AN EVENTFUL TRIP.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 357, 6 April 1889, Page 4

AN EVENTFUL TRIP.

A stoby of rough experience and hardshiP " afloat on the ocean wave," equal in in terest to many an enthralling '* tale of the sea," is unfolded by the crew and ' passengers of the Auckland ' coastal trading cubter Evening Star, 18 tons register, which has arrived in port from Makebu, in the Bay of Plenty. With mainsail blown away, and boat, washed overboard, the small craft was drifting out to sea with her crew and passengers - the latter consisting of a widow lady and her two young children — without a drop of water on board, when a lucky slant of wind brought her back bo the coast close bo a Northern lighbhouse. Here the crew and bhe passengers of the cutter state that bhey were boarded by a boab from bhe lighbhouse, with letters for Auckland. They asked the inmates of the boab, two men, to give them bhe little water they had, or else allow them the use of their boat to go ashore to fetch off a supply of water from the island, but this was refused, and as their only resource a couise was shaped for Auckland, which was reached in two days. It appears that the Evening Star, whose crew consists of the master, Mr 3. Walsh, and one hand, sailed from Maketu for Auckland on Sunday, 24bh ult., with a freight of wool, furniture, etc., and three passengers, Mis Taylor, late school teacher at Maketu, and two children, a young boy and gicl aged about 11 and 9 respectively. The cutter gob away with a W.S. W. breeze, which during the night veered round to S. W. , and a vex % y heavy swell was running into the Bay horn the open Pacific. The high seas increased bo terrific sweeping "rollers," and bhe wind rose to a strong gale, which at length increased to such a pitch as to blow the mainsail clean away, a heavy "deck-washer" at the same time cariying away the dingy and the full watercask. This occurred while off Tairua at 9 a.m. on Monday morning. A temporary jury-mainsail was rigged up with a couple of cabin carpebs, a tarpaulin and a blanket, and wibh bhis makeshifb ib was hoped bo make port in bime bo avoid any inconvenience from wanb of bhe indispensable fluid. However, the strong gale blew the little vessel right off bhe coast, and on Tuesday morning bhe land was far out of feighb, the cutter drifting rapidly out to sea. The water supply, owing to the loss of the cas-k, gave oub eaily on Monday morning, bub Mrs Taylor happened to have with her a couple of bottles of elder-flower water used as medicine, and bhis was served oub in beaspoonfuls to each of the five on board at the regular meal intervals, bhis being bheir only drink. Endeavours were made to obbain bhe fresh liquid by condensing sea - water by means of kettle and saucepan, but this proved unsuccessful, and all had bo fall back on bhe elder-flower water. On Wednesday morning the Star must have been upwards of a hundred miles off to the eastward oftheNewZealandcoast, when what proved zo be the salvation of all occurred in a sudden change of wind. It veered and hauled round to bhe N.E., and bhen enabled the cutter to bear up for the land. On Wednesday night labe bhe Mokohinau light (on an island some 80 miles north of this port) was sighted, and a course was steered for ib. The wind dying away the cutter lay becalmed that night and all next day (Thursday last) till the evening, the delicate children and Mrs Taylor in the meantime sufieiir-g agonies of thirst. At daylight on Wednesday bhe Evening Star had hoisted a distress-signal, the ensign reversed flying at half-mast, and kept it flying until a sailingboat was seen approaching from bhe lighthouse, bhen some three miles off, on Thursday afternoon. The boat, which contained two men, the lighthouse-keeper's assistants, came alongside and the steersman shouted out that he wished the cutter's skipper to do him a favour by carrying a bundle of letters for him to Auckland and posting them there. The master said he would do anything he wished if he would give them a little fresh water, or if bhey could have a passage to the shore in the boab to bring off a replenished watercask. This the lighthouse people utterly refused to do, stating that they had no time as they had to look after bhe light, but told them that bhere was plenty of water on bhe ibland, or on bhe Little Barrier Island, if they liked to go and fetch it. Thisitwasmanifestly impossible for bhem bo do wibhou t their dingy , which had been lost overboaid. The lighbhouse men said bhey had nob noticed the leversed flag flying half-mast as a token of distress, and that they bad taken the cutter to be a vessel returning from the Islands wibh fruit bo Auckland. They pibched their lebbers on board, requesting Captain Walsh to posb bhem without fail, and then pulled off bo bhe lighbhouse, unheeding the entreaties of bhe thirsting crew and passengers for bhe favour of a "cup of cold water." Seeing that the heartless indifference of bhe fellows from the island left them no alternative but to make for Auckland, ninety miles away, a course was shaped for this port, the wind springing up from the E.N.E. on Thursday night. This brought the cutter into port in a day and a half, at mid-day on Saturday last, after a lengthy passage a week from Makebu. She presented a rabher curious spectacle as she came up the harbour considerably battered about, and with a mainsail of most nondescript shape and material. Once safely moored at the Quaysbreeb jetty, ib was nob long befere all on board, including a big mastiff, which had become dangerously savage and mad from want of water, again enjoyed the precious luxury of a long drink. As showing the intense extent to which they had suffered from want of the life supporbing fluid, the man who bent on bhe distress-signal on Wednesday morning was hardly able to mount bo bhe topmasb bo do so, bhrough weakness from bhirst. The first thing done by Capbain Walsh on ai rival here was to posb the Mokohinau letter budget, and ib will no doubb be a mabber of congrabulation bo bhe lighbhouse people that this has been performed, as a measure savouring of bhe principle of " returning good for evil." With regard to the extraordinary conduct said to have been manifested by the men from the lighthouse, we can only hope and suppose that they did not fully understand the condition to which bhe people on board bhe cubter had been reduced. If the wind had only happened to veer slightly, the cutter with her five souls on board would, owing to her disabled condition, have been blown oub bo sea, and that would not improbably have been the last heard of her. To be without water for only a limited period — when this liquid is the only one obtainable — is a torture, and it would not take long to convince the Mokohinau Governmenb employees, if they happened to be set adrift in a boat, of bhe misery bo which bhey are alleged to have selfishly, or bhrough bheir indifference, condemned the occupants of the cutter. Without prejudging the men connected with the lighthouse unheard, we do not hesitate to say that thestatements made by those on board the cutter with regard to this matter ought to be thoroughly sifted by bhe proper authorities, and that if not ah'eady done, peremptory instructions ought to be given by the . Marine Department, to lighthouse keepers to render every, succour in their, power to vessels in f dis- f tress. —Auckland Star, April 4.