SIX HOURS' ADRIFT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 930, 24 September 1910, Page 9

SIX HOURS' ADRIFT.

. «- BROKEN SHAFT IN A OALE. KOTUKU IN .DANGER. PICKED CP BY THE TERAWHITI. <:"■ Leaving Onehunga at 6 a.m.; last .•Tuesday-', for Greymouth, the U.S.S. Company's steamer ■, Kotuku. (Captain J.'. Flyrm) Grossed tho Manukau bar. at about an hour and a -hair later, experiencing a rather rough timo iii tho' heavy / sea then making. When clear •'of .the .entrance,...the; steamer;, ran into a, particularly heavy westoriy. galo with' iigli Boas, which ;greatly;:retarded her.' ■iprogrosii;' , ; , .; - , ' Tho- ship, being in rery ; light ' trim, Captain Flyiin deemed it'expedient (instead of shaping .'.the ..usual southerly: course) to keep well out from the land, ; and, steam ; in' a;; south-westerly.' direction; "When his. vessel had covered about'7o miles, and' ■was '40 miles oft the .land,- tho .vessel knocked- about in t]io,.; ; increasingly heavy seas, and as she was,-,fljang; very light the : propeller raced frequently. • At; a; few minutes.;past B;ip,ro;;j something, happened. There was a crash, a 'bang, and a loud grinding "'noise, which -alarmed/ everyone/ .; The "chief (Mr., Sadler) had: just handed over tho •watch below to - the. second (Mr. A. M'Kenzie);. , and.- -was climbing ; ~the.' : «ngine-room steps,.'.wlien- :the i ■ trouble €ame.,; : He,'at ,oiice;.'retm ;called'i.fo .thk. ..secoiid"; engineer to shut off; steam;. done "at once, aii'd sin; examinatibn to.-see :.\?h"at. liad happened. '•?■•:Search.: disclosed : ' ; fact tho ; intermediate <3haft. had.,been fractured diagonally about tho centre. ' All tho engine-room staff, was at,- onco , called into action," and,'"witlii -"great 1 ■■ alacrity, ' attacked'the. awkward job. in -mid- ■ tunnel.Working > like ;• j,Trojans rightthrough, "until 5, a.m. on -Wednesday, they were able to bring the brtken ends ■ together; andclamp'-them' with/the aid of -Thompson's ; patent coupling, which: enabled tho engines .to work slowly.. In the 'meantime the Kotuku, under ithe'-. influence- of a .'westerly-- gale,...had. nia'de. a good deal of leeway towards, tlio'" .' coast. With the shaft't-hus'temporarily impaired, all immediate . anxiety was relieved, and slow but'satisfactory progress was iriade. .-.;lri .fact} 1 the damaged ■jshaft'.worked splen'didlyj 'considering the : in6nneri in which >.the. steamer w'as being buffeted: by i..the ,westerly. .gale::and.'thß. huge sea then running. -'At one ; stage , of";thejourney fiyef ftiiles^ in seven* hours': .....'•, ■ . ; -." V*,;;-:' .;. i'iCaptain 'Flynn'-.-hoistediwhat sails 'he had;;aboatd,tho";.Veteel;:-doi'n<;V-220 -~ill this fashion at ill;-average.'speed 'of 3 . knots "anjhour.About .daylight 'jes-teitfay:morning-Captain Flynn got; into communication with Stephens Island : Lighthouse, ;th6' : of . h! s „ plight: As soon : as possiblo.-.after tfco receipt of news of. the mishap tho Union Company's tug Terawhiii left tho tarbour (at, 11.6 a.m.), and, had no ; ©JBcttlty-'j in ::'pieki»g -'-ipt.tho'.dMbled vossel..' Slib toolMier 'in tow/j'tist off the Brothers at 2ißo. p.m., port being' reachedjMohv afterj.'o o'clock; Eo-: tuku bort-hing aV'tlie' Railway' Wharf - at 5.55 p.m. . . It was a very anxious, tinie for all ■■ a Vput',vin ': : .most.i.alarriiing;.mah ' being completely at the' lilerey' of winds ; and. waves for over six hours, - the-dan-' ger note, being .that she was ofF a lee shore, and had the vessel not bcon supplied with'the means of effecting repairs there, iyojild.jjavp -boon great dnn-;t).eing-;(a's .one : mari jput it) : , ; "piled up on the; West Coast." i. : Mr, /Sadler .and his staff of 'assistants; dpsoire \ great-,'; credit .- for ; . their .smart work and. tho l workmanlike man-, ner. in which they effected repairs. ""W o : haveJi'eaohed^■.'Wellington.'werittt»' ally," remarked''o'lio of the' engineers to a Dominion f representative, "bufc 'it 'Wouldhave- taken : sqme ' little were'only 20 mile's off : the enti'ance.when the Terawhiti picked U3 ilp." . '-': . ■ It is probable tli a t a il ew sh af i wi 11 be sent-up be fitt'e'd at Wellington. ( '