CYCLONE STORM

Hokitika Guardian, 12 March 1932, Page 6

CYCLONE STORM

TRAMP STEAMER TOSSED

SHIP’S CAT LOST OVERBOARD

RAPID LOADING AT NAURU

Mascot of the British tramp steamer Newton Pine, a cap of unknown pedigree which had walked aboard uninvited when the vessel was at Townsville last month, was washed overboard while the ship was bound from Nauru Island to Auckland. The steamer encountered cyclonic storms for four days, and for twelve hours was compelled to run before the gale-, but the loss of the cat was the only casualty. The Newton Pine, which berthed at King’s wharf last week, experienced average weather conditions on her run up to the island, but an usually heavy roll made loading uncomfortable when the ship was moored fore and aft only a short distance out from the coral reefs. “I have never known the ship' to roll more heavily. In such a position you have to put all your trust in tne cables and hope for the best,” said one kif the officers to-day. 700 TONS AN HOUR, At Nauru the phosphate is loaded by means of an elaborate cantilever jetty, and the fact that the . Newton Pine took in 7050 tons in ten hours tells very clearly how efficient the loading device is. Two huge chutes pour the cargo into the ship’s holds at the rate of over 700 tons an houi. In the case of the Newton Pine, the ship was rolling so heavily that it wais impossible to lower the chutes into the mouth of the holds, and clouds of choking dust made the crew wish that 'Nauru was a hundred miles astern. The steamer cast off from the morning buoys on February 17, and on the following day the wind started to blow hard from the sou’-west. The manner in which the wind changed indiced a cyclonic disturbance and the ship was soon shipping heavy quantities of water. The decks fore and aft were continually flooded. At times the rain came down by the bucketful and vivid sheet lightning made the night into day. One of the officers said to-day that he had never before seen such an electrical storm. Some of the flashes lasted as long as four seconds and the sea was lit up for as f ar t' le e y e conW

MASCOT OUT OF LUCK. On the fourth day,of the storm the tramp was compelled to run before the gale for 12 hours. After this the com ditions improved and the vessel was again put on her course. No damage was done, but the ship lost one ot her two cats. The “Townsville cat,” a,was known on board, was caught by a sea that broke on the after deck and that was thfe last seen of hex. The ship’s other mascot, a kitten which had decided to go seafaring when' the Newton Pine was discharging sugar at Chelsea a month ago, took better care of lierseH aed came through the storm with all nine lives intact. When the ship berthed at Auckland that morning an apprentice told with pride how he had caught two sharks at Nauru. The larger of . the two, one of the shovel-nosed variety, had measured 10ft., and had taken the combined efforts of three of the crew to haul it on board.