A ROUGH EXPERIENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 156, 2 July 1907, Page 3

A ROUGH EXPERIENCE.

i JfAIAKANA TO AUCKLAND. .: m LAST WEEK'S GALE. Some account of a. passage from Mataiana, on the coast north of Mahurangi, , dnring last -week's storm, is given by a ■ correspondent signing himself "Commercial Traveller." He -writes: —"Twenty- . five passengers, including -women and

I children, had an experience which steamship companies shouldjeßdeavour to avoid in future- The. Eotiti left Uatakana j«r<3niesday,: the and was found

'Wednesday afternoon by the s.s. Kapanui i proximity to a reef, and -without suffi--aent power to forge ahead. Food had ,nm out on the Tuesday, and the passengers were forced to go without meals on iWednesday. The company, it seems, are .not providors, the steward being solely responsible, and passengers and crew had to suffer. I trust that this experience .-jrin profit the company, and that pasHngers -will be provided against such art experience as that of last week."

- The above complaints were brought ,jmder the notice of the manager of the Settlers' S.S. Company (Mr J. Harrison), who explained to one of our reporters •-.fiat the -writer put an exaggerated comiplexion on an incident •which was due eu..taiely to exceptional weather conditions, fhfi like of which might not prevail for flic nest twelve years or more. The Kotiti left the Matakana wharf, he said, "on Tuesday morning last, and, owing to finck -weather setting in, the vessel got aground. She, floated off at 5 pan. when .the trip to Auckland was resumed. After proceeding as far as Motoket the weather ■was found too rough to continue, and ]fte steamer accordingly anchored under •the island for the night. At nine o'clock the next morning the Kotiti resumed the trip to Auckland, and just as she got into - the passage the wind changed suddenly, and raged -with great violence. The yesI *d "plugged" along, and had passed the J®i "when the Kapanui came on the ssne. In the circumstances, the captain M t&e Kapanui thought it was best to tow .-tie vessel into Mahurangi Heads, where toei Kotaps passengers were transferred w the larger steamer. The KotiH was in bo danger, had passed the reef, and was egging the shore to escape the fury of Ufe gale, and would have reached Auckland all right, though progress would necessarily have been slow. It saved time »tow the vessel to Mahurangi and tran- «% her passengers there. The Kotiti :»«: passed by the Government inspector °% a week ago. As regards the catering eat is let to the stewards by contrtcf £■ this case the steamer had left port Wore the bad weather came on, and the .gwrd could,hardly be expected to have Provisions for a trip which was •S™ to occupy only five hours. The ; **rti should have reached Auckland oh -raesday morning, and there were three ™als provjded in addition to what would ""JBarily have been necessary