WINE FOR FISHES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 October 1938, Page 8

WINE FOR FISHES

BIGGEST “DRUNK” OF LIVES. .' Fish in the vicinity of the Tsitsikama River mouth, near Port Elizabeth, South Africa, had the biggest “drunk” of their lives for three days when 167,000 gallons of fine, dry French wine and 2,100 gallons of beer were poured into the sea from the rusting decks of the wrecked Norwegian freighter Lyngenfjord. Mr S. M. Pettersen, the Durban City councillor, who is salvaging the cargo of the vessel, has announced that his attempts to sell the wine by public auction were unsuccessful, due pro- , bably to the high Customs duties. On the wine in hogsheads the duty totalled £13,500, and on that in demijohns it totalled £28,000. The duty on the beer totalled £267 15s. With no means of immediate disposal of the liquor, Mr Pettersen employed men for three days knocking in the hogsheads, opening the demijohns and cans of beer, and pouring the liquor into the sea. There were 450 Offgallon hogsheads of still wine, 14,000 demijohns of similar wine, and 420 fivegallon aluminium tanks of beer. The Lyngenfjord has practically broken up altogether. Just after the wine was destroyed the No 2 ’tween deck collapsed, and the starboard side of the ship has caved in. The standing framework of the ship is gradually being shattered.