THE ROKEBY HALL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 924, 23 April 1883, Page 2

THE ROKEBY HALL.

- ■■ ; A Rough Passage. : The anxiously enquired after bkrque of the above name arrived in Lyttelton en Saturday from London. She came into port with every passenger and sailor alive, and as well as they were 125 days, before, when she left Gravesend ; but the vessel was by no means “ taut." Her (appear, ance was anything but prepossessing. The good ship, for she must; be s good ship indeed to have weatheked fch« fearful storms encountered, has aj heavy list to port, a jury foreyard,l and s “ fished ” lower main-topsail yard! Whai

ternoie force was used to bring down tne fore yard can only be guessed at from an inspection of the two monster pieces of iiropjfock dt which the yard (whp [composed, as they new lie lashed on her dqck. The story of her log-book may be sumjmed up in a few words for nearly the whole, pas-sage-galas, fearful seas, squalls, and hurricanes. Such a record of bad weather as the log-book gives has seldom been given for a passage to this 'country from'; (',A[ worse passage is impossible, short of a total wreck. ‘ Those on board say the vessel was “ tender ’’ 'When ; fiber-lef^®C! mß r.iap{i had |a- slight “list.” The royal yards oouldj not be carried with safety, and as a fact were not «4friedJ ‘ : The passages was, therefore, made under top-gallant sails, 4 n sf waa : prolonged in consequence. She ' left the '■South West India docks} (London} Oh' the 16th December, anchored at Gravesend, whet® the passengers embarked,-and 'she left - 'flitted 47th December.

Down tae unannei 0.0. Hi. wmaa ana light airs wore met with, but crossing the treacherous 1 Bay of Biscayher log records gale upon gale from the directions! of N.N.W. to S.W. Hard squall^, i heavy seas, ship rolling terribly, mark the account of the -passage down to 4£. 12 N. and 14.16 west longitude on January 'sth. After that the gales came more southerly, ship still rolling frightfully and seas breaking on board. The worpt had to come, however, for on the 10th January,: at two o’clock in the morning, the ship being in’37. B 3 N. and 15.64 weSt.longitude, the wind shifted suddenly to the north-west; a heavy squall strbck her and threw her clean over on her beam ends. What-the effect of this Startling freak of the elements was to the Slumbering passengers below may be imagined better than described. It was a fearful night,; the -thunder; breaking, so : the log book records, with a report the like of which can only be made by “ heaven’s -artillery. ” Thejightning was everywhere, but While the Ihip’lay with hef Ida combings washing in the seaway, a fearful streak of the electric fluid apparently struck 1 her aboiit the. main topmast and fell to leeward close to the ship in balls of fire.. The truck of the mainmast was sjjlit' ih fwo halves, ’ and Iwks aftowards picked up on deck. A piece of, it was, given to the reporter of the Press jby Captain Berthas' 1 bVidence of the narrow escape they had had from total destruction by that lightning flash. The chief officer, who is a mariner of tHei olden time, describes the scene as being unprecedented, in , hip experience. The lightning threw a 'ghastly glare from end to end of the ship, by whijch light could..be seen the foreyard hanging in ‘fWri tikiVoa in 1 ftva falinora. tVin fnrflsail nnlif.

into shred;, the main lower topsail yard .hanging in two halves, the sail upon it in strips, and the mizen staysail blown to ribbons. The fore as well as the; maim •togsail vaa blowtt;aw§y, the .pendant and whip-i, and both fore braces carried away... Nerve and presence of mind wereneeded, , ahd tfepao happily WbYefabt wanting. |The ship was put before the wind, and at day-. break, the log says briefly, “ commenced to cle»c away;the wre<:k.” The gale had laboring in the fearful seas, squalls were frequent,.-and it rained in torrents, . Large quahities of on boil'd’ and found its way down the after hatchway amongst the passengers’ quarters, pnd down the cabin skylight into ; thb 'salbdn. Gin January 12th, by which time some progress had been made stowing the broken yards and sails awiiy l , Ihb storm increased in its, fury, and at midnight was of hurricane violence. More water on deck and below

! wak' 'amongst' ! the 1 'disagreeable' consequences. The “ brave westerlies ” bp i March 6th proved anything but pleasant, as may be inferred from the fact that, turning to the log book entry a few days later, in 58.24£astlongtitudeand 41 South lattitude, a gale from A.S.W. is reported. Likely enough the ship, after her previous hard trials, was not so ablq.for heavy weather, and in this ‘ storih' air' seas was shipped that filled the main deck,, and bf course inqndgted the after part of the vessel, which as she rolled sehi'poop ladders, closets, and everything else 'of a movable nature down into the lee scuppers. The weather assuming a less violent attitude towards the unlucky but noble vessel, she pushed along towards Tasmania. The meridian of Cape Leuwin was crossed.in 46.56.5. op the Ist April, the Eastiqg having' beenirpn d >wn on a mean of 44 South parallel, andTa,amania’a meridian was crossed on the 7th of April in 47- 39. Another four days brought the vessel to within a few miles of the 1 Snares, but there she was again called Upon to heavy gale, and was blown awAy. She did not make the Snares until the 15th, since which to making Banks’ Peninsula, on Friday night, winds from every quarter, and from no quarter, were met with. The pilot boarded Her at 8 a.m. on Saturday, and she anchored about noon. Dr Rouse, health officer, • cleared her, and several of the gladly, took the first chance of trying their ’luclc' ashore. They speak in the very) highest terms of praise of Captain Berry jaftd' his officers, as indeed they may also 'Well do. of the Rokeby Hall, for the weathbr she' carried them through would have pent any but the strongest of ships to the 'bottom. The Rokeby Hall is a Liverpool built ship, twenty years old, and owned by Balfour. Williamson and Co., of Liverpool.—Press,