Mysterious Ships.

In the Solomon Islands.

PASSENGERS by the steamer “Mata ram,” which reached Sydney from the Solomon Islands on September 23, gave information of mysterious ves sels cruising in island waters.

Mr. C. R. Bignell, of Ysabel, said that rumours had been heard from time to time of vessels of the sampan type, which carefully avoided all ports. They were very fast, and, although Govern ment launches had been sent to make in quiries, they were never caught. The crews of these vessels were commonly supposed to be trochus shell poachers, but many island residents suspected they had other objects. Recently a number of Japanese had landed on Ysabel Island, and had reported the loss of their vessel.

They stated they were trochus fishers, and that they had been passing through island waters, when they struck a reef.

Mr. Bignell said he was a member of a party which visited the reef and examined the wrecked vessel. Its was a large sampan, with powerful Diesel engines, and held about 20 tons of trochus shell.

The crew had seemed very large for a vessel of that type. Some weeks later he had also had a report from natives that a Japanese vessel of similar build had put into the island to have repairs made to a hole in the bows, evidenty caused by running on a reef. According to the natives, this vessel was also carrying a very large crew. It left before the ar rival of a Government launch.