THE CALLIOPE'S ESCAPE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VIII, Issue 395, 21 August 1889, Page 6

THE CALLIOPE'S ESCAPE.

One of the crew of the Calliope has just written Home describing the escape of the vessel from the harbour of Apia, in Samoa during the great cyclone which wrecked the German and American squadrons. His narrative appears in the " Herts and Cambs Reporter" of Hay 24, and states: — "Preparations were made to ride out the threatening gale by getting top-hamper on deck, striking top-masts, and making everything snug. On the night of Friday, March 15, it began to blow, and the wind increased in force until at daybreak, the Calliope, with three anchors out, and steaming at ful speed, was just able to keep her position. The Yandalia, American warship, dragging across her bows and cairying away a cable, the English cruiser dropped astern, till the dreaded reef was within a fathom of her. At last) the captain gave orders to slip the remaining cable, and,; steaming at eighty-eight revolutions per minute and rolling nettings under, the gallant cruiser struggled out of the harbour and made the open sea. On the following Tuesday, the gale having subsided, 'the vessel returned to port and coaled.". The writer continues :—": — " [ must mention the way in which our skipper behaved. He was exposed to the whole of 1 ,the^ heavy weather, and in a most unsheltered position too. I don't believe he left the poop for live minutes during the twenty-four hour 3 the gale was at its height. When he regained the harbour on the Tuesday morning, we were all called aft, and the captain made a speech. I never before saw anyone so affected as he was at the time. He made several attempts to speak, bub could nob master his feelings. When at last he found his voice, this is what he said : — ' I take the earliest opportunity of thanking you all, my men, for the way in which you have behaved during the terrible weather we have just experienced. I shall always look back with pride at the way in which my orders were carried out on Saturday last. What I did myself was very little, being only able to stand here and give orders. These orders were carried out more smartly and exactly than I had a right to expect, considering our situation. In conclusion, I must say we must not only congratulate 'ourselves on our escape, but we must thank Almighty God.' Here the brave old mau broke down, and, with' tears running down his face, motioned us to leave the quarter-deck, which we did, and you could have heard a pin drop so great was the silence, all hands being too full of emotion and gratitude to i>peak for some time."

The recently published statistics of drunkenness in New South Wales prove that the Mother Colony is ridding herself of the evil reputation which she has borne of being the mo3t drunken colony of Australasia. Since 1885 there' has been a regular decline in the number of persons arrested for drunkenness, the number in that year being 2 -82 per cent: of the population, while in! 1888' the number of arrests was only 1-98 per cent. Estimated upon the average consumption of intoxicating drink, the relative positions of the several colonies stand thus, the basis adopted being represented by'proof alcohol: —New South Wales, 3-23 gallons; Victoria, 3-80 gallons; Queensland, ' 339 gallons ; South Australia',- 332 ' gallons ; New Zealand, 2*lB gallons ; and Tasmania, 2-17 gallons. "Auckland Star." 1 T ,i I'". "■' >