A SHIP ABANDONED

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 76, 20 September 1911, Page 8

A SHIP ABANDONED

OFF WANGANUI. BUT irOLDS TO HER ANCHORS. / By Telegraph—Press Association. Wanganui, Night. The Danish barquentine Carla, which left Newcastle on August 15 with a cargo of coal for Wanganui Gasworks, is lying at anchor some miles south of the bar in a heavy sea. The crew are in a boarding-house in town, and the fate of the vessel is uncertain. The vessel arrived off the bar on Saturday, but no tug was available. She came up again on Sunday, but again was unable to secure a tug. On Monday morning she dropped anchor, and in the afternoon the steamer Gertie went out to tow the vessel in. The weather then was fine, but a storm was brewing. The steamor no sooner began to tow than the rope broke. A gale and heavy sea were rising, and, after much difficulty, the Gertie again got hold of the vessel, but again the tow rope parted. This was repeated in all five times. Darkness had then set in, with heavy rain and very heavy gale and sea. The Carta's anchors were down, but the vessel was dragging towards the beach. During the attempts to get the tow rope aboard the Gertie had come too close under the vessel's bow, with the result that the jibboom crashed on to the steamer's deck, smashing the lifeboat into matchwood, snapping off the davits, partly demolishing the, deckhouse, and nearly carrying away the funnel. The Carta's jibboom was also smashed, and all head sail gear wrecked. Consequently she .was in a helpless state, and when she was drifting into great danger, the captain decided' to board the Gertie, which was standing by. After great difficulty the crew got away in a lifeboat, and the Gertie, .having put out a considerable quantity of oil, th« seven men were enabled to get on board the steamer, which this morning brought them to shore. To the surprise of- all, the Carta, instead of being on the beach in the morning, was riding to her anchors, which had evidently found a hard bottom. A heavy sea has been running all day, but as darkness came on the vessel was still in the same position. The crew are awaiting an opportunity to board their vessel again.