DISMASTED.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1552, 23 September 1912, Page 5

DISMASTED.

' ■ ~ 4 : ■ , . BARQUE TOWED INTO PORT. THE CARLA AGAIN. OVER £1,200 DAMAGE DONE. off'wanganui. .Difiuiastell, and looking for all tho. worlA like some old hulk, the barqucntine Wangiinui (formerly (he Carlu) was lowed into Wellington in a sorry plight by the steamer Arapawa early yesterday morning. As sho lay out in the stream in thi> sunlight yesterday afternoon it was a, difficult mailer to distinguish her from the coal hulks which uro anchored oil Kaiwarvu. , ' .( Only as recently as Thursday after? noon Inst tho little barque crossed the Wiuignuui bar outwards - , in , tow of tho steamer Knpiti, and looking as trim and neat as the - day eho was built. Exactly eleven hours later, when G5 miles west by south from her home port, she was practically a derelict, and knocked about by, heavy seas in Cook Strait. On boarding her yesterday afternoon, tho "lame duck's" deck presented a complete scene of destruction and disorder* Rigging, spar.s looms, and other gear were littered about, ami what onco were masts were stumps. Tho only filing lefl to show the uninitiated what sort of .vessel the Wanganui was was a part of a sail hanging , loosely and flapping in tho breeze against tho fore mast, or at least (hat part of the fore mast which, is left. The part of the main mast which is standing is simply a bare pole, somewhat suggestive of a burnt tree standing alone on a newlycleared buck-blocks section. Of the inizzen mast nothing is left save a splintered slump'which pralrndus for about a foot above the after deck-house.

As the launch conveying the shore parly went alongside the disabled vessel, Captain .T. A. Berquisl, who is in charge, and Mr. ,N. J. Garrett, his chief officer, gave the. impression of being men who woro exceedingly tired and very much' in want of sleep. As a mutter ot fuel, Captain Berquist had not had any rest 6Uic» Thursday last. > . The Crash at Sea. ' "When I left Wanganui at 1.1)0 p.my on Thursday," said Captain Berquist, "I did iiot think that this was going to , . happen, 'and 'vou; be suro that 1 did liot imagine tliat I was going to pay my first, visit to Wellington in this insnioni When we crossed 111* Wanganui bur the wind was coming away from tho north-north-west, with a moder-ate-breeze. 1 had been uniting inside for aVeek, njid, when, rgot outside, 1 thought that we were fortunate to be on n fair wind. In fact, everything promised well for a good run across to the Aus-tralian-side., - There was a fair sea on at tho time, but" nothing to speak of. Well, everything went all right, and tho wind kept up from that quarter until G p.m., when it came away frum the north*. At that! time we'had nil sail set, and were standing ou our course for Sydney. Th» weather was line, and remained so until nbont half ah hour after midnight on , Friday morning. At that timo drizzling: rain commenced to fall.' It wns the mate's watch on deck, and the wind having freshened a bit, I gave orders to take iiii the' top-gallant and mizzen sails. Previous to this being done, tho royals hndj boon taken in. X then wont below to put on my sea boots find oilskins, I hud no' , sooner reached my cabin when.l heard a | tremendous crash. I rushed up on deck. ' and saw Hint the main most had gone overboard, broken off just above the spidor hoop. It took everything' with it. foro mast, mizzen, and all the sails and l rigging. This happened at 1.30 a.m. on Fvidav, and I can tell you it was a mess, too. No, I don't know how it happened," tho Captain replied in answer to a que*tion.- . .-•■!.-.••

