Mishaps To Cook Islands

Shipping

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, Nov. 5.

OCTOBER was an unlucky month for Cook Islands shipping. About the middle of the month, Capt. D. Cam bridge set out from Rarotonga in his little engineless ketch, “Taipi,” with a full load for Aitutaki. A few days later a radio message was received by his Rarotonga agent stating that the vessel had sus tained damage in* the Aitutaki passage and that the cargo was injured by water.

No further details are yet available.

This is the third time that the “Taipi” has met with misfortune in the Aitutaki passage, which has a very powerful flow since it was widened and deepened by American engineers.

A few days later, Messrs. A. B. Donald’s inter-island schooner, “Tiare Taporo,” limped into harbour with a disabled rudder.

The ship’s crew, under the direction of Capt. “Andy” Thomson, unshipped the rudder and hauled it ashore for inspec tion w It is thought that the damage is the result of the severe pounding received last January, when the vessel was tied up in her home harbour —a small break in the Avarua reef, notorious graveyard of many ships—and the anchorage suffered a brief but severe lashing from the tail of a passing hurricane. From early morning till noon on that occasion a des perate battle was fought to keep the schooner off the reef, but at the height of the blow, the network of hawsers parted and the vessel started to pound the bottom. It was saved from complete disaster only by the fact that the wind suddenly abated. It is now apparent that fractures were started which resulted in the present breakdown.

A new rudder is being hewn from a large “tamanu” (native mahogany) tree by the firm’s carpenter.

Mr. J. T.* Wallis, of the executive staff of W. R. Carpenter & Co., Ltd., has now settled down in London as manager of the London branch of that big Pacific com pany. Mr. Wallis has taken the place of Mr. W. C. Harvey, who has retired after many years’ service, and who intends to live in Australia. He will return to Sydney early next year.