After being marooned above the Nantao boom for almost twenty weeks, the British steamer Redgate, 4,323 tons gross, came sailing down rest the Bund shortly before 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon, and is now in dry dock. Her owners, the Redgate Steamship Ca., and her local agents, Dodwell & Ca., breathed a deep sigh of relief as she squeezed through the narrow opening on the Pootung side of the boom and travelled down to the Yangtszepoo Dock, for the demurrage on this cargo vessel during her incarceration has amounted to many thousands of dollars.
The Redgate came into port. on August 9, when she tied up at buoys 11 and 12, opposite the Frerch Waterworks plant in Nantao, to discharge cargo. After that, she was to go into dock for a general overhaul. Hardly had the started to discharge her cargo into lighters) however, than the boom was thrown across the Whangpoo River (on August 12) and the hostilities in the Shanghai area got under way.
Subsequently, the Redgate went alongside the Dollar Wharf, Pootung, and while tied up there took advantage of the occasional lulls to get rid of the rest of her cargo. On Thursday last, Captain K. E. Petersen, of the Shanghai Licensed Pilot. Association; Mr. A. J. Evans, proconsul in charge of the Shipping Office of H.M. Consulate-General; Mr. J. R. Weeks, of Dodwell & Ca. and Captain Russell, of the s. Redgate, investigated possibilities for at long last bringing the ship through the boom, which was pierced by the Japanese navy during the attack on Nantao, Dangerous Moment Yesterday saw the fruit of their examination of the boom. With her propeller churning slowly, and with the tug St. Sampson out ahead with a tow rope, she carefully approached the boom. Near the Pootung side of the river lies a sunken river vessel, and in order to get the 385 overall feet of the Redgate through the gap safely, it was necessary for her bow to come perilously near the wreck.
With Captains Petersen and Russell on the bridge, she neared the danger zone. Several tense moments passed, and then the Redgate, after swinging slightly, came through with feet to spare. Through! and, to amazed watchers, without difficulty, though none can tell what anxious moments passed on the bridge. Still in the tow of the tug, she came down past the many cruisers off the Bund, and on the same tide. went into the Shanghai Dockyards—Yangtszepoo dock for a much-delayed overhaul.
She is expected to have completed her overhaul by Monday or Tuesday, but her immediate destination after that is not yet known. Her owners are waiting for news of the completion of work on her, and her agents, after advising the compan: will await further instructions.
Cricket Matches During the whole of the time that the Redgate has been "in port" above the boom, all her officers and part of her crew have remained on board, Some members of the crew, eighteen in all, however. eventually came down to Shanghai and are still here.
The Redgate, it will be remembered, came into port when the cricket season was at its height, and shortly after the ship tied up at the Dollar Wharf cricket matches became a favourite method of passing the"
e and indulging in muchly-needed exercise. About August 21. a Shanghai pilot, with the assistance of an armed guard from H.M.S. Falmouth led an expedition up-river fast the boom to the Redgate, They arrived just in time to witness what might almost be termed One of the test matches of the Red-gate cricket season, A noticeable feature of the matches played was the interest aroused among: the Chinese soldiers stationed in the vicinity and at one time hopes were held that a budding Chinese Hammond or Bradman might be found. With the passing of the cricket season, those members of the Redgate's crew who elected to remain indulged in a number of football games, the necessary leather spheres having been taken up by the pilot in the expedi-) tion,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.