A TERRIBLE TIME.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 189, 8 February 1912, Page 5

A TERRIBLE TIME.

IN A HURRICANE. . DISMASTED BOAT AT AUCKLAND. BULWARKS GONE. DECK TIMBER SWEPT A WAY! Auckland, February 6. The Norwegian steamer Hornelen, which arrived in a battered condition today, struck the full force of the recent hurricane reported from Fiji. A funnel suited white, a wrecked bridge, and a damaged deckhouse were practically all that she showed above the sheerline when she waddled into port and dropped he-: anchor off the Calliope Dock. She made an odd contrast-to the usual appearance of the foreign-owned lumber carriers which come to these parts from Puget Sound

She was buried half-way up to the cross-trees under a towering deck-load oi Oregon, and looked like a floating Tower of Babel. A slim scantling stayed up on the few plans left on the forehatch, and a makeshift gallows-looking arrangement lashed \o the funnel-ladder, made apologies for itli.suit, masts, and sewed to carry tho two head-lights required by the Board of Trade. Fathoms of the bulwarks, rusted red, hung from the starboard side, fore and aft, like gaping wounds m the side of some leviathan. Tli;. --ii;t|v[jp(l-off rivet lines showed edges like the perforations of a stamp, curled Riid twisted as though it were tinfoil instead' of steel plates nearly an inch thick. The after-wheel and box were dn splinters, and shattered stumps were all that could be seen where there shouldJiave been steel masts. Stanchions were wrenched off, boats shattered, cabin doors innocent of panels, and reduced' to frames, only nailed squares of canvas covering the side ports, where the glass had been blown in, wrench steam-pipes gpne at the joints spurting out clouds when the steam was turned on to get up the anchor, temporary life-lines rigged fore and) aft, and the solid iron stanchions and railing swept off like pipestems. A more forlorn and desolate ship it would l be difficult to picture, and one marvelled that she came through it afloat.

A young, giant, whose nign brow and strong face betoken intellectuality and purposefulness, such is Captain Neilsen, the man who brought his battered ship through a gale which was the worst in his experience, and through which the crew with one accord say they had no thought of coming out of alive. Small wondler is it that every man on the Hornelen looks upon its skipper'as-a hero; yet the man himself had but little to say of the actual occurrence, when seen by a reporter this morning. "There is not much,to tell," he said. "We left Oregon on January 6, and had fine weather right down to January 29. Then the barometer fell, and a heavy north-west swell set in, though there was no wind. It was on,the following morning a week ago to-day, that the storm began. We were in latitude 172 west, and, with the break of day, came the gale from the north-east. Hour by hour its violence increased, until it reached the velocity of a hurricane. On the main deck -there was a million feet of timber piled almost as high as the boat decks, and, as the wind increased and as the seas became more mountainous, anxious eyes were cast at the lashings and staging which held the deck cargo in position. At noon the crisis came—the huge pile showed signs of shifting, and soon after the foremast went, taking with it the boom, the rigging, and thousands of feet of deck cargo.

"At 2 o'clock tho aftermast also went with a crash, smashing the lifeboats beyond all possibility of usefulness as it went. With the after-mast went thousands more feet of lumber, as well as all the rigging. The sea was now running mountains high, and to attempt to cut away the. wreckage was an utter impossibility, since the spray aloiio was so thick that it was impossible' to see further than the foVsle from the bridge. "There was the danger of the rigging fouling the propeller and the steering gear had also fouled in the last crash, so that-there was nothing for it but to stop the engines and lie there helpless in the grip of the storm. Just to What extent the vessel had been damaged by the tearing out of .the masts remained to be seen, and for a time, we waited in suspense. Meanwhile the lumber continued to go overboard in huge quantities until the sea around was a floating mass of wreckage. The iron bulwarks were smashed like cardboard under the weight of the great flitches which went crashing overboard, and ironwork was twisted into strange shapes, "For ten or twelve hours the ship was at the mercy of the storm, but then came an abatement, and the men worked heroically to clear the wreckage and make fast what remained of the million feet of deck cargo. It was a big task under the circumstances, but, ultimately, the ship was got under way again, and, battered and scarred, completed the journey to Auckland. The timber lost in the gale amounted to 400,000 feet altogether. "It was a terrible gale," added- Captain Neilsen, "and quite the worst in my experience. When the masts, boats and deck cargo went it seemed as if the vessel would never weather the storm, and I do not think one of us expected to come through alive. The remarkable thing is that, while everything above deck was more or less damaged, nq member. ,pf the crew was hurt, and," He concluded with a laujjh, "our only losses of live stock were a pig aid iVelve 'chickens."

