1927-12-12 — Page 3

Page

ANCHOR BRAND PURE MANILA ROPE.

"THE CORDAGE: YOU CAN TRUST."

MARINE RUPA"

TRANSHIS

BION

OF

POWER ROPE

CABLE LAID

HAWSERS

11

WELL

DEILLING CARLES

ESTABLISHED 1854

YNCHAUST

ROPE

FACTORY

MANILA

THE HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, MONDAY,

DECEMBER

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MANUFACTUR-

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HONG KONG OFFICE:

P.L. FACTORIES MANILA

KING'S JUILDING. TELEPHONE: CENTRAL $165, TA 2.8.7

ELITE

STYLES

A. P. C. Building

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See that our name and trade mark

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imitations are sometimes offered.

REX INGRAM'S

F. C. Calvert & Co., Manchester, England.

THE FOUR HORSEMEN

A Mewą Goldwyn PICTURE

Coming to the

OF THE APOCALYPSE

with

RUDOLPH VALENTINO

and

ALICE TERRY

WEDNESDAY. TO SATURDAY

QUEEN'S December 14th to 17th.

SEAMAN'S VIEW OF THE "MAFALDA"

DISASTER.

PANIC AMONG PASSENGERS INEVITABLE.

THE BOAT ACCOMMODATION SHORTAGE IN LINERS.

[Br CAPTAIN A. G. GOLDSMITH (late of the British India Steam Navigation Co.).]

If, as can now be presumed, the l-fated Principessa Majalda broka a tail shaft, thus flooding her en- gine and boiler rooms, causing one or more of the latter to explode, it is to be feared that the engineers in charge below at the time must have perished at their posts, and therefore full details of the cause of the disaster will never be learn- ed.

getting them to their appointed stations in a quiet, orderly man ner is practically insurmountable. - On a ông "summer day lifeboat drill is regarded by most passen gers as a rather amusing joke: but when the orash comes, generally in the darkness with a heavy sea Tun ning, a big element of panic and chaos inevitably occurs

The sudden igrush of water in, case of collision naturally bottles una certain number of passengers if they are in their cabins on decks below the waterline at the time, drowning them like rats in a cage. others will return to their quar. ters to rescue some treasured year or to search for children or friends lost in the crowd on deck; and if the ship takes a sudden list, or a watertight bulkhead carries away under pressure of the incoming water, they, too, may be caught

12th, 1927,

ARE THERE. ANY LETTERS FOR YOU?

4

UNCLAIMED CORRESPON. ∙DENCE, &o., AWAITING ·

AT THE G.P.O.

"

SATURDAY'S OFFICIAL LIST.

A General Post Office Notification of Saturday gives the following list of unclaimed correspondence, etc., awaiting at the "General Post Office -

Dr. E. A. Aylward, G. Ale, E. Bruner, Miss K. M. Banks, Mr." Jack Blake, Alr. and Mrs. W. Beavis, T Back, G. Bonavita, Y.

G. “Corbin (Master Costan, A. Mariner), H. Donaldson, E. Dabro voy, Mr. E. J. Douglas, Colonel H. S. Elot, H. M. Epstein, B. Grimm & Co., H. Goodbart, C. F. Garstin, R. H Hawkins, Th. Heyting, G. E. Houx, E. High (Signaler), Luis Je, Miss A. James, Canton Vilings Mission, Kong Woo (Victoria Hall), A. J.. V. Kern, R. F. Lazaro, J. L. Lynam, Mrs. H. Lande, Vander (Salvation Army), M. Littleboy, Lawton (Sergeant), Mr. and Mrs. R. Lang. Colvin Leo, Q. H. Mans- lev, Madame S. Masalskaja, W. JL.

nench, C. Matthews, H. R. Meyer, Mrs. M. Moffatt, Mrs. J. McDonald, and drowned without the faintest E. Mamounakis, Mrs. Nicholson, chance of regaining the deck.. Helen Duff Cochrane, M. M. Ramos,

Few people who have travelled P. Reader, R. Sdraffa, W. Shakes by ses have ever had the misfor-peare, Miss E. Stieglitz, Charles tune of being one of the comple-Trimm, R. Thomson, Mr. B. E. A. fully loaded lifeboat. Yan, Mrs. W. G. Worcester, W. C. And for this they may be pro- Watson, Mess Tanks (News Agent),

Even in a "dead Messrs. Yanka (News Agent). foundly grateful smooth sea, it is almost impossible to man the oats owing to the crowd

Unpaid Correspondence.

