THE WARATAH NIGHTMARE.

This the title of my recently completed book which will be published in the coming future once it has been re-edited and the publishing method finalised. I shall from time to time post small extracts from the book which  I trust will be of interest to ship historians. It contains many photographs some of which the reader may not have seen and has taken me a long period of time searching and collating them for this book. In the meantime I shall be posting articles from time to time on the Waratah and also some very interesting articles on general shipping both old and modern .


 

   

 

 

 

Inside fly leaf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         s.s. WARATAH ONE HUNDRED AND SEVEN YEARS LATER ON.

It is one hundred and seven years today since the s.s. Waratah a passenger cargo ship vanished with 211 persons on board in 1909, leaving no trace of her last position on the face of the Earth. As an individual I have chosen two poems of remembrance, one for the passengers and one for the crew. 

                                       For the passengers.

                                                     IN OUR HEARTS.

                                        We thought of you with love today.

                                        But that is nothing new.

                                        We thought about you yesterday.

                                        And the day before that too. 

                                        We think of you in silence.

                                        We often speak your names.

                                        Now all we have is memories.

                                        And your all your pictures in frames.

                                        Your memory is our keepsake.

                                        With which we will never part.

                                        God has you in his keeping.

                                        We have you in our heart.

                                                                                           Author unknown.

 

   For the crew adapted from the Lords Prayer.

                                                        The Pilots Psalm.

The Lord is my pilot, I shall not drift, He guides me across the dark waters. He steers

me in deep channels, He keeps my log. He pilots me by the star of Holiness for his names sake. Yea, though I sail mid the fender and tempests of life I shall dread no danger for He is near me. His Love and care shelter me. He prepares a harbour before me in the Holiness of Eternity. He anoints the waves with oil, my ship rides calmly.

Surely sunlight and starlight shall favour me in my voyages and I will rest in the Port of our Lord Forever. 

 

                                             Waratah at berth A Albert Docks London March 9th 1909,

 

                                                          Long ago but not forgotten.

 

                              N.S.W Emblem the Waratah flower which the ship was named after.

                                   s.s Waratah last seen off the South African Coast July 27th 1909.

 

 

             
                                                         

More on coal and steamships

                                                       More coal on ships decks.

Coal on a ships hatch in a storm, notice coal all over the deck this usually ends up blocking up the scuppers and prevents water from running of the deck.

 

                              A much more sensible way to carry extra coal, easier to handle.

Two things I hated as a young man at sea and that was loading bulk wheat and coaling the ship, prior to loading either we had to cover the vents close up all doors, windows, portholes, cover electric motors, close all the skylights on deck. No matter what prevention you took the dust always managed to find its way inside the ship covering everything with a fine powder. It was even worse in the tropics as the ship heated up internally and made life unbearable below decks without ventilation.

 

The ss Waratah loaded coal on board in three ways, directly down the hatches on deck, through coaling port doors on either side of the ship and by lifting coal up onto her boat deck with four derricks ( cranes) on the deck solely for that purpose. The coal hauled up onto the boat deck was then tipped in to the two hatches on that deck, one aft of the funnel and one in front of the funnel. Canvas covers were put over the rails to prevent any damage to the teak railings and to prevent coal pieces landing on the deck below. As each basket of coal was brought over the rail it was place on a wooden trolley and wheeled to the intended hatch on a set of tram lines laid down on the deck. Each basket was counted as it arrived by a tallyman for the coal contractor and also by a member of the ships crew. One basket weighed one hundred weight (112 pounds- 20 baskets= 1ton).

 

             Coal being loaded aboard a Japanese ship, using the same method as that of the Waratah.

In the picture we see coal being loaded on a more modern steamship through the top deck, this hatch is directly behind the funnel. Note on the left we can see the hatch boards and a canvas cover laying on the closed engine room skylight. As the coal is tipped in there are men standing on the sides below ready to trim or spread the coal evenly in the bunker.

ss Waratah, if you look up at the boat deck you will see two derricks at the side of the funnel, these are two of the four derricks on the boat deck used for lifting coal onto that deck.

In this picture we see men coaling the ship through the side coaling ports or doors, a set of lines were attached to the ship with running blocks and ropes which allowed the coal bins to be hauled up and the coal poured down the chutes to the trimmers down below who levelled of the coal for stability. On completion of coaling these doors were closed after sealing with red lead and tightened up from the inside by crew members who had to crawl into a small compartment and an uncomfortable body position to do so.  Engineering officers relied on the trimmers word to say the ports had been properly closed and were watertight before informing the deck officer the ship was secure. Being below the main deck line and close to the water if they were not sealed properly water ingress was a danger and has resulted in ships taking water and causing a list. The question was raised  in Court as to whether the Waratah had her ports properly closed up, of course we shall never know.

Due to my editor of my book insisting that the book should be a single book and not Volume 1 and 2 as I intended, condensing it into one book is taking more time than previously thought, however I shall inform the readers as the time draws near to publication.