BADLY BUFFETED

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 168, 12 April 1920, Page 4

BADLY BUFFETED

KOUTUNUI'S PERILOUS TRIP

VESSEL ALMOST ON THE ROCKS ' The little coastal vessel the Koutnnui, which left Wellington on Wednesday night with stores for East Coast stations, met the full force of tho recent southerly gale, and on her arrival back in port oil Saturday afternoon reported having undergone a very hazardous experience. It was 3 a.m. on Thursday when she was off Cape Palliser, that the Koutnnui encountered the gale. The i&ipper decided to endeavour to put back to port, but just on i o'clock a heavy hawser on the fo'csle head washed over the side and became entangled with the povt propeller. The vessel struggled on until about 6 a.m., by which timo she was off Cape Turnkurae. Great trouble was being experienced with the propeller, which, on account of the obstruction, would go ahead only indifferently, hut could not go astern at all. This necessitated her anchoring off tho Cape., Two anchors were run out, and facing t>e hurricane the vessel went full steam ahead. Meanwhile the Koutunui commenced to drae shorewards, and at one time was ■within a stone's throw of the reef. Her position was then precarious. Heavy seaa were shipped, stoving in the door of the crew's messroom and shatterinc tho ■ wooden bulkhead of the saloon. The invading 6eas cleared out the saloon and broke in the partition between the saloon and the snace overlooking the stokehold. The result was that the water flooded the stokehold till it was level with the stokehold nlates. I The position was rendered more acute i by the aperture of the rnmms down below becoming jammed with debris. Ultimately this was cleaned out, and a portion of the hawser was cut away, but this did not free the ■ propeller. The port anchor cable narted. but the weather improving, the Koutunui was aWe to steaio slowly ahead out to sea at the rate of about half a knot an hour until at 8 a.m. on Saturday she was 20 miles off land. 'The gale having moderated, the little vessel was then enabled to come on to port.