CYCLONIC STORM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1624, 16 December 1912, Page 8

CYCLONIC STORM.

P. NAIRNSHIRE BADLY BUFFETED. PERILOUS EXPERIENCES. ;.':,„...;. -STEERAGE PASSENGERS LOSE ALL -'. : PERSONAL EFFECTS. ■ ■'~(>-'• ';• (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) ;'.'.■"'/■'" Auckland, December 15. - ; ■ .The:"Federal-Shire liner. Nairnshire, i". '■''■','■'.' '.which.; arrived here 'on;. Saturday after- ! . nwn.from Liverpool, via Hobart, experienced a. cyclonic storm on, November 19. ..... Eight .daye after leaving Cape' Town, the •:■;,• eea was very rough, and the gale develop- ■ ' ed a velocity of 80 miles an hour. A1,i,..i-.,;., ,i,..i-.,;.," v though oil was,freely used, the gale con:tinued.all;th6 afternoon of November 19, '••••>■■ and all the following day, the sea modcr- ": ating at midnight; Huge seas; broke on.board, flooding a ;,....-. great'part of the vessel, especially the steerage quarters. . Two. horse-boxes were washed out of the wire lashings, the : '."', •';'' steerage skylight and door and part of '."'"' the companion way were carried away. The women and,children were moved '."'"•''•''''' . Into, the first saloon with difficulty by ,'..,„. J ,.. the officers. Owing to the engine-room ■'•'■ o'.' ' .becoming.flooded,- three of the fires were doused,' the -lighting dynamo being '"■"■ ' ! ' ; thrown out of v work..' Great difficulty was therefore , experienced in getting the women and children along the deck in the ';;,"!'■'"■:'■.".'dark," amidst' the -.• waves breaking on ' ' •■-' board.- The third officer, v who was carry-ing-a little,girl, had to climb the riggings .''.'.".'"'. jfor safety.''.'.•;■■', ■ '■■:.-.'?.';■■ ;,-The store-house on the after-deck'was . .Washed.. away, the stout iron framework '.''■•'■'.:. being bent and broken as if it were wire. "'"'-.'■ The officers' and engineers' room on the '•" ';'..:.main deck was all smashed in. • Later on another heavy sea broke on •; ~-■'•■ .board, smashing .the winch, steam-pipes, "-and'casings. .That evening the .'engine-- : ; r'ro6m was again- flooded, 5 and a huge yen- ': .tilat'or for-the steerage quarter torn from ...."-' "the. deck fastenings...... '[''.'' ""..','- At'/eight o'clock- a heavy . sea broke - amidship, smashing the "accommodation ladder to splinters, and flooding'the galley ' and the butcher's : shop, also damaging '~',,-,-. the front 'saloon deck. At midnight the .'■;'..' ',',-! rea/began tomoderate.! V...' Temporary .repairs were effected at sea, V",- ...; and permanent repairs'will-be completed' - x ;-. 0 "■■•.on the return of the, Nairnshire to Eng- , : '' "' 'land. '■'■"' '' ■' ' ... During the storm- a : seaman, named ' ''"'"' Stuart had his thigh' broken. The .ship's carpenter was struck on the back by a ..j..- .'falling,'derrick, sustaining bruises,, and an :?-■??■■- ■ "'engine-Todm' greaser sustained a crushed * .-,.'. .--':- .■;.•- •-.......:. /phe first mate, was'sitting in the cabin, '.'"..,.' when a, wave threw the iron decreasing .....i off-the anchor chains through the door-. '.".'.'■' . way, .smashing it, but^missihg. his head '."\.':''''" by; a few'.'inches..'■'■.',''.'■ ;' • '-,' , . The' steerage lost all personal -effects. The saloon . passengers and ■ ...officers opened a relief fund. -.'.-'...-.:''.''' -.The passengers; -presented Captain Fbrder with a certificate commending his ";'■'' "'■'' go'6d''seamanship. .^..;■' V .. The vessel ;had; 49 steerage passengers. ■'!' ' ' .' ';'.■;;: A ASTRONOMY. ■""■' ; "..". :'.'.'<)": "•■'.,..•"' ■ MISS :MARTr PROCTOR. ; .Miss Mary Proctor," -daughter. of the ..,,.,, , - ..late .Richard ,A. Proctor, the renow ned '"•'." English astronomer,' arrived in Welllng- •„',.-■.'.-■ .ton yesterday,.and.is;here for the purpose of, lecturing on the wonders of the . „...... heavens. She -lectured at the Town Hall in Auckland on Thursday evening of last week/i-her'j.siibject. being "Other Worlds ■'" "Than Ours,''':and:sne has just completed a ..fvßUCMSsfurMfiire'tour in Australia. : ,' the purpose of arousing ■,i',,.. enthusiasm not only-in,, the wonders of starlahd, but also to draw attention to theproposed-solar.observatory for Austr.v lasia. . According to the Royal Meteoro'i;.'' logical. Society' of JUngland, it is their '" \....:„u'nanimous' verdict that such an observa- :" .'-"tofy is essential'in-Australia or New Zea''Ma:"' Which; shall '-it be? It is now •''•"■.' universally acknowledged . that an in- : /".