THRILLING SEA STORY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 17, 13 February 1909, Page 6

THRILLING SEA STORY.

IX AN ANTAI'.C'ITC IIUZZAKD. Owing to heavy gales and the terrors of icebergs from the Antarctic, hundreds of miles out of the usual latitude, vessels that had rounded ('ape Horn and arrived in England during December reported thrilling experiences. The Daaish barque lladila arrived at Falmouth on 10th December Irom Tapoma, which she left on Olh July. The average passage is 141) days, toil the lladila had taken llt>. and though the margin was so slight she had risen to a premium of C2"i on Lloyd's overdue list. Her master, Captain Dryden, stated that while his chart indicated "Xu icebergs north of this line." he encountered them nearly 10b miles north of it. His most terrible experience was when oil' (he Falkland Islands. Tie encountered a cyclone and a snow blizzard. There were enormous cross seas, and •me tremendous wave struck the vessel broadside, sweeping )onr men from the main deck. The vessel i|iiivei'ed with (lie shock, and for the moment they all expected the rigging would be carried liway. Within half a minute another huge wave struck the vessel from the iilher side, carrying back two of the men and landing lliein safely on deck, lanes were thrown out, which the other two poor fellows grasped, and one was safely hauled on board, but the other, while grasping the rope, seemed unconscious, for his head was all the time under water.

A sailor named Wiihither volunteered lo go into the raging sea to assist his comrade, and with a line, round his waist jumped overboilrd. With much dilliniltv he dragged the unconscious man to the side of the vessel, and was himself hauled on board in a dazed condition. The crew grasped the s'c.i boots of the unconscious man, but suddenly the body slipped away, leaving the boots in their hands—a grim experience thai is by no means uncommon wilh men in their death throes, as is shown by the fact I hit I, miners often cast their shoe, when falling down a shaft. The victim of this sea tragedy was only seventeen years of age.