Whalers where they wanted to be

The Ross Sea whaling fleet has succeeded in getting through into clear water after a period of 38 days in the pack.

Private advice received by a Southland Times representative on Thursday stated that the ships had gone through the ordeal without accident and were now fully employed in dealing with the big fish as fast as they could in the limited time available after such a lengthy delay in the pack ice.

The third expedition of the Ross Sea Whaling Fleet commenced on October 29 last, when the mother ship, the Sir James Clark Ross, and the five chasers set out from the base at Stewart Island for the frozen waters of Antarctica, where operations were to be carried out over a period of five months. Captain Nilsen, who is again in command of the expedition, informed a representative of the Southland Times that he considered the fleet was better equipped this time than it was last year. Consequent on the experiences gained last season, the expedition was leaving some three weeks earlier than heretofore; nevertheless, he did not anticipate that they would be ready to leave the whaling grounds on their return before the middle of February. The extra time gained would, he hoped, enable a larger catch to be handled and as the market quotations for whale oil were higher and steadier than was the case last year, a higher financial return was consequently looked forward to by all hands.

When she left, the heavily laden factory ship was drawing 27 feet of water at the bow and slightly more at the stern, and was accompanied by Star 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Usually it takes four or five days for the boats to steam through the pack ice.

You snooze, you lose

The overcrowding on the Roslyn cable trams has a variety of effects, among which may be numbered the reducing of tempers to a sharp edge. Yesterday, at noon, in a wild stampede for seats, one young man was evidently bumped rather severely by a second youthful aspirant for comfort, for in a few seconds the two were engaged in a duel. An Englishman dearly loves a fight and. acting upon a hereditary impulse, the more youthful passengers deserted their seats to obtain a better view of the proceedings. The older men saw their chance and, by the time the conductor and gripman had separated the duelist, age was in possession of the available seating accommodation. The two young men who engaged in the fisticuffs were among those who stood for the remainder of the journey.

Setting it straight

Owing to inadvertence in this office an erroneous notice concerning the movements of the Peninsula Ferry Company’s boats appeared in yesterday’s issue. Any inconvenience it may have caused is regretted.

— ODT, 29.12.1925 (Compiled by Peter Dowden)