39["The Waratah", The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA), Saturday 08 October 1910, page 14]

THE WARATAH.

A CRUEL HOAX.

A good deal of excitement was caused in Adelaide on Friday morning when it was reported that a message had been received from the Blue Anchor liner the Waratah, and interest was at once revived in the fate of all who were on board that vessel. The cause of the excitement was the following message received at the G.P.O. at 10.30 a.m.:--

The postmaster at Foster (Victoria) advises:-"Mr. C. McLennon, National Park ranger on Wilson's Promontory, reported by telephone to me from the Darby test-house this morning that he found a bottle on the Waratah beach, near the mouth of the Darby River, at 4 p.m. yesterday. It had just been washed ashore. The cork was much worn, and the bottle appeared to have been some time in the water. It contained the following message:--

"At sea. latitude 40 south. Steamer Waratah broke down on August 23, 1909; drifting south. All well, but anxious.

Engineers busy. J. G. Jones, passenger.

Doubt if this will he picked up. If so, write to Mrs. J. J. Jones, 28, George street, Sydney."

The Waratah left Adelaide on July 7, 1909. and sailed from Durban on July 26 for Cape Town. The vessel was seen last by the passengers on the steamer Guelph on July 27, eastward of East London, the day after the Waratah left Port Natal. She was then six hours late, but was flying no signals of distress. A few days afterwards the steamer was reported missing, and after a long, search by the Imperial and Colonial Governments was posted as lost.

When shown a copy of the message on Friday, the president of the Marine Board (Mr. A. Searcy) at once said he thought it was a hoax. "It is a wicked lie." he continued, "and the perpetrators of such hoaxes should be severely punished. I suppose whoever is responsible thought it funny, but it is a silly lie, because if anyone on board wanted to send a message, fuller details would assuredly have been given. The latitude given might have been correct., but the other particulars are not convincing."