THE IONIC DISABLED. Christchurch, May 13.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 369, 18 May 1889, Page 3

THE lONIC DISABLED. Christchurch, May 13.

In regard to the accident to the e.s. lonic, the " Press"' newspaper is indebted to a passenger for the following interesting narrative :—: — "As the breakdown of the machinery on the. lonic is the*tirsb catastrophe of any kind which has happened to a steamer of either of our direct lines, some additional particulars from a passenger may interest the readers of the 'Press,' and with than object I will try to relate a few details which came under my own observation. Leaving New Zealand on Thursday, May 2, wo made an excellent start, and on the evening of the third day, Sunday, May 5, in New Zealand, but) Saturday, May 4, on the lonic, as we had adopted English time on ci-ossing the meridian of Greenwich, we were all recovering from our seasickness, and beginning to feel in good spirits again. At 7 p.m., dinner being just over, several of the passengers began to remark on the curious movement of the screw, which was working in a laboured, thudding manner, causing whole ship to shudder and palpitate. This went on for nearly an hour, by which time almost all the ladies, and several of the gentlemen, were assembled in the saloon to begin their evening's amusement, and we then noticed a further change in the motion of the scrow, which became uncertain, intermittent, and finally ceased altogether. However, the report was circulated that the bearings were heatedjj&nd no serious alarm was felt until the captain's steward appeared, and called away one of the gentlemen. This made us slightly nervous, but what were our feelings when he appeared again, and yet again, summoning each time the head of a family or other prominent passenger. . I am sure that the quarter of an hour which elapsed until the return of the gentlemen will be remembered by all who were in the saloon of the lonic that evening as one of the most painful episodes in their life, and the news that came back from the captain's cabin scarcely relieved the tension at all. ' The after crank is broken,' so we were told. 'We are 950 miles from Lyfctelton in a straight line, and 4,500 miles from Valparaiso,' and under these circumstances the captain had decided the wisest and prudent course was to turn the vessel's head, and proceed to new Zealand, under sail. It must be admitted that under these circumstances it was very difficult to feel very cheerful. There we were, cast adrift in that lonely Southern v Ocean, a huge unmanageable hulk, in great danger in case of driving south, falling in with strong easterly winds, which might carry us no man knew whither, and, even looking on the best side, weeks might elapse before reaching land, and it gave us all a horrible tightening of the heart to think of those who would be watching and waiting for our arrival at Rio de Janeiro. The next two or three days were so wretched that we will none of us ever care to recall them. A contrary wind prevailed at first, and though we made some progress northward we still drifted to the cast. A strong gale then came up, and we rolled heavily from side to side, and were reduced to the depths of depression and wretchedness. But the lonic behaved wonderfully well, and made the long run of 125 miles in twenty-four hours, a remarkably good performance under the circumstances. Then the wind fell, and we lay becalmed, but on Wednesday morning a great change came over the scene, and what was our joy at noon on May 8 to feel the screw revolve again, slowly, indeed, but still we began to move at a very fair pace. I believe I am correct in saying that the after crank, .though badly cracked, had not actually parted, asunder, and after long and serious consideration .the captain and chief engineer undertook the great responsibility of working the machinery in its crippled condition, and we have been so favoured by wind and weather that we have had the almost incredible good fortune of getting back to New Zealand in eight days, when at one time we were fully expecting to drift about for a month at least at the mercy of the winds and waves. Our break-down occurred in latitude 52.12 S., longitude 168 YV., and we had travelled about 1,000 miles on our homeward journey. It is impossible to speak too highly of the kindness and consideration of Captain Kidley during this very trying time. His spirits have never flagged. He never depressed us by gloomy look or word, and he has been indefatigable in his endeavours to keep our minds distracted by a variety of entertainments and amusements, and all the while under a load of responsibility the like of which I hope he may never have to carry again. In conclusion, I must not forget to thank Mr Purvis, the chief engineer, for his unceasing: vigilance^ to guard us from further catastrophe since putting his damaged machinery in motion."