"She was a Fine Ship."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1758, 24 May 1913, Page 6

"She was a Fine Ship."

"She was a fine ship, the Hyderabad," ho said. "Just as neat a model as you would wish to see. She was built of steel plates an inch thick, but lined for speed. Originally a steam yacht, sho was converted into a sailing vessel, and she could sail. She could do twelve knots on a bowline—you what that means— when you were sailing almost up into tho wind's eye. I don't know what hor best speed was, but I havo heard Captain Holmwood say that she averaged 1G knots an hour onco for a whole day, when making her easting. I joined the vessel at Adelaide, and came to Lyttelton to pick up the railway plant that had been sold by the Canterbury Provincial Government to Soutli Australia. As thero was a lot of dismounting of machinery to do, wo waited there for six months. It was on a Saturday that we sailed. I remember that because I was in the 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunda/ morning watch, just before we entered Cook Strait. I remember, too, as wo got into the strait that the small barque Craig on Darrocli was sighted ahead of lis. That day it Mew from the weshvird, and we tacked three or four times. I went below with tho watch at eight o'clock, but, at 11.30 p.m., there wa9 a shout to summon us on deck.

"All Hands on Deck!" When we got on deck we found that tho vessel had been struck by a southerly, which had torn nearly all our canvas to ribbons, and lone streamers of

it were cracking in the gale like whips. We tf.died up as best wo could, and, with tho lower topsail and a bit of tho

staysail, just managed to keep her head up to the wind. This was off the Brothers, on a clear, moonlight night. How it did blow! None of the crew could show themselves above tho sheerpole without being flattened against uio ratlines. As nothing much oould foe dono but hold her head up to the wind and wait for the gale to drop, some of us turned in. On tho next day is was still blowing pretty hard, and tnere was a fog to make matters worse. As we had been drifting about during part of tho night and morning in a ha&e, it was not clearly known where we were, and I fancy that tho officers knew as little as the crow did about our position. At all events, wo asked the chief mate, ' Mr. List, and 'Davie' Wylie, the seoond mate, about it. They were' inclined to think that we had drifted into Blind Bay. That evening wo sighted a small, red light, which we fancied was a pier-head light, but it was still too thick to seo anything else. Tho order was given to squaro away tho fore-yard, and I was sent to the chain-locker, and, with others, got the cable out ready for lowering the anchor. We were hauling on to the fore-sheet when she struck the first bar.

As she struck a big sea came up over tho stern and washed those on tho poop clean over tho rail on to the main deck, and threw thorn among the harness casks. If I remember right, they i were tho second mate, the man at the wheel (whose leg was broken), and the ship's boy. We, who had been tailing off ; on the fore-sheet in the waist, were carrfe? right up to tho foc'sle door, sheet and all. She settled down steady for a bit, and then there was another bump, but no following sea this time.

Wo stood by all right, and at daybreak the skipper called for volunteers to man the boat to get communication with tho shore. I was one of tho boats' crow, and, with a length of ratline round my' waist, was the first to jump out on to tho beaclu When I was safely ashore, and had tied my line to tho stump of a tree, the inline which I hncl stretched from the boat to the shore was joined to end of another length which had been paid out astern, and was connected with the ship. A stronger lino was got out, by tho aid of which wo worked tho boat to and from tho ship.

The first people we got ashore were Mrs. Holmwood and her boy Allen, aud an apprentice. When we had got them on land someone spied a coach coming along the road, and so Mr?. Tlolinwood aud her son were takeu to Wellington."

Fast On tho Beach. "The Hydrabad worked up on to tho beach, just tho samo_ as the Indrnbarah is now. By tho Wednesday we could walk out abaft of her forechains at low water, and so up a ladder on to the deck. No attempt was made to get the vessel off while I was there, but subsequently t'lvey did manage to shift her, but sho sagged back into her old place, and has remained there ever since." "As soon as tho vessel took tho beach a bank of sand commenced to form behind her. After the wreck we made for Foxton, with' our 'stuff' on carts, and came down to Wellington in the old Jane Douglas, of which the late Captain Fraser was master, and Captain Manning (of the Mararon) mate."