Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-18
i. S. LINER RESCUES
ST ABOARD TAHITI
BEFORE SHE SINKS
Officers and Members of
Crew Picked Up After Ven
tura Saves Passengers.
TRANSFER MADE IN FACE
OF APPROACHING STORM
Only Six Letter Bags Lost, While
About 30 Others, Badly Soak
ed, Are Shifted.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, August
18.-The MatSon liner Ventura wire
Iessed today that all passengers, officers
and crew of the British steamer Tahiti,
total SIT persons, which sank this
afternoon OF Rarotonga, Cook Islands,
are safe.
The Ventura is proceeding to Pago
Pago, where the Tahiti's island pas
kengers and crew will be disembarked.
The Ventura then will proceed to San
Francisco, where American and Euro
pean passengers will be landed.
No letter mails were lost with the
Tahiti, with the exception of six bags
during transfer to the Ventura.
About SO other bags were badly
soaked at the same time, but were
saved.
All newspaper mails and parcels were
sost.
The Ventura had rushed from many
miles away to answer the Tahiti's dis
tress signals.
Passengers Disembark First.
The Tahiti, filling rapidly with water
from a leak where one of the propel-
lers was torn away, did not remain
nfioat long after the steamer was aban-
doned. Passengers aboard the vessel
,,pon its departure from wellington
numbered ITS, crew and officers 142.
Passengers were disemparked from
khe vessel first, five boats being Launched
safely with them, despite heavy SVEN
and an approaching storm, and the
crew and officers were taken on later.
The Penyoryn, Norwegian freighter,
bound for Auckland from Cuba, stood
by to be of any possible ala IN the ols.
embracing. The Tahiti was bound
from Sydney and wellington for San
Francisco.
A radio dispatch from the Ventura
said that vessel arrived at the position
of the Tahiti Just as bulkhead began
to give way and the passengers were
taking to boats.
Five boats got away safely and the
passengers were taken aboard the Ven-
tura. Launching of the boats was not
:. without danger, for although the
weather was fair, heavy swell was
running. OfhcerS believed the ship
doomed. A storm was believed to be
approaching.
Penybryn First to Arrive.
The Penybryn was the first to reach
the Tahiti, which radioed it was in
distress at a position about ago miles
of Rarotonga. Arriving Saturday eve
ming, local time, it remained along
side until the Ventura arrived this
forenoon.
Passengers were not taken aboard the
Penybryn Immediately, since officers of
the two ships did not wish to subject
them to the limited accommodations of
the freighter until it became necessary.
The United States Shipping Board YES
sci Antinous also headed toward the
Tahiti.
Early reports from the Tahiti said
that both passengers and crew took
TO boats considerably before arrival OF
the Penybryn or Ventura, but later radio
messages from the ship said an order
to this effect had been countermanded
Wireless communication was difficult
because of static accompanying brew
Ing storm, of which the Tahitis captain,
Totem, was fearful.
The Tahiti lost its starboard propeller
and sprang leak about 460 miles east
of Rarotonga and drifted about so miles
with a strong current before being
reached by rescue vessels.
The vessel was due in San Francisco
from wellington on August 20.