At around 17:30 on the 27th, a ship called the "Harlow" saw the smoke of a steamer on the horizon, there was so much smoke that her captain wondered if the steamer was on fire. When darkness fell, the crew of the "Harlow" could see the steamer's running lights approaching, but still behind them, when there were suddenly two bright flashes from the direction of the steamer and the lights vanished. The captain thought they were caused by explosions, but the mate of the "Harlow" who had also seen them, thought the flashes were brush fires on the shore (a common phenomenon in the area at that time of year). The captain agreed and did not even enter the events in the log – only when he learnt of the disappearance of the "Waratah" did he think the events significant. Reportedly the "Harlow" was from Durban.