PERILOUS EXPERIENCE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3460, 14 April 1920, Page 3

PERILOUS EXPERIENCE.

OFF A LEE SHORE.

KOUTONUPS NARROVV ESCAPE.

WELLINGTON, April 12‘

~'l‘he little coastal vessel Koutonui‘ net the full force of the recent southerly gale when bound from Wellington 1 ;o East Coast stations». The Kou-K zonuigmet the storm at 3 am. on! I‘hursda.y, off Cape Palliser, and the skipper decided to endeavour to return to port, but a heavy hawser on the forcastle head was washed over the side _and became entangled.with the port propeller, causing great trouble. Two, anchors were run out, and, facing the storm, the vessel went 1 full‘ steam ahead. Despite all this, she commenced to drag shor-ew_ards,& and at one time \'v?ls. within a stones throw of a reef. Heavy seas were shipped, stoving in the door of the er-ew’s mess-room, shattering the! wooden bulkhead of the saloon, and; the lll\’2ldillg seas broke the partitionf 'oe.tw\\-‘en the saloon and the space‘ o\*erlool<ing the stokehold. The result was that water flooded the stekehold till on a level with the stokehold gplutefls. The aperture of the pumps down below became jambed with debris, but ultim-ar.ely_ they were cleaned out. A portion of the lla.wsel' was cut away, but this did not free the propeller, and the port anchor cable parted. The weather improving, the Koutonui was able to steam out to sea i at half an knot per hour, until 8 21.111. ion Saturday, when she was 20 miles off land. The gale then moderated, arid the vessel. V\-‘HS enublecl to come into port. .