A year ago and evea less every Capebound steamer had her accommodation in every class fully taken up by these who saw in the newly annexed ''ransraal and Orange River Colonies an outlet fore orgy that was going to waste hereabouts.
The return h.s now set in. Distant fields that looked so green, and offered xo alluring prospect when viewed from a distance of some ¥,000 miles have fulled to stand the test of closer inspection, These who can scrape up the price steerage passage in any Australian liner touching at the Cape are filling up that class, whilst hundreds who have not the neces ary cash are begging to be allowed to work their passage The search for stow aways ix beng rigidly carried out befure leaving Cape ports, and men are dragged out: from all sorts of holes and corners that (nly a liner can provide.
The Captain of one stramer tel's of 1 daring expedient adopted by " young man deul on getting hack to Mel! bourne ut any cost. His vessel was half-a-day out from Cape Town when a small boat was sighted, which on a nearer app.oach contained one man evidently in a bad way. A rescue party went after him, but before he w reached hi: craft sank under him, leaving him ling in the water. He was taken on board and some days later admitted that he hed gone out in the boat with the intention of intercepting the huer, and had scuttled her when h saw the vessel approaching. South Africa cannot ofter very alluring prospect 0 the average man, when he will risk his ife in order to get away clear of her shores.
Wreck of the Petriana.
Port Phillip Heads was the scene of another wreck on the morning of the 28th of November. The Shell Co.'s steamer Petriana, inward-bonnd from Singapore via Sydney, arrived at the pilotage ground about 6.30 a.m. One of the oldest) and most experienced members of the pilot service boarded her and took charge. The weather at the tume was calm with a thick fog. About 8 a.m., when the weather cleared a little, the crew of the pilot steamer saw to their surprise that the Petriana, which by that time they imagined was safely inside the Heads, was ashore on the reef apout half-a-mile to the eastward of Point Nepean, the Eastern headland of the entrance. The pilot steamer immediately stood in as close as possible to render any assistance that might be possible, while news of the occurrence was telephoned. to Melbourne by the lookout at Queenscliff lighthouse. The Captain of the Petriaua signalled for a tug, and in response two of the most powerful vessels working in the Bay were dispatched to his assistance. The weather remaining fine several attempts were made during the afternoon to tow the vessel off. The only result was that rope after rope parted without producing any effect on the vessel. The engine room by this time had almost filled proving that the vessel had been badly holed on the rocks. Towards night the wind shifted to the seaward and it was deemed dvieable to transfer the crew to the tug, which lay for the night at Queenscliff. the morning the captain again proceeded to the wreck with some of the crew and a start was made to pump out some of the bulk oil. 'This, however, had no effect, and the underwriters' surveyor decided to abandon the vessel on the 30th of November, The Ship's Company were brought on to Melbourne by the tug, where arrangements were immediately made by the agents to tranship the Malay and Chinese portion to the Japanese steamer Kasuga Maru arrived that day from Yokohama. Under the Alien Restriction Act landing to these members of the crew was prohibited. The Petriana was a vessel of some 1,800 tons, built in 1876 at Newcastle by A. Leslie and Ca. The pilot's statement is to the effect that he miscalculated the distance from the Heads at: the time he boarded the vessel, he was not "groping" for the entrance, neither was he taking any unnecessary risks. A few moments before the ship struck the roar of breakers was heard, and although the engines were put astern immediately the ship glided on to the rocks with considerable way on. She struck very hard amidships and ten minutes afterwards the engine room began to fill water. Later exzniinatica showed the damage to be confined to that portion of the ship,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.