On Friday a howling westerly gale was raging on the West Coast, and at about 10.30 p.m. strange flashes were seen at sea.
These are now believed to have been distress signals from the ill-fated vessel.
At about 11 a.m. on Saturday a telephone message was received from the Ten-mile (which, as its name denotes, is ten miles north of Greymouth), saying that large quantities of merchandise and ship's fittings were coming ashore.
Investigation at once proved that these belonged to the Kaiapoi Company's steamer Kairaki, which was making a voyage from Lyttelton and Wellington to Greymouth.
All day long wreckage continued to come ashore, but no sign of the crew confirmed the worst fears.
Today cargo and ship's fittings are coming ashore in large quantities at Barrytown (21 miles north of Greymouth), and it is now apparent that the Kairaki has been lost, with all hands.
No one is left to tell the tale of her loss.
The cause of the disaster is a mystery.
One surmise is that she struck a rock, either at Point Elizabeth or at the Seventeen Miles, and immediately after went to pieces, owing to the frightfully rough weather prevailing.
Another is that the vessel foundered, the breakers being abnormally large.
No list of the officers and crew is obtainable here, but one may be obtained at Lyttelton.
So far no bodies whatever have been recovered.
• The seizure of German New Guinea, otherwise known as Kaiser Wilhelm Land, has been confidently anticipated from the day when the declaration of war by Great Britain upon Germany was announced.
It was effected without opposition by Australian troops on Thursday last.
Apparently greater importance was attached by Germany to the possession of New Britain than to that of Kaiser Wilhelm Land, and accordingly she depleted her small garrison in New Guinea in order that she might strengthen that in New Britain.
The reinforcements, however, did not reach New Britain until that colony had surrendered, and they are now prisoners.
The forces that remained in New Guinea were hopelessly inadequate, and were unable to make any pretence of resistance to the invaders.
To the Australians it will be a matter of intense satisfaction that the duty of seizing these colonies was entrusted to their troops.
The existence of German New Guinea and New Britain at a short distance from the north of Australia has long been regarded in the Commonwealth with a certain amount of uneasiness which has become more marked since it came to be suspected that the Germans were intent upon the establishment of a naval base and coaling station at Simpsonshaven, in New Britain.
Presumably the administration of these territories will be handed over to the Australian authorities.
• It is rumoured that there was something in the nature of a strike among the public schoolboys one day last week (says the Cromwell Argus).
It appears the hour dinner interval was not declared until 12.15 instead of 12 o'clock.
The youths gathered together and refused to answer the bell at 1 p.m., parading the streets with much bravado, and did not put in an appearance until the regulation hour had expired.
Then there was a renewed scene of ''strike''. Several received a fair penalty, while various methods were adopted by others to avoid ''the sentence''.- ODT, 28.9.1914.
• COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.OTAGOIMAGES.CO.NZ
