AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY.

Patea Mail, Volume I, Issue 10, 24 November 1887, Page 2

AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY.

A remarkable occurrence (says the European Mail) was reported by Cap tain Doward, of the Glasgow barque, Estrella de Chile, who arrived at Queenstown from Basseinon Sept. 28, for orders. Captain Howard’s s atement is as follows: —“On Sept. 19, in lon about 2 : > W.andlat, 45 N , we sighted a barque under short canvas hove to. She reduced her sail umil we came up with her, and then lan up an Italian flag. Subsequently she hoisted signs informing us that there was a mutiny on board, and requesting us not to leave her, but to remain sailing in her company. By her sig nals 1 learned she was bound to Falmouth from Buenos Ayres, and was 40 days out, but the name of the vessel I could not ascertain, as she gave us false letters. Over the strange vessel’s port bow was placed a large piece of canvas like a sail, as if put there to stop a leak. According to signals we remained in close proximity that night, each vessel displaying bright lights. The next morning I asked her if the vessel was leaking, and after a great deal of hesitation she signalled in reply that she was, and had been making water from Sept. 2. The second we kept in company, again burning bright lights. We then commenced to see that during the of day the stranger would keep a longdistance away from us, but as soon as darkness set in she would come up quite close again, and being a much taster sailer than ours she was able to do so. We then concluded she did this for the purpose ‘of not disclosing her name. About 12 ot) am she steered quite close to us, and to avoid her striking our vessel we held a light over our side She then ran across our bow, and manoeuvred about in a most extraordinary manner, which looked liko as if she wanted a collision to take place. The next day cue stranger again sailed away from us, and kept a“long distance off, but steered the same course as we did un til darkness had set in, when she again sailed up in close proximity with us, and exhibited flash lights twice in succession. We, however, made no signs in response. The stranger then suddenly put out her lights, and left us completely in the dark. Ft aring that the foreigner would run into us, we at once extinguished all the lights on board the Estrella de Chile, and changed our course to baffle the Italian vessel’s pursuit, which we succeeded in doing. The rest of the night we saw nothing of her, and the next morning she was nowhere to be seen. Judging from the prevailing winds, this strange barque ought to arrive in Falmouth to-day, that is if she ia bound there at all ”