CAST UP BY THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 155, 29 December 1911, Page 5

CAST UP BY THE SEA.

WARATAH LIFEBUOY. Auckland, December 27. In regard to the life-buoy bearing the n*me "Waratah," which was washed ashore on the west coast near Wajuku, the likelihood of the buoy having any connection with the liner Waratah, which was lost off the African coast two and a half years ago, was mentioned- by a reporter to a number of prominent deep-sea captains this morning. Captain Hart, of the steamship Star of Canada, asked for his opinion, said that he was inclined to think that the buoy was from the ill-fated vessel. For the last twenty years he had thrown bottles- over at various points in his voyages at the request of the Australian and United States Government meteorological observers. Of course, a number of the bottles were never heard of again; but he had received a report, on his°la6t trip to England, of three that had been picked up in various parts .of the world after drifting for over three years. He remembered throwing bottles over on the African coast and at Cape Morn, and having them reported from the west coast of New Zealand, near the Manukau It was, no doubt, a long distance for the buoy to drift in such a'time, but such things had happened before. Captain Murrison, of the Drayton Grange said that it was by no means mpossible that the buoy was from the lost Waratah though he hardly considered it probable. Nevertheless, the barnacles on the. buoy pointed to the fact that it had been in the water for a long time. It would be a quick drift .for the buoy ,to be carried WOO or 7000 milea during the time that had elapsed since the loss of the vessel. There are small steamers and a cutter trading on the Australian coast bearing the name Warajah, so that it is possible that the buoy may have been lost by one of these while it may ha/e come S the scow of T that name abandoned near Lord Howe Jsland last year The official search for the lost Waratahwas abandoned on December 10th,