CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 31, 2 March 1909, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE PEXGUIX WRECK. To the Editor. Sir—About) eight or ten years ago a Scotch barque, the. Cromartyshire, ran ' intxj a French liner, La Burgoin, near ' Canada. Tile latter went to tile bottom 1 ol the sea, and vlo-e on four hundred ' people were drowned, among them being two Americans, Mr. and .Mrs. Pollock. As the result of that disaster, some of 1 the hitter's relatives, offered a prize of £4OOO for the best life-saving device in case of a disaster at sea. The prize was to be given wholly or otherwise, as the International Committee sitting at the Paris Exhibition thought proper; but out of 403 competitors from all over the world, only one person in London obtained 10,000 irancs for his idea. My device, 'was a; sailor's bag, about 3ft din long, with another piece 3ft long sewn all around the top inside, without a bottom hi it, so that when it was drawn out it wouldi be longer than the person who would have 'to slide into it from the wind or rain when he got ashore. , In case of disaster it was intended that / the passenger should tuck in his clothes or rugs', a slop-pail or tin box or anything that w-as bulky, and thou to chock the bag by. pulling the two strings attached and drop it overboard. As there were straps se'wn down the sides for holding on to. it was better adapted for two or more than one. It was intended to supplement the lifebelts just as the rafts do the boat-,, and every person oa board, in my opinion, should have one. When the Wairarapa was' wrecked and 120 people were found dead on the beach, all having lifebelts on, it struck mie that a bag would be a good tiling, so I sent one down to the Union S.S. olliee to give them my idea. Hut i thrv callously sent it back, saying that they had complied with -the Hoard of Trade's command) and that they did not i intend to adopt anything else. Well, 1 ' contend the Board" of Trade and the i directors of the Union Company should ! be set adrift on a raft with one orange i amongst tihe lot, like some of the Elinganiite's passengers were. It so happens I that Sir James Mills. chairman of the . company, has been t.o England several i times of late years. What is the reason that he lias not procured, say, 50 of the ! graad, light and strong steel* boats that i they are now making out of two slice! s . of steel? They ouglut to have had a ; good trial long ago. I maintain that i the bag is a long way better than the lifebelt, because it would save casta- > way's bread l from spoiling; it would catch rain water; it 'would hold fresh , water; it would do some good as a sail I at sea, and a saiHr man could put it . to lots of other uses, and if it were made out of good sail canvas ami well . oiled' to make it wind and water-tight ' it would frequently render a good account of itself.—l am, etc., H|W,