RTUNATELY without loss of life, a merchant steamer was weeked in the centre harbour on Monday (Dec. 17) morning, when the Chinese vessel Tungtuck and the Ne norwegian ship Hervar collided a few hundred yards south of the Soochot Creek turning basin. The former was holed above the waterline, but confined downstream on her course.
According to eye-witnesses, the Hervar dropped an anchor, but, with the inrush of water, it was raised, and the vessel was headed toward the Pootung shore, where her nose was buried in fourteen feet of mud. The flood tide swung the Hervar's stern into the position, which thousands of people on their way to office noticed.
The time of the accident is placed at a few (nutes before 9 a.m.
Inward bound from Singapore and Bangkok, loaded with rice, the Hervar, passed Woosung about 8 a.m., while the Tungtuck was outward bound, At 4.30 pin. harbour officials stated that the Hervar had settled and divers reported that the full length rested on the Whang-oe silt.
After the two boats collided, they gradually drifted. The Tungtuck, the dow of which could be seen badly dented, drifted up-river, carried by the strong tide. The Hervar, with her port bow badly holed beneath the water, started to sink bow first immediately. A. thick cloud of steam or smoke arose from the bow and with every minute she seemed. to be settling deeper and deepes. A black ball was then raised to show she intended to swing and, with her stern rising clear of the water and her propeller sending up a cloud of spray, she thrashed her way round and headed towards the Pootung side of the river, where her nose was beached close to the Pootung River Police hulk. Four or five launches went alongside and all those on board the ship, with such personal belongings as could be quickly seized, were removed and the ship was abandoned, By 930 pin. her bow was sunk well down and her front hatch covers were only just above the waterline; her stern, however, was clear. The further she seitied into the water, Greater list she took. The River Police were busy keeping all craft away from the vessel for the first-half an hour, for there was a feat that she might explode at any minute, About 980 am, salvage tugs went alongside at the stern end to see what could be done to keep While the Hervar. was thrashing her way towards the Pootung side of While salvage tugs, the crew under Capt, J. Sorlie—and other maritime helpers were exerting powerful efforts to hold the stranded Hervar in place on the mud-yank: off Pootung Point, those from points of vantage were perplexed as to the ship's movements. Throughout the morning it appeared as though she could not maintain her position, in spite of capable assistance, At noon, the position seemed more serious, as the port side gradually was submerged, The main deck, only slight ly awash at 10 am, had entirely subsided on the port side, while the starboard from midships forward, was dry, with the bow stuck in the mud, From the Customs Jetty. during the early afternoon, the after end stood as a matter of conjecture.
Salvage vessels kept up steam, bearing pressure on the stern to hold the holed vessel on the beach, al~ though it remained 200 yd. from the River Police hulk.
Experts on the scene within a few minutes exhibited grave alarm when they learned that the cargo consisted of rice, and voiced the opinion that, the longer the rice remained, the greater became the danger of losing the ship, the cargo's propensities to swell—thus endangering the ship's plates—being one of the two greatest risks.
Rivermen ran over the ship, loosing] Ufeboats and wooden attachments on the superstructure, and prying off moveable. Smaller craft scurried with the tide and picked up flotsam the river, the Tungtuck had drifted clear of her and all other craft. She then got up steam again and show. ing A badly dented bow close to the water line made her way slowly up~ river, eventually putting about and going to Buoys 42-43, where she berthed. It is understood that she will go into Tungkadoo Dock to-day, when a survey will be made of she damage done to her.
Although some people were watking along the Bund and did not hear any crash, others state that there was a Toud bang as the two ships met. A thin mist hung over tne river at the time and when the as. Hervar went over to the other side of the river it was hard to discern what exactly was taking place, though myriads of launches appeared to surround the stricken vessel and took off all the crew.
Literally 100,000 persons were interested spectators at one time or another during the morning and afternoon, conjecturing that the Hervar might sink at any time. At 2 pin, the tide had not ebbed to Such an extent that those unfamiliar with the ways of the sea had any warrant for pessimism. Pootung peasants were as Interested as the huge throngs that gathered and dispersed every several minutes on the foreshore. and jetsam. A single small cupboard remained tied by a small rope to the rail, while more daring Chinese clambered to the masthead loosing Steel lines, and others ransacked the officers' cabins, handing clothing, towels and linen to the tug Pushing.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.