AMONG THE ICEBERGS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1434, 8 May 1912, Page 4

AMONG THE ICEBERGS.

.t\' KAfiLV SETTLKKS' BEMIXJSCKNCKS. Sir—While this terible disaster i 6 en-n-iirin" the sympathv of the whole wiao world, the narration of a very narrow escape from destruction of an emigrant shin mav not be out of place. •J he flipper ship Brooniielaw sailed trom the ctvde on August 8, ISM, carrying somo 301! souls. After rounding the Cape and runnili" south to pick up tho westerlies, ran ri"bt into a field of icebergs. 11l I lie morning, when daylight broke, tlie.v wero it!) around the. ship—hundreds ottliem; some monsters and of all shapes, But nil wore beautiful. The captain immediately ordered sail reefing, fore and main-top-.sails close reefed, and fore and main sail partially so. The cold was intense—ropes all frozen and hard, and the sailors sent nkii't lui'.l a bad time of. it; even those standing by the halyards Kept beating their hands across their bodies to keep warm. Tho good ship sailed along about fi or 8 miles an hoar,, and during Unit time we had a great view of the floating castles and palaces glittering in the sun, some even exactly in shape and sine like Edinburgh and Stirling Ca-ties, others gieat huge blocks of solid ice,- and all clear and silver-like, glittering in the snnlight. . , ■ After about IS hours we began to leave them behind, anil although cold, we hail a stili' fresh breeze, when orders wore given to unreef the canvas, and we were toon bowling along at 1- or H knots. There was a sailor ordered on the lookout to the forecast!.!, and I accompanied liirn. 1 was a passenger, but had join-eel the nort watch, and except goil!? nloif, beihg forbidden by tha captain,- joined in all deck work, watch and watch. On looking ahead, 1 noticed the sea breaking on something not very far oil', and drew_ mv mate's attention to it. "By . it's ice," he said, and I called io the first t mate, who was ou dcck. "Ice ahead, sir." lie, with one bound, jumped on to the forecastle. The iceberg was plain then—we went dead on to a small berg, nearly melted. Without a moment's hesitation he turned round and shouted, "l'nrt helm!'hard a port, hard a port!" The ice was not iust; under her bows, but. answering quickly to her helm she slewed to larboard, grazing tha ice with her starboard bow, which stripped «' quantity of the copper .sheeting off. The mate, whose face was as white as the snow we had left behind, turning round, said to me, "That's the narrowest shave ] have yet had," Had she struck that ice stein on your prayers would have been short am! fervent', T can tell you." Baii was immediately shortened lilltil we were fairly away from ice. AY hen sail was again sot she was bowling along in all her trappings, but it was a sight and a time never to be forgotten. bristling in her beautiful white trappings, stay sails and stud sales set, and every inch of canvas stretched to a quarter breeze, there was nothing to my young heart then so glorious, but and another scare awaited u-.. We had got to the Strait, when earlv one morning a cry arose, "Land ahead," and on looking ihero were the breakers dashing on sheer perpendicular rocks, sending the white spray heavenwards. The captain was ill, and the mate's first older was, "Clear ship, and all hands on deck," and in no time she was about; but hardly had she set ou 'the course when "Breakers ahead" was again shouted. Tho mate now manoeuvred her, and got a smooth opening, and got into open water. We went on' King's Island, the sailors declaring there was a Jonah on board. However, we lauded all safe, without casting our Jonah to the whale.—l am, etc., THOMAS ALLAN. Avondale, Auckland, April !!0, 1»12.