Fortune Of The Sea
pp. 29-30 · Read in the full issue
A Missionary Tries to Get to Pitcairn
A FTER waiting six months for a boat to Pitcairn Island, Pastor D. H. Wat son, of North New Zealand (Seventh Day Adventist Missionary), with his wife, little girl, Nurse Totenhofer (who spent many years at the Batuna Mission, Solo mon Islands ) and four Pitcairn Islanders, sailed for their destination, hoping to he there by Christmas.
OUR little family, including four islanders and three goats—which, incidentally, were quite a source of interest to all on board —rejoiced in the warm sunshine and quiet sea as we departed early in December.
All went well, fair sailing in every sense of the word, till the evening of the fourth day when, at 10 o’clock, an alert tumbled us all out of bed to our assigned sta tions. However, nothing eventuated.
We had just settled between sheets, again, when a series of rattles, followed by a big bang, ejected us more rapidly than the first alarm. Suggested explana tions were that the guns had been firing or we had been torpedoed; but finally we learned that the propeller had fallen off!
So there were were in mid-ocean, being quietly rocked in the bosom of Mother Pacific, the throbbing engines at rest, passengers and crew extremely vocal, and the bright stars twinkling overhead.
After we had waited for a day and a night, a tanker arrived, and towed us for a day and a night—when the cable broke, having chafed through at the tanker’s end. It took two days to raise the anchor chain from our end (as the winch had been smashed) and couple up again.
We proceeded at a slower speed, and all went well until we ran into a hur ricane, and the tow rope had to be cut at 2 a.m. The howling wind and the heavy seas combined to rock our vessel until we often wondered whether she would right herself. The crew worked hard to put out a sea anchor which helped to steady the vessel.
For two days we wallowed about, with the tanker dutifully standing by, until a tug arrived; and the following day,
in tow.
Without further event of import, we arrived safely back in New Zealand a fortnight from the time the ship lost its propeller. Now, we are awaiting future developments.
On January 4, before posting his letter Pastor Watson added a note advising that a daughter had been born that morning and both his wife and the baby were well.
An extract from a letter from a resi dent of Fiji, Arthur McHugh, now serv ing with the AIF in New Guinea: “The Americans back in base areas are sou venir mad, and will pay practically any thing for something with Jap writing on it. Officers’ swords, for instance, are worth as much as £lOO. There will be a large number of our chaps spending their next leave buckshee.”