At a meeting of the Melbourne search committee on the 19th of February 1910, the Lord Mayor read a letter received from captain Currie (Messrs. A. Currie & co., owners of the s.s. Hymettus which sailed this week for India). Captain Currie stated that the Hymettus had been specially fitted, and he enclosed the following extract from a letter of instructions to Captain McDonald, of the Hymettus, dated Melbourne, February 11, 1910:-"After rounding Cape Otway, proceed to Colombo, sailing the great circle track as near as possible, which we define as passing Cape Leeuwin in latitude 36.35, and longitude 115, the next point being latitude 33.20, longitude 95.12. From there proceed to the equator, to be crossed in longitude 83.20. We reckon on this distance will be nearly as short as a straight course from Cape Otway to Cape Leeuwin. A strict lookout must be kept at night and day
night after passing Cape Leeuwin, the object of taking a westerly course with a view to picking up the missing steamer Waratah, or any wreckage or flotsam that may exist in the course indicated. The Hymettus passed Cape Otway at 4.40pm on February 12th and was due abreast of Cape Leeuwin on the night of February 17th. The Hymettus has two crows' nests 75ft above water giving a range of vision in clear weather of from 20 to 25 miles both ways from the hull. (This last line in the press report is incorrect, visibility from 75feet would only be 10.0 miles, visibility would be all round the horizon). Many ships leaving Capetown put on extra coal so they could zig zag the Southern Ocean on their way to Australia in the hope of finding the Waratah and claim large salvage money if they had to tow her to the nearest port. No doubt captain Currie had the same thing in mind by ordering a look out day and night and giving specific courses to follow.
s.s. Hymettuss.
Note the dark water coming out of her hull alongside the white water which is her ballast tanks being
emptied out. The darker water is a slurry, ash from the furnaces watered down then put into an ash ejector and sealed tight, the slurry is then pumped up and overboard by water pressure, this prevents ash from being blown over the ship and in this case the 50 first class passengers she carried. Some ash ejectors pumped out the ash slurry through the hull below the water line. This was probably what the passengers noticed on the Waratah and mistook it for rusty bilge water on the first voyage. Note her hull is high out of the water and her derricks up in the air, (known as topping the derricks) , she is obviously going into port to receive cargo