The snapping of a propeller shaft at sea is one of the most serious and dangerous accidents that can occur in an engine-room Luckily, it is a very rare occur rence; but when it does happen, this is what probably follows:

The broken piece of shafting, still attached to the propeller, re- volves rapidly whilst lashing wild ly about in all directions, and, be fore the ship can be stopped, the action of the water rushing past the blades draws the broken bitment of right gut of the ship's stern, leay. ing a huge bale through which the whole shaft tunnel becomes. Acoded. Worse still; if, in the course of its slashing about, the shaft has broken the walls of the tunnel, -one or more of the after holds will rapidly fill, and it remains then for the pumps to save the ship if they can cope with the situation.

J. Del. C. Aldegner, F. P. M. The first intimation the

Acherson (e/o S.M.O.); 'G. Apfel. gineers on watch would receive af the accident would be the crash to be taken on board a boat al-baum, R. Bluhm, R. Bigazzi (H.K. as the propeller shaft parted and ready loaded down to her gun- Hotel, A. E. Chapman (e/e. Am. the violent racing of the engines such a scere has often deen Consulate). F H Cherry (Repulse suddenly relieved of their load. known to make a pervous wreck Bay Hotel), C-C-Deacon (Ins. Letter). Mrs. M. B. Draper (c/o Their first action would be to shut for life out of many a survivor. off steam and close the watertight doors leading into the tunnel shaft, but if they were unable to do so in time the main engine room would be rapidly flooded and the ship doomed whether her boilers exploded or not.

But by night, in a heavy sea, the situation is one that may well put the stark fear of death into the bravest of hearts. The cries of the

and children, the shricks at the drowning, the read- uz appeals of those in the water

Womers en

心

While I have no doubt that the engine-room staff did all that was possible in their power, even at the cost of their lives, the appal- ling suddenness of such an cident, coupled with the fact that the Principessa Mafalda was an old ship and consequently would not be Atted, with the modern type of mechanically-controlled water tight doors, must have handicap ped them most severely, and pro- bably even caused some ganisation

R. Bigazzi (H.K, Hotel), John Dowrick, C. Elkus" (H.K. Hotel), W. S. Leonard (H.K. Hotel), T. P.“ Nemia (8.3. Jadden), Mrs. J. M. Wright (e/o Am. Consulate).

Registered Articles.

The horrors of shark infested | Am. Consulate), Mra. M. Kat- waters add to a scene enough to zinger, Kwok Su, C. Lauritsen, drive the strongest to a state of Northern S.S. Co., S. W. K. Pop- dementia. Unfortunately,. theper. Raphael Bros. & Co., L. H. tropical belt of the Atlantic is a Rawson.

Parcels. favourite hunting ground of these monsters, many of which I have seen, in the old sailing ship days while becalmed off the Brazilian Coast measuring 13 feet and up- wards.

Boats Out Of Action.

From all reports, the Principes an Mafulda took a heavy list very shortly after ber/after-holsts. Alled, and she settled deep by the stern" By so doing, I should say, at a conservative estimate, that 40 per dsor-cent. of the boats which had not up till then been launched "would

•

In some reports, it has been albe put out of action. leged that a panic occurred among All the remaining rafts could be the third-class passengers. From-launched--because it is not neces personal experience I should con- sary to lower them by davits. They sider that in the case of such a can be thrown overboard, but here disaster a panie, must have been again it must be remembered that inevitable, especially among the for the average woman or child to immigrants, whose quarters would clamber, out of the water and get be situated below decks right oft aboard one is a task requiring and over the very heart of the some strength and considerable coolness unless assistance is given That the death roll proved very by those already on it. And (much high was only to be expected, Jor as one hates to say so) in a crisis it has never yet been found prac such as this that primitive law, Licable to provide adequate life the survival of the fittest, predo- saving appliances in a ship carryminates, even among the most cul- ag 1,000 or more passengers and a tured of men and women; also the sufficient complement of trained instinctive desire of every man to able seamen to handle them. protect the lives of those nearest Stewards, firemen and trimmers, and dearest to him.

trouble.

