"Macdhui" Episode

Overboard In

Hid-Ocean

Recent Sea Dramas Recall Earlier "Macdhui" Episode

A YOUNG Englishman who a A couple of months ago distinguished himself by falling overboard into the Pacific Ocean 1,000 miles from Panama, but kept afloat for nine hours until picked up, sailed into Lautoka, Fiji, recently, He was Douglas Wardrop, Second Mate on British Monarch. He amazed Lautoka folk by immediately going o Just S ls m he was going off watch one 4 a.m., he fell overboard unnoticed, while examining the log.

He was not missed until four hours later when he should have gone on watch again.

When a thorough search failed to locate him, the captain turned his ship around, sailed right back on his course—and picked Wardrop up at a spot where he had fallen overboard nine hours before.

He had kept himself afloat treading water. What is more, he was able to climb into the ship’s boat unaided.

Not so lucky was seaman Leslie Clancy, who disappeared from the Bulolo between Sydney and Bris bane on September 4. He went over side between 430 a.m and 7 ami., and Captain Bill Wilding turned back and searched for him until noon So did 20 local fishing boats, an oil tanker, two private aircraft and a Neptune bomber. No sign of It was reported that the sea was inn of shares.

TurrDAmt? r|\HE rescue of Second Officer X Wardrop shows that miracles do sometimes happen at sea. An almost parallel case was that of a young woman who went overboard from the Burns Philp motor-vessel Macdhui in early 1938, when the ship was southbound from Port Moresby to Brisbane.

The young woman had been visit ing friends in Lae or Salamaua and had been unlucky enough in the

space of a few weeks to contract malaria in its severe cerebral form.

She was shipped south in charge of a nurse, and because she was delirious there was a member of the ship’s company on guard outside her cabin for most of the time.

But someone overlooked the fact that there is more than one way of getting out of a cabin. One morning, when the nurse was off duty, her patient went out of the port hole and into the sea.

She was not missed for two hours and when a thorough search failed to find her aboard, the ship was turned about and sailed back on her course.

The Australian coast was Just in sight—but Macdhui was coming south well outside the Barrier Reef.

The young woman couldn’t swim, she had been very ill for weeks, and was temporarily out of her mind.

Earlier in the voyage, between Samarai and Port Moresby, the ship had been lashed by the tail-end of a cyclone, but off north Queensland the weather had changed to flat calm. Nonetheless, there were few —including Captain J. Mitchie—who held out much hope of a rescue. But three hours after she had been missed, a body, floating on its back on the sea, rigid, like a piece of drift wood, was sighted dead ahead. A thin silk nightgown had billowed up

around the girl, and this possibly had helped keep her afloat as well as scaring off sharks which infest those waters.

A boat was lowered away and those on the ship were amazed to see that when it approached within a few yards, the “body” raissd an arm and signalled.

The girl was brought on board safely, restored to her frantic nurse and her cabin, and safely removed to hospital when the ship reached Brisbane.

The passengers, impressed by the navigational skill of the skipper and his officers, took up a collection to show their appreciation. However, Captain Mitchie spurned it: they could make a donation to the home for old sailors if they wished; but so far as he and his officers were concerned, what they had done was simply part of their duty. 11JTHAT happened .to the young tt woman I have never heard; probably she recovered com pletely and is leading a normal life.

But neither Captain Mitchie nor the Macdhui is with us now.

Captain Mitchie was killed when the Japs raided Darwin and scored a direct hit on the Neptuna, which was loaded with explosives.

The Macdhui got hers from the same source, and her rusted bones can still be seen on a reef in Port Moresby harbour.— JT.

t Fiji Women’s Club is to be re vived. It lapsed after the Second World War. Its objects will be welfare work among all races, inter change of ideas on women’s inter ests, welcoming distinguished visi tors, and promoting international understanding and kindliness in daily life.

t The most outstanding golfer in Fiji, Mr. Laurie Graham, has won most of the open champion ships in Fiji this year. In the By grave Trophy golf match at Lau toka in September, he broke the course record with a return of 69.

With his two handicap this gave him a net 67.