A STORMY VOYAGE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 465, 23 April 1890, Page 6

A STORMY VOYAGE.

THE LOCH NAW IN BAD WEATHER. CARGO JETTISONED. Auckland, April 16. The barque Loch Naw, 277 tons, a wellknown intercolonial trader, made this port last evening after an extremely rough and stormy passage of 24 days from Newcastle with a cargo of coals. Captain Petersen, master, says that the weather he experienced was some of the worst and dirtiest he has had for a long time. The Loch Naw sailed from Newcastle on the 22nd ult., and on the second day out fell in with dirty weather. The weather grew worse, and on the 24th and 25th it was blowing a hard gale from the east with a mountainous sea. The gale increased in force, and the high sea running caused the barque to labour very heavily. Captain Petersen bethought himself of spreading “ oil on the troubled waters,” and canvas bags filled with oil were put over the side. This worked very well, greatly reducing the quantity of water that came on board. Great seas still found their way on deck, and the crew had to be put at the pumps. On the 25th a tremendous sea was running. The barque was under her main-lower-topsail at the time. That night the pumps broke down. The wind, in a heavy squall, changed to the westward, rendering it impossible to get back to Sydney for repairs to the pumps. Captain Petersen then decided to jettison some of the coals to ease the ship. Accordingly on the 26th ult. all hands got to work at the cargo and threw overboard about 25 tons of coal. This appeared to ease the vessel a good deal, and the gale moderated. One of the pumps was now temporarily repaired, and the barque headed on for Auckland with a fresh southerly wind. On the sth inst., when off the Three Kings, the Loch Naw tell in with the heavy easterly gale which has been experienced all along the North Island Coast. It came on very hard from the east, and continued for eight days, veering between sou’-east and nor’-east. Blinding rain accompanied the gale, and did not cease for a week. A high cross-sea arose and became dangerous, buffeting the barque unmercifully. She rode the sea well, but would have been compelled to run before the gale had she not been an excellent sea-boat. The weather was terrible, squalls of terrific force occasionally sweeping down on the vessel. On the 10th inst. there was a very heavy gust from the east-nor’-east. The barque was at the time hove-to under fore and mizzen staysails, which were split and torn to ribbons. On the 13th the weather moderated, and passing the Great Barrier yesterday the Loch Naw had light winds, with frequent rain-squalls, to arrival.