TOWED TO SAFETY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 16 September 1907, Page 3

TOWED TO SAFETY.

■ONOWAI PICKED UP BY THE MOKOIA. ALL WELL. AFTER A PERILOUS EXPERIENCE. RTJDDERLESS IN AN ANGRY SEA. SPLENDIDLY HANDLED. , DARING WORK OF RESCUE. MOKOIA BRILLIANTLY, MANOEUVRED. MAGIFICENT SEAMANSHIP. Received 15th, 953 a.m. Sydney, Septmeuer 13. The Monowai has arrived ia tow of the Mokoia. On the morning of the 10th at three O'clock, the M-anowvi broie her rudtltr •haft, and at 1 a.m. of the lilh was picked up I>y the Mokoia all well. Received 15th, 2,17 pan. Sydney, September 15. The story of "the Monowai is one Of I SPLENDID SEAMANSHIP, both on the part of the Monowai's own officers and crew and those of the 'Mokoia. At 3JO this morning, the South Head t signal read: t "MONOWAI IN TOW OF WHAT Al'- I PEARS TO BE WARSHIP." Captain Crawshiw, of the Union Co., and rejmsentauves of the Press Association left Sydney with a couple oi tug boat*. Tne'weather was fine, with a roll on < the outside. Daylight had broken, and 1 tt was seen that it was the Mokoia th-t : bad the disabled steamer in tow. ■ The Monowai was under her own 1 ■team; that dispelled the idea that the - machinery had broken down. < On boarding the vessel it was found '■ the < RUDDER POST HAD BEEN CARRIED ' AWAY. " ; The Monowai hjl dirty weather af- " ter leaving Wellington, with a ire-men- ' don* beam sea running. Everything went well till three in the morning of the 10th, when the ship ' idddenly failel to answer the helm. Speed was immediately reduced. A | strong south-west gale was . blowing, ' and the ship was PLUNGING HEAVILY. , All hands set to work rigging spar* ' to secure the rudder, and the sea anchors were got-out. It was a ' PERILOUS TASK ] getting wire hawsers attached to the rodder, bat it was eventually uxom- i pli.tod from heavy booms rigged out , ait on both sides and a. wire rope ( from the nehu was passed on to the . winchea. -. | The passengers were not aware of , the gravity of the accident till daylight, , The most alarming thing to the pas•engers waa . TEE FEARFUL LURCHING ] of the vessel in the trough of the sea. < tUte rolled top-sides under on the port I ] The temporary steering gear carried I' •way several times, but the CREW WORKED BRAVELY ' to repair the damage. 1 At 3 o'clock on the afternooji of the 11th, the jmais trysail was bent to steady ship, and at 6 o'clock the sea anchor was hove in for repairs. At 9.50 repairs were effected, and the anchor towed from the starboard bow. ■ Heavy equals of rain, with a terrific I ■ea, continued, but the sea anchors { ■topped the drift somewhat .At two on the morning of the 12th, 1 however, the anchors carried away, and i at 7in the morning the foresail was set ; and canvas rigged in the fore rigging, oQ being used with beneficial effect to ■Booth the sea. The passengers during these two days behaved admirably. When the vessel broke down, she was 820 miles off the coast, but under the influence of the west south-west gale she drifted back considerably. At 420 sun. on the 12th, THE MOKOIA WAS SIGHTED. The weather was very thick, anil to {hose on board the Monowai it was regarded as miraculous tint the Auckland steamer saw her. However, in 13 mintues she was alongside. Then a thrilling feat was performed i>y Captain Smith. "It was "THE FINEST PIECE OF WORK I HAVE EVER SEEN," said Captain Rolls. "The sea was terrific, ail no boat could have fivf<",' through it. Therefore Captain Smith essayed to run close up alongside. It was a ' PERIOD OF INTENSE EXOTEMEN l'. "As the Monowai sank in the trough" of the sea, the Mokoia towered above her, and looked as if she must inevitably crush our steamer." ■Striking the psychological moment, tht Mokoia came full speed on the leeaide, throwing her head off at the right instant, aial allowing her stern to brush past the Monowai, actually touching her on the port bow. "Like a "flash, A LINE WAB THROWN ABOARD, and a steel hawser made fast Both vessels settled down to half

■feed, |>at the tow only lasted 40 minutes, tile hawser snapping as darkness settled jdown. It was impossible to try the feat again of plaeing a rope aboard the Monowai. The Mokoia, therefore, stood by tiU daylight. After the line parted, a, dangerous task was successfully carried out aboard toe Monowai—that of getting the port •Dehor hove aboard. In smooth water such a task might be easy enough, but with the WILD DRIVING OF THE VESSEL, the operation was difficult. There was always a po««ihility of tKe anchor going through the ship's lint torn as she lurched; nevertheless, it was managed safely, and the anchor was •towed on beard. At 5.40 on the morning of the l-llli, THE SIOKOIA. SPLENDIDLY HANDLED,

got alongside again, and passed a rope. A kawaer was fastened to <» fathom* of tJ» Monowai's cable, which stood tie strain beautifully, and the LONG TOW OF 294 MILES

was commenced. I At the time nf b< irting to tow the weather be«an to moderate, but occasionally fierce squalls, with ir.oiin tainous sea*, were encountered. As the weather <?ot finer, the irtHer tackle was readjusted aboard nowai. and the vessel cajne more under control. Indeed, hid the weather been at :ill fine after the accident, sho conic] have made Sydney under make shift war. Tugs relieved the Mnkoia af lh> Heads, but uh'-n once inside, th ■ M"nowa! was able to nmeeed up the harbor •without assistance. 72 Horps nv the bridge. For three divs >nd ni<rht= "".lpl-.tn Bolls Threr left th» brid?e. and 'V.e vl ->- aenuers are lmid in nmi«e o r h : < coo' and re.snnTffn'ness. To all the officer' and men tbe warm est praise i- n>«o doe.

