, the crew say, wore kindness itself. Pigs and chickens were roasted, taro was cooked, and the men were given a good meal. Accommodation was found for them, and they set patiently to wait until a vessel should arrive to take them back to civilisaion Rapa is a very isolated spot; being the southernmost of the Oustral Isle, and about 700 miles S.E.E. of Tahiti. It once was well known as a calling place on the Panama mail route, but now the only vessel, of any size, that visits it is a steamer which comes from Papeete twice a year —in December and June. As it happened the' castaways did not have very long to wait, for in about six weeks an auxiliary schooner, which had temporarily replaced the steamer, called at the island, and they bade Rapa farewell. They had been extremely well treated, and the natives had taken a pride in giving them the best of everything to eat, anti there was a great profusion of fruit, both oranges and bananas On the night of their departure a great feast was held, and a number of pigs were roasted whole on piles of hot stones. CARED FOR AT AUCKLAND. On arrival at Papeete the crew were cared for by the British Consul, who got passages for them, on the Flora, which was leaving for Auckland almost at once. When the twenty-four men landed here this morning they were accommodated at the Sailors’ Home by Captain Fleming, local Marine Superintendent, who is also representative of the Shipwreck Relief Society. The crew presented an odd appearance, all their shoregoing clothes having been lost with the ship. They were dressed in a great variety of garments, and some of them wore gaybanded hats given them bj r the islanders. All seemed in good health, despite the fact that there were several white heads and beards amongst the number. All agreed that though the weeks on Rapa, where no war news was to bo had, were pleasant ones, the boat voyage was an experience that they would gladly forget. As no inquiry was hold by the consul at Papeete, it is practically certain that one will bo held here by Captain Fleming. Th 0 Board of Trade regulations provide that if ships arc noi found for the crew in these waters they must be conveyed back to Great Britain. The Inverness was a fire steel barque of 1959 tons register’, built on the Clyde in 1902. She was thus, for a sailing ship, quite a new vessel. Up to last year she was registered at Aberdeen, but at the time of her loss her owners were a Cadiff firm