Tourist Ship Aground At
p. 23 · Read in the full issue
Noumea
From Our Own Correspondent.
Noumea. Feb. 1.
EARLY on Saturday, January 19, the Mongolia, with 750 tourists on board, arrived at Noumea. She moored out in the stream, as is customary with these great liners, and an effective service of launches brought the passengers to and from the vessel.
The visitors made excursions to the native villages near St. Louis and then through a cool grove of coconut palms to a small farm near Plum. Two hundred of the tourists visited Magenta racecourse
in the afternoon to watch the native dances.
At 5 p.m. on Sunday afternoon the Mongolia weighed anchor. The pilot decided to go round Infernal Bank in the har bour, but found his ship too large to turn, and she went ashore on Artillery Point, where the captain experienced an anxious hour and a quarter. Fortun ately, it was a mud bottom, and, after manoeuvring ahead and astern for some time, she finally floated off with the full tide—apparently none the worse for her adventure.
The Admiral Charner, the French man-of-war, was in the harbour, and was of great assistance in making soundings and signalling the Mongolia’s captain.