A SORELY BUFFETED TRAMP.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 866, 12 July 1910, Page 4

A SORELY BUFFETED TRAMP.

WITH WELLINGTON CAEGO. Bound for Wellington and other Dominion ports with a New York cargo, the tramp steamer ludrani (now at Melbourne) seems to have had an uncouth and perilous experience in tho Southern Ucean.

Tho ludrani left New York on May i and encountered heed seas and strong winds until alter rounding the Cunt ol Good hope. Then she entered a zone of tho fiercest weather those on beard had ever experiericed. Day alter da) (says tho "Age") she struggled and bumped on her way at a miserable speed, her decks hissing with sea water, as wave alter wave broke over her like u submerged reef. Deck fittings in abuiidanco were smashed and lost, but still the lndram belched from her funnel black clouds of angry smoke to an inky sty, and strained her way onward. Sea alter sea thiyfidered over her, and ultimately one hugo billow licked one of her starboard boats right out of the davits and whirled it away on the. turbulent ocean beyond the ken of man. The cordage, holding it parted like so much thread. Then cam* the "bump"! "bump"! of other waves relentlessly assailing her,' but the steamer emerged from eoch safely like a submarine monster, water rushing from her scuppers and spray stretching in a white sheet over her funnel.

In a burst of hurricane of exceptional furv she met almost with disaster—an accident believed to be tho cause of the Waratnh's lois. imiiK'r.sed in tho ocean she rose uncertainly to tho crest of n hugo wavt with tin. covers of her No. 2 hold washed uii', and tuns of water pouring into her hull. All hands worked lor their lives, secured by liie lines and drenched by the angry s*-' : ». and alter an heroic struggle lushed the hatch coverings in place once more. There was great iinxietv "then as to whether it wouid hold, l>lll it did, and ultimately the lndvani fought her way past Cape Otwny and entered Port Philip Heads. The steamer is expected here in about three weeks' time.