ROUGH TRIP

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 516, 27 April 1933, Page 5

ROUGH TRIP

(Press Assn.-

BLUlFJF to M.EEfepURNE: STEAMER TGSSED,» LIKE CORK BY TASMAN ' ' GALES MOUNTAINOUS SEAS

— By Telegraph — Copyright).

Milbourne, April 26. The Wainui arrived "at Victoxiia Docks two days late ort her voyage from the Bluff, having- been severely battered in a hurricane,1 The officers told of a battle against the storm, which the; vphsel 'ran into' soon after she cleared thp Bluff and which lasted until she was alxnost in' sight of the Victoriah coast. ... • "A seventy .ihiles an hour gale . aud seas that blotted out the horizon made us dance about like a cork, and Ut times threatened to overwhelm us," said one offic'er. "At two . o'clock on Saturday afternoon a sea crashed over the starboar.d sidey ,-lifted a lifeboat off the chocks,' and htirled it along the deck, breaking a sk-ylight. The water ppured down into the engineroom, the engineers and greasers on watch thought the ship was f ound.ering. A few minutes afterwards a seaman, at great risk, rescued the starboard lifeboat. The port lif eboat suffered a similar fate, and had to be lashed. The Wainui then hove-to for five hours. The sailors were forced to keep continuous watch on six prize horses and a bull which were tossed about and had difficulty in keeping their feet. However, they were not seriously hurt." The Wainui's master described the trip as the worst crossing of the Tasman he had ever known.