"TOUCH AND GO."

Taranaki Daily News, 1 June 1920, Page 5

"TOUCH AND GO."

THE WESTRALIA'S .MISHAP.

THE CAPTAIN'S STORY,

The Huddart-ParEer steamer Westralia arrived at Wellington from Melbourne recently in charge of Captain Bates, looking all the brighter for an overhaul in dry dock, which lier recent stranding on Moriarty Hank. Banks Strait, rendered necessary. Captain Bates is the first to admit that it was touch and go with the Woatralia when she ran upon the sand hank, am! says it,was indeed very fortunate Unit, she came ofl so easily and promptly. ''Some have been saying that I should have lowered the boats," said Captain Bates to a Dominion reporter, ''but it would have been foolish to do a.rvthing of the kind. Why, ihe sea was broken all_round us, and it would prolwbly liave meant that some of Ihe boats

would have been swamped, whereas the ship was making no water—not a pannikin full—and was resting cjuite easily ou the hank. I tried to go astern after she took the ground, but she would not budge. Jt is just as well ,-he didn't. Had she moved astern she would most probablv have struck the rocks that Were all round her. As it was, when the tide rose soon after daybreak tl;» Weslralia just gave, a wag of the tail and slipped off the bank nice and easy into deep water by herself. We could •see the l.oongana, pegging away at ei.u'ht'H'ii knots, but, by tlur time she could get up we were clear of the rocks, and were steaming away to Melbourne with the Loongana in attendance. It was a bit of good luck holding on to that bank. Had we come oil' during the night—it was as black as pitchHie Westralia might easily have been a total wreck."

Captain Bates has been to sea for 27 years, and this was the first occasion on which he had been called upon to wear a lifebelt. The damage done to the Westralia was trilling, but the. whole of the hull was overhauled whilst she was in dry dock, Moriarty Bank, Captain Bates explained, is five miles out from the coast, and at low water is covered to a depth of 15ft, The bank itself is sand, but there are some nasty rocks in the vicinity. The captain 'of the Loongana is reported to have stated that when lie first saw the Westralia at daybreak lie would not have given sixpence for her chances of getting off. Captain Bates stated that the trip across from Melbourne was remarkable, in that, though the glass was uniformly lower than he had ever known it to be, the voyage wag one of the smoothest and siott peasant.