DANGERS OF THE DEEP.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4205, 11 September 1874, Page 3

DANGERS OF THE DEEP.

(From the Melbourne Daily Telegraph, August 26.) The foul weather of which so much has been reported this season by captains sailing between England and Victoria appears to have followed the clipper ships City of Seringapatam and Loch Tay, winch arrived in the Bay from London and Glasgow respectively on Monday. The earlier portion of the voyage of the former was comfortable enough, but when crossing the Southern Ocean the ship encountered a succession of terrific gales. On the 4th of August a tremendous sea broke over the starboard fore-rigging, which burst away the lee side of the foresail out of the boltropes, and smashed the cooking galley into a pile of matchwood. It also carried away the ventilators, stove in the stem of the long-boat, unshipped and smashed the skids, and served the fore and main gangways in a similar fashion, besides damaging the covering- board, and washing away large portions of the bulwarks on both sides, the pig and fowl houses being also carried away with the sea. When the gale moderated, the wreck was cleared away as quickly as possible, hut the vessel was scarcely ship - shape again when the gales returned, and raged with greater fury than before. The second series commenced on the 10 th, and continued for the four following days. On 11th August the foresail and upper maintopsail were blown clean away from the yards, and the seas which came inboard without let 01 hindrance washed away other portions of the bulwarks. The mercurial barometer on this day stood.at 27'80, and the aueriod at 27'50. Strong gales continued until the Otway was reached, from whence to the Bay the weather moderated. Unfortunately the slight damage sustained by the ship and the hard times the captain with his officers and crew had of it are not the worst that has to be recorded of the gales. During the first one, on clearing away the wreck of the cooking-galley, a very sad sight was presented, the dead body of one of the apprentices being discovered. His name was G. Henry Wileman, and he was last seen talking to the cook on the lee side of the galley just before the sea broke on board. This occurred on the 4th, and on the 12th a seaman named C. G. Williams, who was stationed on the look-out, fell overboard from the forecastle. A life-buoy was thrown to him, but as the sea at the time was running mountains high, and the ship was running before the gale under ■close-reefed topsails, no other assistance could be rendered him, and he had to be left to his fate. Captain Scott, of the Loch Tay, has nearly as disastrous a story to tell, as he fell in with much the same weather at about the same time and place as that which met Captain Murray, of the City of Seringapatam. Very heavy gales from H.W. prevailed in lon, 70deg. E., accompanied with a fearful sea, and for two days the ship had to run dead before it to the S'.E. On 14th August, at twenty minutes to 4 a.m,, during a tremendous gale from S.W. to W., an able seaman named John Sandison fell over the topgallant forecastle rail, and was never seen 'again. the gale which was blowing at the time, driving the ship eleven knots, she was rounded to on the port tack, and a boat was manned to go to his rescue. The attempt or intention had to be abandoned, however, as the weather was too wild for the boat to be lowered, and the ship stood away again on her course. The Elackwall liner-Highflyer, which arrived in port yesterday, had also rough times in the Southern Ocean, the date of her difficulties being the same as that of the other two clippers. On 10th August the wind increased to a hurricane, gradually shifting to the westward, and at 10 a.m. the ship was hove-to. At noon a green sea rolled inboard on to the port beam, smashing the boats, bursting in the cuddy windows, and carrying away the poop rail, besides clearing the decks and top of deckhouse of everything moveable. The cargo also got shifted. Fortunately this is the worst which Captain Berridge has to report, though the voyage was unpleasantly near adding to the list of fatal accidents. During the gale on the 10th thg third officer fell from the mizentop, and though he was severely injured he miraculously escaped death by falling on to the deck. Had he gone overboard there would have been little chance of saving his life. (From the South Australian Adcerliser, August 20.) The White Eagle is an old friend of many summers, and has well established herself as a regular liner in the Adelaide trade; but never before has she brought such a sad tale as on the present occasion. The ship in herself is about the usual standard from a distance; but, on close inspection, shows she has suffered a little from the heavy weather of the latter portion of ihe voyage. The lights in the poop-break are stove-in, the starboard quarter-boat washed away, the horses’ deckhouse over the main hatchway is washed to leewaid, poop ladder and loose deck gear gone. The whole of the damage was sustained in a gale on the 11th, when about south-west of Capo Leuwin. But of far more importance was the loss of the chief officer during the violence of the storm. Mr. George Dawson was a young man of

extreme promise, who had been on the ship as second officer for two years, and on her last voyage was promoted to the first position. He was esteemed by everybody on boax-d as an active and vigilant seaman ; but in lat. 42deg. long. lOSdeg. he found a seaman’s grave. It appears the bx-eeze had increased to a gale, which necessitated the ship’s bowling along under lower topsail and fox-estaysail. The sea was something teirific, and it was about the height of the tempest when, at xxine o’clock on the night of the 11th, some duty called the chief officer to the lee rail. Suddenly there was an immense breach of water from windward, followed by a heavy lee x-01l of the vessel, and the mate was washed away. The alaim mixat have been promptly obeyed, as the second mate and another threw ropes, which Mi-. Dawson grappled, and in the darkness of the dark night straggled to hold on to. He had reached to a position where Captain Andrew was almost enabled to grasp his clothes, xvhen ho lost his grip. The x-ope fled through Ids hands, and in an instant he was gone for ever. The ship was tearing away before the gale at fifteen knots per hour-, so his chance was gone, was another gloomy day on board the ship. It was on the Bth of July that a prior fatality occurred. It was the loss of an able seaman named John McLean, who had served the ship faithfully and well for several voyages, and was in consequence x-ather a pet on board. He had been under medical treatment, bxxt the ship s sux-geon had discharged him fx-om the sick-list, and he was only desirous to return to duty. The following morxdng he was aloft on the foretopgallaut crosstrees, xvhen suddenly he lost his hold and fell to the deck, where he xvas found a cox-pse. On examination, the surgeon concluded he had been suffering from heart disease, and had died before the fall.