'- Anyone hurl? '. "No, not a> soul, thank goodness, he replied. . Cutting Away tho Wreckage, . Well, sir, what did you do then? wa» tho'next question.. "Just alter the masts went overboard, a hard north-west brcczo sprang up, accompanied by α-nnsty north-west son. Tho old ship plunged and Wallowed,' and the wreckage pounded . heavily against her •■ sides. All hands got to work and cut the wreckage away, and put it to windward. It was not a very cheerful thing to sea good rigging and ropes lvciiig cut to piece?. It was all new gear—obtained only three months ago—but wo had to do it to save tho ship. Wo worked hard for about seven hours, and got things fairly clcnr and then had breakfast. After that' we cleared up the remainder, nnd found our true position. When I knew thnt 1 hoisted a sail on what was left on the lover yard on the foremast, and ran- np a bit if a foresail and ran before tho wind. "We got a pretty rough handling, and groat seas came over us, wetting 'everything for'ard. We didn't do so badly with, our jury rig, and we wero off lho Brothers at 7 a.m. on Saturday. Wβ eignnlled the lighthouse, and asked-to bo reported, and I fully expected that we would havo been reported from there, but evidently wb wero not, because at about 11 ii.ni. we were sighted ugain—thw time off Sinclair Head by the Ivapiti. which was bound from Wellington to J'upotiga. .She put back to port: to report • us, and tho Aropawn came out about 0 p.m. or 7 p.m. and took us in tow, and wo arrived at ,in anchorage at 3 o clock this (Sunday) morning." ■ What would haw happened if the Kapiti had not sighted you, ami if tin wind had changed and you had been taken away to the southward, out of tn« track of shipping captain? "Well, you see, I .was reasonably certain that '1 would sight some place with, which I could communicate in Cook Strait, and failing that there were passing steamers, but if I had got,blown a \y.ay, well, we have over three, months stores and water on hoard, and 1 would have riggnd up jury masts nnd sails, and I'm certain Hint I would have made some port or other." ~, ■ Well, Captain, where did you hbist your flags was tho next question. ' Captnin Beitiuist smiled and pointed to the stump on tho foro mast, and there was t<i lie seen a piece of white pine .tinibrr. about 15 feet high, lashed to what had once been the mast. At the top of this piece of wood a pulley block was lashed, and the halyards consisted of a length of still' rope, ..', i j. "That's where wo carried our lights «t night, anil flew our flags by day,' said tho Captain. , , ■•• I Klippo.se you are glad to get. here, 6ir? ■• . ■ "Yes, I am, and whiil is more tho whole of the ship's crow, consisting of 11 all told, will be glad of a rest to-night. I

would much rather Ijb at -anchor here even without my 'sticks' than go to we to-uight." . Vessel's Previous Mishap, The Wanpmm is not a stranger. to Wellington, she having been hero α-few months ago. At that time she was known, as tho barqucntine. Carlo, aud was. e'lipped, rerigged, and generally overhauled. In 'September of lu«t year die was stranded on tho beach ut Wnnganui; and was subsequently refloated and towed to Wellington by the Arupuwa. the ramo steamer which lowed her in yesterday. When she left Wangnnni, tho.Wnngnnui- wan loaded with 250,000 feet of; white pine timber, consigned by the RarigitiKoi Milling Company to the Union PackingComnaliy, Sydney. This v;as the vessel'e second voyage under her new name. She is an iron bavquentino of 341 tons gross and 310 tons net register, and wtu built in 1002 by.fiebr Vcrstokt, at Marttmshoek. Her dimensions are:—Lenglh, i:ll.2ft.i nroadtli, 26.2 ft.; and depth, 10.7 ft. . .

Originally tho Wansanui was ' nnmed tho Vorliciiter, then tho Carlo, ami now Messrs. Hsitrick and Co., her present owners,, have rennnied her the W.ingaiuii.

CnptAin Berquist. her mastor, is n thorough eeamnu of tho old school; having been in enil nil his life practically. TV>r eleven years he wns ill commaixl' of -'the barque Adderly, now a hulk in Wellineton Harbour. Lotforlv Captain Berq-.iist was in command'of tho fonr-mnsted barnucntlne Titania, and joined the Wanganni at Sydney in July Inst, ".'" . If in not known wlmt will be done tn Him vnsfM'n ejirgo- of timber yet, but it is pstimfl'ted that it. will tftko atout £1200 to repair the dnni«ce» - >■:■ ■•■ . .- ■ ■ ■