THE CAPTAIN WHO DID.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 527, 7 June 1909, Page 6

THE CAPTAIN WHO DID.

STORY OF THE WOOTTON'S BREAKDOWN.

FINE SEAMANSHIP. Capt W. G. Scott, master of tho Wootton,which reached Lyttelton on. Saturday afternoon after a trying experience, gave an interesting account of the steamer's voyage to a "Press" representative. He stated that the vessel left Kaiapoi on Tuesday afternoon with a full cargo of produce for Foxton... About G o'clock on Wednesday night, while conversing with the mate, on the bridge, ho was. startled by a loud report and crash from the enginorooni. Ho made his way below at once. The chief engineer, Mr. J. M. Arthur, was on the spot, and had shut off steam, andean examination showed that the connecting rod of the low-pressure cylinder had broken- in the [collar coupling it to tho piston rod. . At the moment when the rod broke, the inflow of steam forced up the piston, and blew the cylinder cover clean off. The cover flew. up with great force, and struck the engineroom ceiling, and then fell back on the platform round the engines.' The motion of the engines had I thrown the broken rod against tho_ guard of the engines, breaking it away. The engines being disabled, the fires were drawn from the boiler, and steam let down. The vessel was then drifting on to a lee shore, but Captain Scott made all sail, and headed the vessel out into tho Strait, and was soon out of immediate danger. . •'' ' , ' Shortly after dark Captain Scott saw the lights of a steamer, .and fired rockets burned blue lights to ■ attract her attention. The steamer bore down on the'Wootton, and proved to he the Blenheim, bonnd from Blenheim to Wellington; ■ She came close alongside, and-after considerable difficulty got a lino aboard the .Wootton, and by .8 p.m. the latter vessel was under tow, with about 15 fathoms of' her own cable shackled oni.to 60 or 70

fathoms of wire from the Blenheim. The Blenheim, with her disabled charge, headed for Pencarrow in the teeth of a northwest gale and heavy sea, aid got within about fifteen miles of tho lighthouse. Tho wind was freshening and the sea increasing, and . tho Blenheim, being unable to make Pencarrow,' headed for Palliser Bay. Captain Scott stated that the two vessels were going to leeward all the-time, mnd that finally, at 6.40 a.m. on Thursday, the Blenheinv after. ; blowing four blasts on her whistlo, cast off the.-. tow line and headed for Wellington, leaving those on board the disabled vessel rolling and pitching in the heavy sea, to get the whole of the cable and wire hawser aboard as best they could. Capt. Scott said he hovo the Wootton to for an hour, while the tow line : was got aboard with great difficulty,-' and then, after, getting the vessel .before the-wind, squared away for Kaikoura. Tinder all sail the Wootton made fast* time southwards, and averaged about seven knots an hour. . '■-.:•• • •"••. ■-,-,. ; - Meanwhile the chief engineer and his start were hard at work'on the, damaged engines. The low-pressure cylinder cover, was badly cracked, but it was put back ,into its place, and, after many hours of- toil, steam wa3 raised, and the engines working with the high-pressnre oylinder only, woro got going "dead "slow' about nine o'clock, on Thursday night. The engines, however, : wore a; sorry job at best. There were great difficulties for the engineers, and tho. passago down the coast was a very anxious one for Captain Scott, whose great i-fear was that a strong southerly blow would be met with. The wind, however,. held from' the north-west until Double Corner was passed at eleven • o'clock, on Friday ,morning. It then began to blow, from the southward,' but by "nursing" the engines and keeping the steamer under sail olosb in shore round Pegasus Bay, Captain Scott succeeded in getting his vessel safely' into: Lyttelton, where: he .was congratulated on the good seamanship he'had displayed in extricating, the Woof ton from an exceedingly dangerous position in storm-swept Cook-Strait, and bringing, her down the coast under great:.difficulties. : .