A ROUGH TRIP.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3504, 5 June 1920, Page 7

A ROUGH TRIP.

THE VV.-\ITOMO IN A GALE

C H RIS-'P(‘H’U RCH, June 2.

The Waitomo, which arrived at Lyt- ‘I telton from Geelong t=o~-day, had 811} exciting trip. At mimxight, on Thursday, last. When a fierce south southwest gale was blowing and -.1 heavy sea running, battens on No. 2 hatch broke adrift. and were replaced with diificulty, At 2.:«’.() pm. on Friday the Sto(9l'ill:.;‘ chain broke and the vessel fell away in the trcmglt of the sea. }.\]l hands were enmloyetl in lashing ‘down the rudder quadrant, which task 1 was eventually ncc:Cnlp]i«shed. An atgtexnpt was then n121(io:> to ship the lhandsteering gear, and while this was in progress the lashings on the quadgrant carried away. and the connecting (shaft of the hand-steering," gear broke. For three houl';~', in pitch darkness, the deck and engineer officers struggled ,to splice the chain with a piece of steel ?ht.t"\YS(‘l'. The ve."é”s‘«;':‘l"".‘V:l.s' rotting heavEily. and the men were working waisttdeep in water. Fi'e(lxaelut]j* they had to !drop tools and hang on when waves

broke aboard. Ultinlat'ely Hie splicing was completed, and the vessel got away again. On Sat'ln‘da_V morning the pounding of the seas‘c:lused No. 2 hatch to again burst open, but it was battened down without loss of time. The weather cleared considerably on

Sunday, and the Wuitomo had a. fan. run to Lyrtelton. In all she travelled 700 miles with a patched-up rydflef chain, .300 of which was tm-ough 9.. 1-aging gale. the chain having to be nursed with great care. She has 50.000 sacks of wheat to disclfarge at Lyttelton, and 203.000 at Tiamru_

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