IN THE ISLANDS. A VESSEL'S ORDEAL. Auckland, February 6. The hurricane reported by cablegram from Fiji had apparently a wide sweep. Two large steamers which arrived to-day were caught in the tempest, the overdue Croydon being in 'Nukualofa harbor during the height of the storm, and the Hornelen getting its full fury at sea. The Croydon lost a quantity of her deck cargo of timber, but otherwise escaped uninjured. The news brought by the Croydon that "half the town of Nukualofa was destroyed" by the hurricane will cause some uneasiness as to the effect of the storm upon the whole of Tonga. The news is very meagre, and needs confirmation, and in the meantime it may be assumed that the damage at Nukualofa is possibly not so bad as the vague reports to hand would appear to indicate. The Croydon left Vancouver on December 22, and for the safety of which a good deal 'of anxiety .has been left, arrived in port this morning, looking a good deal battered about. The Croydon's chief officer furnished a reporter this morning with a comprehensive and interesting account of an adventurous voyage.

The Croydon discharged a quantity of general cargo and a large shipment of lumber at Vavau, and left on January 22 for Nukualofa, where she arrived on' the 27th, passing through the Egeria Channel, and' making fast alongside the wharf. Discharging was completed late in the Afternoon of the 28th, so that the pilot took the vessel to an anchor off Pangamotto Island, and as the barometer was falling fast both anchors were let go. At 8 p.m. the barometer was down to 29.37, the wind blew hard from E.S.E., with strong squalls and heavy rain. During the night the wind and sea increased in force, the wind and rain squalls being

■ , - , \. most severe. The vessel was sheering wil<Jly,i..an<i the land, although close to? could not be seen in the pitchy blMkness; so that it was impossible, jto escertain if the vessel was dragging. Towards 8 p.m. on Monday the gate increased to a hurricane, the barometer at 28.484 Tlie wind hauled to southerly and shifted to S.W., blowing with renewed force and causing a high sea in the harbor. The squalls were, furious and.were accompanied by heavy rain. At 10 p.m. the barometer began to rise rapidly, and at midnight it stood at 28.82 inches. At.B a.m. on January 30 the wind had moderated * considerably, and the weather was clear, so the pilot signal was hoisted, but there was no answer. >

Those on shipboard temporarily free from the strenuous excitement 1 of their own affairs then had time to observe that the shore signal-staff was blown down, and that all the motor-launche* and boats had been driven high and dry on the beach. About 10 p.m. the pilot came off in a rowing boat, the only craft that was available and .seaworthy. He informed the Croydon's crew that the hurricane had. caused enormous damage on shore; had blown down half the house.*, and had driven all the boats shore. Tie Croydon, however, seized'the opportunity whfch offered to get out, and finally cleared the harbor at 1 p.m. The only information - she brings of that fearful night is that she alone, apparently, of all the odd craft afloat in Nukualofa weathered the hurricane, and ,that the only shore man with whom they had any communication reported that half the town was blown down. Though wearing a battered appearance, the Croydon has come through the rough experience exceptionally well. Though she lost a great deal of deck cargo, 'she had a picnic cruise compared with the Hernelen. It was the Croydon's good.fortune that she should have been at anchor in Nukualofa harbor during the fierce hurricane which had the Hernelen at its mercy outside.