THE STORM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 53, 20 July 1912, Page 5

THE STORM.

THE TASMAN SEA. STEAMERS' ROUGH PASSAGE. By Telegraph—Press AseotiaUon. Wellington, Last Night. The Warrimoo and Aorangi, which left Sydney last Saturday within an hour of each other, and arrived at Wellington this afternoon, encountered wild and tempestuous weather on their journey across. Each bore evidences of rough buffeting and the passengers were heartily glad to get ashore. The Warrimoo's funnel was black on the port side, due to the heat from the furnaces being driven from the weather side and scorching the paint. The lifeboat 'tackle and ropes on the Aorangi were bedraggled and confused,, the hatch covers were still soaked, while the decks bore ample evidence of drenching sprays and seas. Captain Clift, of the Warrimoo,, said that it was the worst weather he had experienced during his seventeen ■ years with the Union Company. Rain" was falling when they left Port Jackson IJeads, but the sea was calm. By midniglit a gale had developed, raising angry seas. Spray swept the decks fore and aft, and seas pounded the vessel. The gale raged with fury all day, and continued for about fifty hours. The cargo on the foredeck was washed away, and the bulwarks damaged. The passengers rarely ventured on deck. The ventilator funnels were wrenched from their sockets, and some lying on the deck when the vessel arrived were scarcely recognisable. Oil was poured on the sea with good effect. On Monday things were so bad that the vessel was hove-to, and l on Tuesday she simply kept steering way in face of terrific squalls and seas. Monday night was fearful,," remarked a passenger. "I lay awake listening to the boom of the sens and the moan of the hurricane. The ship heaved and lurched a good deal, but proved herself a good sea boat. Thursday was tolerably fine, and good progress was afterwards made." Ihe Aorangi had a similar experience* A big wave smashed in the door of the smoking room, ami another dislodged and twisted the iron ladder leading down into the well-deck. The forrard gangway was displaced and the bolts started, the water gaining entrance. A good deal of water found its way into the passengers' quarters, but otherwise the damage on the Aorangi was comparatively trifling. HOVE-TO IX TASMAX SEA. ■ Auckland. Thursday. Ihe storm which has been making the weather so unpleasant in the south has been raging with hurricane force in the' Tasman Sea, and, as a result, steamers bound to ami from 2Cow Zealand across that expanse of ocean are being considerably delayed. The big German steamer Hansa Neidenfels, which arrived from New lork via Sydney this morning after a rather lengthy passage, received a very severe buffeting during the voyage front the New South Wales port to Auckland. At about midnight on Sunday the wind came up from the north, and, as night approached, it increased in force till by midnight a howling gale, accompanied by tremendous seas, was causing the vessel to roll and pitch in an alarming manner. Although she was in light trim, and standing high out of the water, big seas swept the decks continually, but everything movable had been securely lashed down, and no serious damage was done. The storm showed no signs of improvement on Monday, but rather grew worse, and, at noon, Captain Metz gave the ■ order to "heave-to." The vessel's head was turned to the wind, and, for the next three hours, those on board -had a trying experience, but shortly after three o'clock the weather moderated slightly, and the voyage was resumed for Auckland, the Neidenfels afriving this morning without further incident. Captain Mctz does not consider that his vessel met with the full force of the storm, and expressed the opinion that any steamer that got in the thick'of it would have a very bad time.