THE WARATAH.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9670, 18 December 1909, Page 5

THE WARATAH.

UNDERWRITERS' PAYMENT. SUGGESTED FURTHER SEARCH. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright. Received December 17, 8.30 a.m. LONDON, December 16. In connection with the Waratah, the Underwriters are paying £220,000 this week. Received December 17, 10 a.m. MELBOURNE, December 17. The Premier announced in the State Legislative Assembly that the Government was prepared to give £SOO towards a further search for the Waratah.

The Waratah, a handsome specimen of tha shipbuilders' art, and less than a year old, sailed out of Sydney Harbour on her second and last Homeward voyage on June 26th, bound for London. She made calls en route at Melbourne and Adelaide, leaving the first-named port on July Ist, and the South Australian port on July 7th. On the voyage across the Indian Ocean she encountered very heavy weather conditions for four days. Durban was safely reached on Sunday, July 25th, one day in advance of schedule time, and a number of passengers embarked and disembarked. Cargo was also discharged and coal taken in. The Waratah resumed her voyage on July 26th. The Waratah had 92 passengers on board when she sailed out of Durban Haiour. Of these 53 had travelled from Australian ports and the remaining j 39 joined the vessel at Durban—36 ' bound for London, and three coastal ! passengers booked to Capetown. Women and children formed a large proportion of the mis3irg passengers, consisting of: — Women 43 Children 22 Men 27 Total 92 Although the majority of the passengers belonged to Australia there were several New Zealanders on board. Mrs Harvey, Master Harvey, and Miss Miller belonged'to Gisborne, New Zealand, and joined the Waratah at Sydney for Capetown. _ M»-s Allen was the wife of Captain A. Allen, who holds the position of chief officer of the cargo steamer Karori, belonging to the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, and employed in the produce trade between uevonport and other Tasmanian ports and Sydney. Mrs Allen took an infant with her, and was bound on a pleasure trip to London. Among the passengers who were booked for Durban a»d landed at that port were:—Mr W. Cousens, of Wellington, N.Z., Mrs W. Cousens and infant, Mrs F. Norris, of Napier, Mr G. Norris, of Napier, and Mr James McNaught, of Dunedin. Tcii hours after saiWng out of Durban Harbour the Waratah was sighted by the steamer Clan Macintyre, bound from New Zealand ports, via Durban, to London. The Waratah was signalled on the starno&rd beam at six o'clock on the morning of July 27th. She was then . proceeding fairly close to the shore j at about 12* knots, the Clan Maciutyre making about ten. The Wara- ( tab was seen to be ste ri'g a little more southerly than the otl.er vcrssl, i or taKing a course further out from shore. Signals were exchanged 'n the Morse code at six a.m. lie Clan, Macintyre asked, "What sip are' you?" The answer came. "The Waratah, for London." 'lhe Clan Macintyre replied, "I am tV e Clan ' Macintyre, for London. Whot we :her had you from Australia?" Back came thesigial, "Strong south-west and southerly winds across" The Clan j Macintyre upon this signalled, I "Thanks. Good-bye. A pleas nit pas- j sage." And then came this final message from the missing snip: "Thanks; the same to you; Goodbye." The exchange if greetings took place in latitude 3i 36 S. Amd | longitude 29.58 E. Shortly after , seven o'clock the Clan Macintyre was abeam of Cape Hermes, from which ' she was distant 13* miles. The Waratah crossed from the starboard to the port bow, and went out of sight at 9.30 a.m., the sea being moderate, I and the weather clear. Entries in the ' Clan Macintyre's log book show that [ at 10 o'clock the wind had changed, j and the sea was rough, while shortly , after five p.m. there was a strong | south-westerly gale blowing, aeeom- j panied by a high head sea. Both the Clan Macintyre and Waratah coaled | at Durban and sailed on the same day ; in continuation of their voyages. It as not until the Clan Macintrye arrived at London that Captain Weir heard that the Waratah was missing. It as on the following day—July 28th —that the great cyclonic tempest, which will probably be known in history as "the Waratah storm," swept the coast of South Africa. During the whole day the wind blew from j N.S.W. to W., with squalls of hurricane force. A tremendous sea wan | running, rising in a wall-like formation, owing to the current being against the wind. Mariners who experienced tie strom unite in describing it as one of exceptional violence. It was not perhaps spoken of as the most severe on record, but it was garded as the most violent tempest for some years. The hurricane raged with unabated fury for about 15 hours, and right along the coast of South Africa the conditions were dangerous. Of course, the wind was behind the Waratah, but, nevertheless, she must have had a very rough time. The gale, which was evidently of a cyclonic character, moderated on the following day, and was succeeded by a fresh south-east-erly gale, with a high cross sea.