A ROUGH PASSAGE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1158, 20 June 1911, Page 4

A ROUGH PASSAGE.

ISLAND SCHOONER'S PERILOUS VOYAGE. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, June 19. Tho Tongnn correspondent of the "Herald" says that an experience of tho dangers which beset "tlioso who go down to the sea in ships" befell Mr. Albert Cook, the whaler from llaabai. Recently ho chartered the schooner l'amu in llaabai for the purpose of coming to Tonga and taking back his workinp gear for tho coming season in that island. Accompanied by his wife and a crew of Jivo natives he set sail from Levuka on May 18, expecting to arrive at Tonga the following day, tho distanco being under 00 miles from port to port. Hardly had tho little vessel cleared the llaabai Group than she encountered a strong north-east gale, with mountainous seas, and for a time sho ran beforo it under double-reefed foresail. Then things 'got worse and sho was hove to, and for days she drifted at the mercy of wind awl waves. They only had a week's provisions aboard, and not too much water, and before they readied their desired haven all hands were subsisting on salt beef and some copra made from the nuts they had taken oil board for drinking purposes, The watersupply ran short, and tho pitching and tossing of tho vessel stirred up the tank to such a degree t'liat the little water in it was almost undrinkable. Kerosene ran out, and the vessel was steered through tho long night watches by tho fceblo glimmer of a bit of tarred rope t'oilluminate tho binnacle. When ('lie gale blew itself out they must have been very near to Fiji, and then ensued a long, dreary beat back, which lasted six days.

Finally Hioy arrived at the Island of Mala at t'he onfrauro l>o Nukualofa Tlarl.oiir, morn dead than alive, and with 0p.1.v one pieco of Rait junk left in tlio harness cask. When (lioy got ashore tl-.ev found it was Sunday, .Tnno 3. They had thought it was only Friday.