LAST WEEK’S GALE

Southland Times, Issue 18838, 3 June 1920, Page 5

LAST WEEK’S GALE

STEAMER’S STRUGGLE AGAINST GALE. WAITOMCTS EVENTFUL VOYAGE. (Per United Press Association.) -CHRISTCHURCH, June 2. I An exciting story of a struggle with the great gale of last week was told on the arrival of the-dUnion Company’s cargo steamer Waitomo at Lyttelton. The Waitomo ; left Geelong on Monday, May 24, and had fine weather until Wednesday, when it com- , menced to blow from the south-west. On Thursday the wind had increased to a fierce gale from the south-south-west, and was accompanied by heavy seas. At midnight the battens on No. 2 hatch broke adrift, and were replaced with considerable difficulty owing to the amount of water which was being shipped. At 2.30 a.m. on hriday a mishap occurred which, in the gale then raging, might easily have resulted in disaster. The steering chain broke, and immediately the vessel fell away in the trough of the sea. All hands were ordered aft to assist in securing and ‘ lashing down the rudder quadrant, which was thrashing madly to and fro with the action of the waves. ALer considerable difficulty the quadrant was made fast, and ■ an attempt was then made to ship the hand i steering gear. 1 While this operation was in progress the ' lashings on the quadrant carried away, and ! the connecting shafts to the hand steering | gear also broke. After that there was only i one course open, to repair the broken chain and resume steering by steam. For three hours in pitch darkness several of the deck and engineer officers struggled to splice the chain with a piece of steel hawser. All this time (he vessel was rolling heavily in the trough, and shipping tremendous seas at every moment. The men worked waist deep in water, and frequently had to drop their tools and hang on when waves broke aboard. The repair was finally completed and the vessel was got under way again. On Saturday morning at 5.30 a most unusual occurrence happened. The heavy seas pounding on the vessel caused No. 2 haich to again burst open. By some freak of chance one of the battens was hurled in the air and landed across two horizontal derricks eight feet above the hatchway. It was some time before the batten was found. The weather eased considerably after noon on Sunday, and Monday was fine. The Waitomo made Cook Strait on Tuesday morning ,and had a fair run down to LyttelI ton. In all the vessel travelled 700 miles j with a patched-up rudder chain, nearly 500 I miles of which was through a raging gale, I when the chain had to be nursed with the I greatest care. The feat reflects great credit j on the officers and seamen concerned.