CAPTAIN S>fTT!l's' NARRATIVE.

TToW the Mn'.-"iJ eime to rd-1; tin the \ Monowai is «1*>!"<»I by Ce.ntam Si...*, j H« atates: I "As the Mnnoimi w» OYcrd-j «■ | W h»t. when 1 left Svdm-T. ard j... s..*f ■ ,„-, her Wfore dark, r eenebl: „,,,,« « n inir \r" vr™*". •■» decided t- ■->-» •" the southward, which I did ti" T ,hU) p,i the M«nnw«i t- ""• ""*;•;";'* -', ,„„ tn „ "rudder die>H-*' and eventn.illv commenced t" fnv Vr at BA-. on Fridav nvrninz. the weather |r*lna]l» Improving." t

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When both vessels reached the wharf, the passengers cheered one another bands playing,. "For they are jolly good felows" and "Anld Lafig Syne." Until the Monowai has been docked, it is impossible to *ay how long repairs may take. The Mokoia resumed her voyage at 10.30 aju. The Manuka met the vessels in tow, and signalled the news to South Head. LIVE STOCK IN GOOD CONDITION. Received 10th, 1 a.m. ' Sydney, September 15. The Monowai's horses and sheep are in goojd condition. FEELINGS OF RELIEF. Per Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. News of the Monowai's arrival at Sydney was received in Wellington with feelings of gratitiide and relief'. The majority of her passengers were from Wellington, thus causing great anxiety to be felt during the past h'W days, Usides which the steamer's officers are well-known and popular at this port. It is no'sible that the Warrimoo, which left Lyttelton last night to sc.ircu for the .Monowai, may be intercepted when passing Farewell Spit this after* noon, and t'.u-. saved a fruitless voyage. It had been arranged yesterday to keep open continuously the SydneyWakapuaka cable service and the telegraph service with the principal centres in the colony, for the immediate receipt of any news. The V cliington post office official* h-.d also airanged to liy a Hag from the post office tower if news of the Monowai came to hand. Con- ' scquently when the cabled advice caino this morning, the good news was soon known throughout the city. HER PREVIOUS MISHAP. This is not the first time that the exVancouver liner Monowai has proved a source of anxiety. In October, 1901. she left the Bluff in her regular running on a Tuesjliy, for Melbourne, via Hobart. She had an unusually heavy passenger list, including two theatrical companies ' —Mr George Musgrove's Grand Opera Company (some 80 in number), and the McAdoo Fisk Jubilee ingtrs. In the ordinary course of things the Monowai was due to reach Hobart on the follow- c ing Frid'.y, or at the latest early on 1 Saturday morning. But she failed to ' put in an appearance. A whole week T passed, but still no tidings 'Of the missing steamer, concerning whose safety grave fears existed. The Mokoia (Captain Spinks) was despatched from fhe Bluff to zig-zag across in the hope of picking up the supposed disabled steam- * er. It was about 10 days after the Mooonai's departure from the Bluff before any news came to hand. It was then reported that two steamers, one towin<r the other, were off the southern coast of New Zealand, and much relief n was given when the wires flashed the eagerly awaited information throughout e Austr.'lasia that the Monowai was safe. She had only been out some 30 hours* when fhe tail shaft broke anil she drifted helpless at the mercy of the wind and waves. There was some talk of tipping her up by putting the how down, but the risk was considered too (Treat should bad weather set in. Very fortunately the sea remained calm for a whole week, otherwise things would ; probably have gone very hard with the l disabled steamer. Needless to say, when the lights of another steamer (the Mokoia) hove in view and it was Teal-'-ised that all danger was at last passett ( the great tension, which had been al most heroically borne by the fnany lady ( passengers, so suddenly snapped as to lead to many pathetic scenes. Tt was ( a lovely moonlight night as he MoUoia, at about 10 o'clock, ranker! alongside ; the drifting Monowai. with the vast ex- i pause of waters, with scarce a ripple upon them. It does not need a very i vivid imagination to picture the scene. : On the two steamers there were some four hundred souls. Thev all assesnoTed ' : on idcek. and led by Mi" Belle F. Oifihons. the wcll-knwn lady baritone ' member nf the McAdoo Cm., the lonnt < pent-up feeling fined heartfelt expression of thankfulness in the hvnin, ' '•Praise On-1 from Whom al! Biennis . now." Those who were present, stilted that thnv had never rovvion-lv taken part in anything so dceplv impressive, and th» memory of that niefft would never he offacM. .U th" l<w to Mr Miwgro'-e- l.y the Mav was already a very s»riou« one, the Mokoia, wi'ich took np the Monowai's runninT, v„„f direct from Port nm'jniera. to which port she towed t>» disabled sfeamei, to Melbourne, and then back to TTnhan. which the McAdoo Jubilee Singers' reached I" di.ys after they had first left the Bluff on a iournev that usually takes about 70 honrs. During tht Mnnwai's former drift the passengers fared well with the exception of two articles of diet, bread and potatoes, the simmy ot which was entirely exhausted when they had been some five days) out. 1 A REMARKABLE- COINCIDENCE. It is a. most remarkable coincidence that on each of the two occasions of the Monowai's misfortune-:, the succorin/ vessel has Wn the Mekoia. In each case. also, she has been with a skHI worthy of the lx>st tradi tions of British seamanship—and of the Union Steam Ship Company.