End of "Desikoko"

Ship Now Joins Other Pondo Ghosts

rjIHE flourishing dessiccated-coconut fac- X tory and surrounding plantations owned by W. R. Carpenter interests at Pondo, on New Britain, were obliter ated during the war, and some of the key-men responsible for running the in dustry there were murdered by the Jap anese.

Now, with the sinking of the 230-ton wooden motor vessel Yua Hwa. off the Australian coast on January 5, comes the end of the story of Pondo dessiccated coconut. For the duck-like Yua Hwa used to be the Desikoko which was built for WRC at Huskisson, NSW, in 1934, and, from then until the war was well-known to the New Guinea residents who lived in the New Britain area.

Desikoko was subsequently sold to a Chinese firm and was taking a cargo of flour to China when she sank. Her cap tain was 72-years-old James Baldwin, an Englishman, and she had also, two Norwegian officers and a crew of 10 Chinese. After leaving Sydney on Jan uary 4, she sprang a leak and began to make much water. A Newcastle pilot boat took her in tow, but soon after she suddenly listed and sank in two minutes.

The crew jumped overboard and were all picked up.

The Carpenter industry has been re established in bigger and better form, on a small island, close to Madang the Pondo establishment apparently has been abandoned.