-'. sun.will'help us,to a • i^;' 1 ' better'knowledge of - the. vagaries. of pur ■■'■:'•' climate, and may in--the.course of :timo enable us to foretell the coming of etormsj droughts, and so forth, an ines- .'-". - '■'- timable advantage to-those who depend ''■'■' 'upon the weather for their success in harvest.. ,- : ' ... . .• ■ . . During the course of her. lecture Hiss » ;«;. •... .' p r oetor tells about' the work' accomplish- ■ '■'"" eu at the' Mount Wilson Solar Observatory, in Southern California, and the dis- ••;-;-! of magnetic fields in the region of -~ ~. solar cyclones. Her lectures.are profuse- - ';;;■■_.■. ly illustrated '.with .magnificent lantern • '■'.'■'.-:• slides, many of .which are photographs of , the 6un and stars, taken with the largest telescopes in the world. Miss Proctor-has but a brief stay in New Zealand,'as she leaves Sydney for ■■ '■' India,- where she will visit the Kodaikanal Observatory, the date of her departure being January 18. From India she will i--■• journey to • Egypt, visiting the old sun temples and pyramids, collecting material .■■-'"■ for a new lecture. •:'■'•'"-' As a matter of fact, Miss Proctor is here in place of Sir Robert S. Ball, Pro- ■-""■■. fessor of Mathematics at Cambridge Uni- <■■■ ■■•■■- ,i versity. -He was invited to come to Australasia -for the. purpose of arousing en- *■:■■- /.thusiasm in the proposed solar observatory, but he pleaded old age and borne ties, and suggested that. Miss Proctor 6hould come in his place, iv She was only too happy to accept the invitation; as she' had often longed to .come to this country, where her father had lectured thirty years . ego. ""-" ; ' ~i S'iiriday afternbonshe spent in the Pub- '" - ' -lie Library, coming across many of his, it' '■"' books,'-'which she found here in.greater ■ numbers than'in any: other library she ..,...- ..•..has..-visited,ih Australasia.. It was an "•"•'-•'"''agreeable surprise,' and,she'feels sure that ;... . there must be an interest. in astronomy '?-JV when-there, is apparently.such a demand. ~"-'-' i: -'->for bboks'oii the subject. "■ _ ■ " ■ , ■"'■ ' ''i-Miss Proctor is not only giving- lectures,-buV-arranging" -them her own risk, and so "'far. has met with success. It is a great venture on • her party as sho arrives in eachcitv-; a stranger in a strange land, "unheralded-and unsung." No press, nwnt sounds her praises, but by. means of sheer persistency she has.succeeded in claiming attention,- and what is better still, an. audience. • Miss Proctor is a member of many learned societies, such as the Astrono 1 - mical and Astro-physical Society, the 'American Association . for the Advancement of Science, the British. Astronomical Association, and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Nevertheless, she is ■<■■:.;■ •■:. an- entbusiast on the subject of music and .;'; • ■ .■■ -art, and before her father's death devoted ■ ." "-•■: the greater part of her time to landscape painting, little dreaming that the day would come when she must lay down her ;:^'-%,'V'.deayy: 'lowl;-bni'sli'"fpr; , :tlie pen.s -, ;'" -* 1 " '-""■• She found it no'easy matter to master ■it;.. the technicalities of her subject, amid ""* i\i>. the stress/of-'making her own way'finan-' ''.'■'cially, but she is now reaping the benefit of-hard work,'and"ehjoying to the utmost: her experience in Australasia. , So much so, that after visiting India; and Egvpt, 6ho will return for the season'April-Sep-tember. 1913, under, the management of G. N. Southwell, of'Talings, Sydney, New South Wales. "..•:-;-;-,

A strong branch of the Society for the Health of Women and Children was formed in Nelson on Thursday, last, as Mm- outcome of a meeting called I>y the VTlie patroness of the branch is "•■;. Sarllibr (wife-of the Bishop of Nel- '''<. and. the secretary Mrs. Nalder.j ~,:, ..,;.. . . V a» Morgan, chief Plunket nurse of j :?■'■' ' - .':'Unetoh; arrived in Nelson on Friday. '~:-:' v,'; •'.•■ nddres9e4 ; 'th6 girls at the college the ■•:■. morning, in the afternoon address- -. : -'m pujnls'jOf the Girls' Central School,. ' , -in the' a 'demonstration thV Metho'diskSchoolhonse.'-On" Satuv■t she visited Wakefield" and Richmond, '•viag demonstrations as to'liow 1 to make i, i.namsed.milk, and gave sound..; advice ' ■,;. baby hygiene generally. .;■.-. ■. Ask' .for Warner's Rust-proof Corsets '-•v!ay. "Remember, every pair .is guaran■••M>d not to'rust, break, or tear," City 'Jrapers.—Advt; .;':.,. .: