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THE MISSING WARATAH

I WAS SHE TOP-HEaVY? The disappearance of Lund's new 9,000-tonner Waratah has caused much discussion in shipping circles as to the extent to which the high superstructures on modern passenger ships affect their stability. It has been explained to many people that the deck-houses and top hamper are mere "shell-work," having no weignt —at least not sufficient to cause a vessel to capsi/e. Sailormen all agree, though, that apart from the weight the higher the top hamper the greater the wind pressure on a tender ship.

Captain John Mackenzie, the wellknown Sydney nautical expert and marine surveyor, who is an assessor to the Marine Court, and recognised as one of the moat able authorities in the State, has expressed his views on the Waratah mystery as follows:

"Having read the opinions given by many experts as to the cause of the disappearance of the steamtr Warar.ah, and suggestions that the vessel is drifting about the in a helpless condition, I might say that such might have been the case had she been an ordinary stable vessel. But the vVaratah, from her dimensions, and with so much top hamper in the shape of bridge, promenade and deck-boatt?, all erected above the shelter decks, is, in my opinion. ! beyond all limit of safety for weathering out a storm of hurricane force, especially if any mishap occurred to the machinery or rudder. "In that case the vessel would be sure to get on to the sea and wind, and with such a pile of erections above the shelter-deck the vessel would, I belie ve, go on to her broadside and fill. None of the experts have made reference to the required stability for a safe oceangoing vessel. I have had many opportunities of seeing vessels built, both stable and unstable ones,* and have also supervised the building of many such vessels, besides having commanded them under all conditions of weather; hence my reasons for giving my opinion.

"Some people are of opinion that vessels built under Lloyd's surveyors' supervision, and classed Al in their register of shipping, are designed by them, but such is not the case. The general practice is for owners to fix the size and dimensions they require. They contract wi th the builders for such a vessel at a given price, after which the builder submits a midship* section of the vessel to Lloyds' according to clas-* required, and on '-.his section all the different sizes of scantlings required lor the construction of the vessel are marked, and returned to the builders, and a copy sent to the local Lloyd's surveyor, where the vessel is tu he j built, and is so built under his super- ' vision. ,- "lhis is all done without any reference as to what stability the vessel may have. Any vessel after being built and classed at Lloyd's can ' immediately afterwards be rendered unstable or unseaworthy by being ' either badly loaded or ballasted. I am strongly of opinion that ths time has arrived when the Government authorities should step in and approve, of the dimensions and linia of all new vessels, so as to ensure good stability for ocean going purrrses, for as long as the present systen exists we may expect to see many unseaworthy vessels built. The present system of placing so many superstructures above the dcek is simply courting disaster. | " When any vessel is built on dimensions of two thirds her beam in height, arid from seven lo eight , times her beam in length, then the limit of safety is reached, and this without any superstructures upabove. The dimensions of a good stable vessel should be one-half her beam in height, and seven times her beam in length. But when the height is increased over one half of the beam, thai, the stability is interfered with, and when it reaches 'two third's the'beam in height then the limit of safety is reached. "Taking into account the dimensions fit the Waratah, together with ali the erections cf the saveral decks above the shelter deck, it appears to me that she is as high as she is wide. This is disproportionate, and* leaves little doubt in my mind as to the fate of the vessel. — / CLAIRVOYANT'S STRANGE TALE. A strange story is told by the "Natal Advertiser" of August 13th, in connection with the loss of the Waratah The story is that a gentleman who claimed to have been an infallible clairvoyant for the past fifteen years, called at the offices of Uott and Co., Johannesburg agents for the Waratah, on August 12th, and related that he had seen the course followed by j the vessel, and had endeavoured, by means of clairvoyance, to find out the fate of the missing liner. The gentleman declared that the Waratah was piled up on some rocks, that her mainmast was broken and her boiler burst, and that six passen gers had been killed. He added that news of the mishap would be received there in a few days. He a]so .■ •said that the vessel would be taken 1 to England, when it would be found « that she had a lis>t to starboard. |

Between 7 and 8 o'clock one night, the clairvoyant stated, a warship in search of the Waratah turned j round when, if she had maintained her course straight ahead she would have come to the Waratah. I The narrator of this strange story J then sketched the course which the I searching warship had taken, but this proved of little value for determining where the rocks were or which, according to him, the Waratah was lying. The only island rocks, according to the "Advertiser," which could come within the limits of this explanation would be the Tristan d'Aounha group to the west of the Capi in the Atlantic Ocean. The remarkable and circumstantial story has aroused a great deal of interest in South Africa.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAG19090925.2.5

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9604, 25 September 1909, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
982

THE MISSING WARATAH Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9604, 25 September 1909, Page 3

THE MISSING WARATAH Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9604, 25 September 1909, Page 3

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