GENERAL CABLES.

Taihape Daily Times, 29 August 1918, Page 5

GENERAL CABLES.

' AMERICAN AMBASSADOR - RESIGNS. LONDON, August 27. Mr W. H. Page (American Ambassa* dor to England)' has resigned owing to illness. "LITTLE BERTHA." LONDON, August 27. Mr. Gordon Gilmour, correspondent at Australian headquarters, writing' ■ yesterday, says: The 15in German gun among the Australians'- spoils is \ a costly weapon with an immense steel \ ■ emplacement on the top of a concrete I pit. It had its own electric power plant in the vicinity, but the gun barrel cracked along its entire length, apparently by a premature burst. It had not been used for some time.

TROUBLE WITH WELSH MTNERS Received 11.10 a.m. LONDON, August 28. The Monmouthshire miners threaten to strike unless larger allowances of cheese, butter and jam are forth- «• coming. Mr Winstone, the" Welsh minerspresident, has informed Mr. Clynes that if any stoppage occurred Mr. Clynes will be responsible. • AN EXCITING INCIDENT. A graphic story of the recent mishap to Messrs Burns, Philp and Co's steamer Tambo is told by Mr. E. C. Eliot, Resident Commissioner for the Gilbert and Ellice Groups, who was a passenger. At the time of the .breakdown the 'vessel was some 80 miles north-east of Cape Byron, with a heavy sea running, and it was soon found that the break in the rudderpost was of too serious a nature to be repaired on board. The only means of steering the steamer was to attach a steel hawser to the rudder, and bring it amidships of the steamer, and to do this it was necessary that someone should go into the water to attach the hawser to the rudder. It was then, said Mr. Eliot, that the,'native members of the crew showed bravery of a high : order. They dived into the waiter, which was very rough and infested with sharks, and accomplished the work, sometimes remaining in the water for hours. All the time it was found necessary to ; cover the vicinity with revolvers to protect them from •the sharks, of which two, between 10ft and 12ft.in length, were shot, and two others wounded. Eventually the vesgelwas got more or less under control, and proceeded to Tweed Heads, arriving there a on/ August 3. After remaining there a brief time, she went on to Brisbane. Mr. Eliot .spoke In the highest terms of the captain and crew, who. showed bravery and skill under very trying circumstances. •• ~