["Is it the Waratah?", The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA), Saturday 14 August 1909, page 9]
IS IT THE WARATAH?
BODIES WASHED ASHORE.
NORTH AND SOUTH OF EAST LONDON.
London, August 13.
The liner Insizwa, 2,937 tons, reports having passed four floating objects, supposed to be bodies, at the mouth of the Bashee River, 100 miles north of East London, off which port the missing steamer Waratah was last sighted on the night of July 27.
It is reported that bodies are washing up the Great Fish River, about 75 miles south of East London.
REINSURED AT 90 GUINEAS.
A FLEET IN SEARCH.
London, August 13.
The rate of reinsurance on the missing liner Waratah has risen to 90 guineas, which is the highest ever paid for a vessel of that size. The underwriters suggest that she may have broken her propeller or rudder, instancing the case of the Waikato, which was missing south of the Cape for a long time.
The cruiser Forte, which made a fruitless search for the Waratah, covering 1,320 miles, left Simonstown to-day on a second quest for the missing ship. The cruiser Hermes also went out. She will search south-east of the area already covered by the cruiser Pandora, which lately returned
to Durban.
The Blue Anchor liner Geelong from London, left Cape Town to-day, with instructions to steer south of the usual track, on the lookout for the Waratah. The Pandora will renew the search on Monday.
WHAT THE WEATHER WAS LIKE.
STEAMER'S STORMY VOYAGE.
Melbourne, August 13.
An idea of the weather which the missing steamer Waratah may have encountered after she set out from Durban on her voyage to Cape Town can be gained from the experiences of the Tyser line steamer Marere, which arrived at Melbourne from London this morning. The Marere, ot 6,443 tons register, left the Royal Albert Docks, London, for Melbourne direct, on June 30. She rounded the Cape of Good Hope on July 22. The weather up till then was fine, but the conditions suddenly changed, and for almost the whole of the remainder of the trip the Marere was beset with gales and rough seas. On July 24 the south-westerly winds freshened into a strong gale, with fierce hail squalls and high seas. These conditions ruled for a few days, but on July 28 the storm raged with greater violence. Mountainous seas washed the vessel's decks, carrying away one of the boats and breaking the deck fittings.
The course of the steamer was altered, and she was run with her head to sea for 12 hours. By July 31 the weather had moderated, but on August 2 became bad again, and continued unfavorable nearly all the way to the Australian coast. The Marere was two days behind time on arrival this morning.
Captain F. Firth stated that the run from the Cape of Good Hope to Melbourne was one of the roughest in his experience.
THE STEAMER GEELONG.
Messrs. George Wills & Co. have received cable advice that the Lund liner Geelong sailed from Cape Town for Port Adelaide on August 12. The captain has been instructed to search for the missing Waratah during the voyage.
...
