A STEAMER ABANDONED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81866, 16 October 1906, Page 2

A STEAMER ABANDONED.

OFF SOUTH NEW ZEALAND COAST. TAIL SHAFT BROKEN. CREW ARRIVE AT DUNEDIN. t( Per Press Association. \ a Dunedin, October 15. J Information was received from the t( Heads this morning that a sailing; ,: vessel, presumably disabled, was making for the harbour. The tug Plucky proceeded outside with Pilot McDonald, when it was found that the vessel was not herself in trouble, but was bringing ashore a shipwrecked ciew. The vessel proved to be the barque Ravenscourt, and she had on board the officers and crew of the steamer Port Stephen) which had been abandoned. Captain Beaumont, representing the Marine Department, went to Port Chalmers, and made arrangements for bringing the officers and crew to Dunedin. They were met by the secretary of the Shipwreck Relief Society, and all arrangements made for accommodating them. The master and officers and crew are somewhat reticent. They say they have no story to tell, and' to some extent this is the case. They had to undergo no special hardships, and were never in any immediate pressing danger. Captain Jolly supplied the following outline: —"My ship, the Port Stephens, left Dunedin on Thursday, the 27th September, and sailed from Oamaru on the following Monday, Ist October. On Wednesday, the 3rd, we met bad weather, and the tail shaft broke. We were then in , latitude 45.50. We drifted very , fast, being quite helpless, and .had ' : reached latitude 49.20 five days af--1 lerwards, when the Ravenscourt, I which had been driven out of her . course by the same weather, hove in '. sight, and took all the steamer's com- . pany on board, the transference being J made in our own boats. There was , 11 of us altogether. All are quite ' safe and sound. The, transference, though effected in open sea, was ma- . naged without mishap of any kind. Captain Jenkins, of the Ravenscourt, a Welshman, treated us very kindly, indeed, and I wish you to record our ' hearty thanks to him and his officers." , It was about seven o'clock on the Wednesday morning that the steamor broke down, and the rescued crew were received on the barque this day * week about 11 o'clock in the morning. They have brought most of their clothes with them. The weather was reasonably fair E all the time they shifted to the barque, though there was a lumpy sea T running. The mate of the Port Stephen was II the first to sight the barque. He saw 8 her lights during the morning watch, " and the Port Stophon's men at once e took care to attract her attention. 0 The officers and men were transferred from the Ravenscourt to the Plucky and brought to town, r The Port Stephen was built in 1894 ' at Sunderland, and was owned by the c Anglo -Australian Navigation Co. a She is 3554 gross register, and was chartered by the Union S.S. Co. to 0 bring two cargoes of coal from New- " castle, the charter expiring when she .' discharged the cargo here. The com--8 pany therefore know nothing about the insurance, nor does the captain a know anything. n THE ENGINEER'S NARRATIVE. e VESSEL DRIFTING TO THE ICE S FIELDS. Per Press Association. Dunedin, October 15. Mr Warren, chief engineer of the Port Stephen, says that at seven ~ o'clock on the morning of Wednesday ._ the tail >haft broke suddenly and completely in the stem tube. The ship was severely shaken, and all hands turned out. Examination show- - eel that the shaft had broke cleanly about 6ft from the propeller boss. The . stern tube was cut away, and the shaft disconnected, the tail piece J being drawn in. , A spare shaft on board was got in readiness, but the rough state of the weather and the •. severe pitching and rolling absolutely , prevented anything being done. At--3 tcntion was then turned to the brok- ' en shaft, to see if it could be repairv~ <d. Work went on at this night and ', clay under great handicap. The in 1 leniion was to cut the stern tube away f and key the broken shaft together. '' Mr Warren and three other enginJ eers worked vigorously, as also did the firemen. The work was danger- :: ous, but the inside portion of the ■ shaft was got in, leaving 6ft of it to j support the propeller. Fair progress ', was made with the repairs when the c . Ravenscourt was sighted. It would c have taken another fortnight to comj plete the work The vessel had proceeded too miles after passing „ through Fovoaux Strait. In five , days she drifted 229 miles south, and '' the weather was turning cold. If j she had continued at the same rate .] she would have been among the ice before repairs were completed The I' Ravenscourt stood three miles off, as ' ihe steamer was drifting towards her. ' All were taken on board safely, and Port Chalmers was reached safely. ,_ The Ravenscourt sailed as soon as she transferred the rescued men to the J [Plucky. _____