TRAGEDY OF THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 113, 10 June 1909, Page 4

TRAGEDY OF THE SEA.

NEDERLAND IN A GALE. SEVEN MEN LOST OVERBOARD. A brief cable message was received recently, by the Sydney Marine Underwriters' Association, Limited, intimating that the Dutch ship, Nedeiiand, which nailed from Melbourne 011 March 23rd with i\ cargo of 35,200 bags of wheat for the English Channel for orders,, had met -with violent weather conditions, and had put into in distress. During the height of the gales, tlie message acids, Captain 11. Sparius, the master of the vessel, was washed overboard, and shortly afterwards the second officer met a similar fate. The members of the crew worked manfully throughout the trying ordeal, but 110 fehver than five of them were lost at different times, making a death-roll of seven.

The vesstel was navigated by the chief officer, who decided to make for tho nearest port for repairs, and to ship additional men. The Xederland, had been driven 'by a succession of tempests considerably out of her course, and Coquim-bo, in Chili, was at last reach- j ed. I AN UNLUCKY SIHIP.' | 111-luck seems to be folio-wing tlve Xederland. She made a very long voyage to Melbourne from Fredrikstadt, in Norway, and for some Weeks grave fears were entertained regarding her. Eventually, on January 24th last, when f/lie had been at sea for 144 days, the Xederland made licr appearance off Port Philip Heads, and it was ascertained that her long voyage was due entirely to adverse -winds in the earlier stages. Attempting to come through the English Channel, tlfe ship was confronted with such persistent head winds' that her course was altered to take her round the north of Scotland. In this movement, however, misfortune again ,be, set her, the weather proving so unfavorable that Captain Spariusdespaired of getting away by this route, and again turned the ship's head, with the object of making a second- attempt to effect the Channel passage. Success at length attended the vessel, but it was not until the end of three weeks that she cleared the Channel. Adverse breezes, however, still prevailed, and it was only on the eighty-first day following her departure from Fredrikstadt that the vessel crossed tho equator. Several of the crew were found by Dr. Hector R. McLean, health officer, to ibe suffering from beri-iberi fever when the ship arrived at Melbourne.

Tile Nederland is a steel ship of 2031 tons gross, and of 1955 tone net, and was built 151 1804 at Amsterdam by Messrs Huijgens and van Gekler, for Mr. W. A. Huijgens. She is 263 ft 7in in length, with a breadth of 42ft. and a depth of 23ft Tin.