FLOATING THE INDRABARAH

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 6, 7 June 1913, Page 5

FLOATING THE INDRABARAH

EXPERTS STILL HOPEFUL. THE TERAWHITI'S ATTEMPT. Per Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Captain Watchlin, of the Terawhiti, sent the following pigeon wire to-day:— "Got towline on. board the Indrabarah yesterday, and held the ship in position until the tide fell. Then laid No. 4 mushroom anchor, well out to sea. During last night's tide, the ship turned head to sea. By shifting the wire from aft to forward, the Indrabarah is now hanging to Nos. 3 and 4 mushrooms, with her bow to the westward, in a splendid position for re-launching. The weather at present is not very favour!Me, there being a freshening' westerly wind, with increasing sea. Given favourable conditions, a, towline will be passed on board at the first opportunity. In a smooth sea the Terawhiti can now get close alongside the Indrabarah.— Watchlin."

Lloyd's agents have received from Captain Plunkett, their representative now on the Indrabarah, a message despatched last night, stating that the weather was favourable Captain Plunkett added "Got good heaves on yesterday. The ship was shifted about a .quarter of a mile north. The present position is now practically half a-mile from the beach."

LATEST REPORTS. MIXED OPINIONS. Palmerston North, Last Night. The latest news appears to indicate the beginning of a new stage in the Indrabarah's efforts. It will be remembered that in her quiescence, she was lying almost broadside on to the shore, in such a position that it was obviously impossible for her to pull herseif straight oat to sea. However bravely she might answer to her helm on the high seas, she certainlv could not do so with her keel grooved'in the sand. She consequently did the next best thing; she crawled away at a tangent, gaining at least some balance of profit from the operation. During these movements the sea was calm, and there were comparatively no lifting of the waves to assist in her "coaxing" work. Yesterday, however, heavier seas returned, and whether by godo seamanship or by the unguided play of the waves, she turned her nose round straight out to sea. The importance of this swerving appears to be that the Indrabarah draws only 18 feet of water at her bows, and 21 feet at her stern. _ The expert view of the new position is not for the moment ascertainable. Some anxiety exists as to whether the big vessel has a good hold of an anchorage to keep her head out to sea against the gale if one develops. They calculate that the Indrabarah, by her own winches, drew up to two of her anchors, and thus exhausted their assistance, and now has onlv two anchors to rely on. This fact, it is held, accounts for her making no further progress seawards during the last tide or two. Rapid work is being done to re-lav the other two anchors, and also a big six ton anchor, but this work will probably take several days. With these in position, shoremen predict a resumption of efforts to creep seawards. Among the less optimistic of the onlookers is Mr. Dalrymple, who owns the stretch of beach on which the vessel lies. He states that the Indrabarah lies on a bar of sand shelf, which extends for half a mile from the shore. Assuming that the vessel is half way over this shelf, she still has a quarter of a mile to travel before she can drop into her natural element over its edge. Others are of opinion that tlie vessel has drifted inshore since the heavy weather returned.

Mr. Dalrymple thinks that in anv case three or four weeks will elapse before the vessel will be afloat. A MESSAGE FROM BULLS. COMING SHOREWARDS AGAIN. Wellington, Last Night. • The Secretary of the General Post Office this evening received the following telegram from the postmaster at Bulls: "The position of the Indrabarah this evening is much the same as at high tide yesterday morning, with the exception that the bow has swung round, and is now pointing seawards. To-dav there has been a considerable sea, causing the Tndrabarah to come slightly shorewards. hut she remains a quarter of a mile off this evening. This makes communication so difficult that no one on land can say with definiteness what will happen next. Probably a dav or two will be taken to relay the old anchor and get the latest ones into a good position "