NAVIGATION MARVEL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1687, 1 March 1913, Page 10

NAVIGATION MARVEL.

VOYAGE OF THE SNOWDON RANGE, "DRIFTING" INTO HARBOUR. CAPTAIN'S SKILFUL MANOEUVRING WITHOUT A RUDDER. A remarkable triumph for British seamanship was tho wonderful manoeuvring which had to be accomplished recently to bring the Snowdon Range into safety in Queenstown Harbour, in Ireland, after a voyago which had been as full of misfortunes as of gallant efforts to retrieve disasters. Captaiti Dickenson's ship received a terrific battering during her long Atlantic voyage of fifty-three days. The vessel narrowly escaped foundering on many occasions, since Bhe became disabled on December 5 in latitude SG, longitude 35 West, owing to the succession of storms experienced and the damage sustained, .as well as through the fact that some of her hatches were twisted open, which flooded the 'tween decks, tho bunkers, and the interior parts of the steamer, but she was never so near complete disaster as on Tuesday night, January 11. She was driven before a fierce gale into Queenstown Harbour, and Btranded i/n Cumberland Hank, after being towed, rudderless and helpless, moro than 700 miles by the Dominion liner Welshman, the crew suffering terrible hardships and the ship being time after time in extreme danger. Then came the hardest fight of the long ordeal, the struggle for port in a fearful storm.

A Hurricane. So great was the force of the wind, tho Snowdon Range had to be left by tho Welshman, and the tugs to ride out the storm at anchor. At last the gale from the south increased to a hurricane of ninety miles an hour. Tbs Snowdon Range was driven backwards by the hurricane towards a dangerous rock-bound coast, with a great sea rolling. By Captain Dickenson's skill, the rudderless vessel evaded the rock-bound coast and escaped danger, and her captain deserves the greatest credit, as he hove up his anchor at intervals and allowed his vessel to be driven by the gale inwards. When in danger he dropped it again. Steaming at intervals, he gained the harbour's mouth from Graball's Bay by this skilful manoeuvring, and by the aid of the shifting hurricane from S.E. to S.W; ho reached a safe anchorage on Curlane sandbanks, i when the vessel was towed the short distance to port. When tho crew arrived off Queenstown, they were in a bad state from exposure to constant gales, hard work, and want of proper and regular food. The coal had also given out, and part of tho cargo of grain had to be used as fuel. All the oil was used, and tho fresh water also gav© out. The ■vessel's decks, too, afford ample testimony of the trying experience. Sho had her port and starboard iron rails battered and bent out of all 6hape. Her deck steampipes are broken, her lifebelts have disappeared off the chocks, and her deck-houses, etc., are damaged.

A Terribls Tims. The crow had a terrible time, and Captain Dickcnson neyer slept an hour in his bunk. Ho was knocked down on deck several times, and hurt. Chief Officer Adamson was also knocked off t'ho forecastle head and had his noso broken, besides sustaining other injury about tho body. Many of the crew were swept by heavy seas from tho front part of tho ship to tho after part' and sustained injuries. Four of them suffered from blood-poisoning from outs, and altogether their plight was deplorable, ill on board speak highly of the marvellous courage and determination shown by the oommander of the ship, Captain Dickenson, who, they say, by his splendid examplo enabled them to bear up when all hope of saving tho steamer hail gone. Mr. Stephen Furness, M.P., chairman of Furness, Withy and Co., owners of- tho Snowdon Itange, telegraphed to Captain Dickenson: "Wo are delighted to receive tile telegram, and are very proud of you and all mombersof the crew. Captain Dickenson replied,, thanking Mr. furncss for his congratulations, wliich, ho says, are much appreciated.

"A Real Brick," Captain Dickenson, who belongs to Sunderland, gavo a modest narrative of his adventures in the intervals of his duties whilst the ship was being docked:—"Our trouble began on December 5, when in a hurricane tho rudder was broken just bolow the coupling. On the first fine day wo. got boats out and knotted wires round it, but they broke, and we could do no mora for four or five days. Then the rudder was taken away, and wo used aderrick and a floating rudder. That lasted only three days. For fourteen days we drifted without seeing any signs of another ship. Tho weather all the timo was very bad, and we used quantities of oil on tho waters. Tho decks were awash and the boats badly smashed. Tho Welshman came along on January 1 and stood loyally by us. He's a real brick, the captain of the Welshman."

Asked, if any of the crew were hurt, Captain Dickenson said everybody was more or less injured. "The vessel rolled terribly, and three times wo broke adrift from the Welshman,'and twice they had to slip us. It was blowing pretty heavy gales all tho time, and once we went through a hurricane. Several times wo thought the ship would not right herself, and one of the hatchos was stove in by a heavy sea which swamped the deck. Wo' could not move our engines, for tho ship would not keep steady under them, so the Welshman, had to tow 5200 tons dead weight," ' The captain then, described his adventures in the heavy weather outside Queenstown Harbour. "The tugs left, as nothing could live in suoh a eea and with such a gale blowing. We dropped anchors. The ship was taking heavy seas and no one, could stay on deck. The searchlights from tho forts played on us, and we could then see that we were drifting. Wo drifted along towards the harbour, broadside sometimes. Then we let go the anchors, and steamed sometimes ahead a little and sometimes astern. We struck three times and eot off again—luckily it was sand, not rock. Then we found ourselves beached."

A West End (London) furniture dealer, recoiving intimation that a younp man in a neighbouring flat wished to sellsomo antique furniture, sent his sons round to carry through the transaction. The young man explained fhat he was the privato secretary of the occupier of tho flat, who had a seat at Stratford-on-Avon, and had instructions to realise .£3OO on part 4 of the antique furniture and travel down with the money in the course of the day. A valuation was made and .£302 paid over in notes and gold, whioh amount was carefully and deliberately checked by the recipient. After tho arrival of a van to removo the furniture it was discovered that tha whole sale was a swindle, the alleged privato secretary (who has not been heard of since) having carried through the deception by obtaining an order to view the flat which the tenant desired to let furnished. A domestio servant who stole Jill 10s. in gold and clothing to tho value of about jjlO from Mrs. Hugh Price Hughes was sentenced at Bow Street, London, to threo months' imprisonment.'