Miss Leung Shit Ying.

JAPAN'S ECONOMIC SITUATION.

PREVAILING DEPRESSION AND UNCERTAINTY.

The Japanese Consulate General, Hong Kong, has kindly forwarded us the following cabled message from the Foreign Office, Tokyo:-

Japan's estimated total Budget for 1928, recently presented by the Financial Authorities, amounted to the enormous sun of 3.1,760,000,000

expenditure an ordinary Y.330.000.000 for extraordinary ex- penditure.

for

consisting of Y.1.220,000,000 and

Y,150,000,000 has been set aside for the development of industries The Financial and foreign trade. Authorities also contemplated to floating a loan of Y.199,000,000.

A general depression is prevail- ing in industrial circles. Owing to the non-readjustment of the various banks which suspended business recently, it is likely that many in- financial dustrialists will be in difficulties at the end of the year.

Foreign trade, during the November quarter, amounted to Y.156,000,000, for exports, with adverse of

who comprise by far the major It is many years now since that partion of a passenger steamship's appalling sea tragedy, the sinking crew, are not sailors, nor ena they of R.M.S. Titanic, shocked they.15.000.000 excess of experts over

be; the num-world. That, a ship

the

be expected to on board who can test triumph of the naval are imports. The adv 1160,00,000 up handle boats and rafts is not suffchitect's handiwork and built in cient, as a rule, to allow one to each buat.

The Human Element.

one of Britain's finest shipyards, could have foundered with so ter rife a list of casualties seemed in- credible.

to the November quarter. which. compared with the corresponding period last year, showed a decrease of Y.172,000,000.

The Finance Minister has stated Of the many devices for the But it was so, and in the loss perdy launching of boats when the of the Principessa Mafalda I find that the prevailing tendency is due parent ship has to be abandoned, further proof of my contention to the condition of international) there is not one-and I fear there that our fiaest liners of to-day are finance. never will be-which, in the event tensed to carry passengers far in

He further, declared "that "the of a vessel taking a list to one excess of the number which gives Government has no intention what side or the other while settling fair margin of safety for all

Foever of resorting to artificial down, can be operated so as to those on board.

measures to cope with the present able life-bonts to be lowered into

situation, but that it may be obliged the water with a 100 per cent. mar

to adopt emergency measures in gin of safety..

case the depression leads to in stability of the market, owing to in certain speculative activities circles.

Again, the difficulty of keeping Passengers of every type, age, tem perament and class in hand and

SILENCE FOR 6 MONTHS.

FRENCH MINISTERS. SELF DENIAL

9

NO PUBLIC SPEECHES.

PARIB, Nov. 15th: At the request of M. Poincaré, the

Premier, all the French Ministers have agreed not to make any public speeches from to-day until the end of the general elec tions next. May. There can thus bé no divided expression of opinion.

M. Poincaré will be the only spokesman of the Government; he is expected to make an important political speech in January.

It

Sink any big mail boat at short notice with her full complement of passengers on board and casualties must ensue.

And there is not a sailor afloat who does not know it.

is noteworthy that 31. Tardieu, the Moderate deputy, in a speech at Dijon declared that die con- tinuance of national union was necessary for the safety of the country,

M. Tardieu said:

There will come a time when you will be able to antisfy your- selves with discussions and poli- tical strife. But at the moment you must not forget that the country has been saved by politi- cal union and by the sacrifice of the various parties which have subordinated, their aspirations and ambitions to the urgent meed of national safety,

This union must continue for at least two or three years more if our task is to be carried to

successful conclusion... We-could not undergo without disaster a second crisis similar to that of July 1920

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