SEAMAN'S REMARKABLE STORY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 41, 9 July 1914, Page 6

SEAMAN'S REMARKABLE STORY.

A THRILLING VOYAGJ. In the prosaic atmosphere of the Bo v County Court, a remarkable. story was ] told by Ivor Anderson, an A.8., who said fcliat ho arranged to sail from the West India Dock to Constantinople. At the start of the voyage there was a delay because the engineer was drunk, and whep they got down the river as far as Sh'eerness it was found liiat there was no water in the boiler.'. They very nearly /got on to the sands near the lightship, and eventually the Government tug from Sheerness came out and towed tliem in. After they left S'heeniess Uip? went -back to the West India Dock, where repairs were effected. They had another try,- and almost immediately so,nothing went wrong with the wheel geac. Eventually they got a., tar as Deal, where they had to put it) •for two days ibecause ib was blowiig 'hard. When they arrived off Dover iPier the packing of the engine blew out. At Dover the Board of Trade inspector came on board and insisted upon bunks being provided for the men, for they had only planks to lie upon. When tley go to I); achy ITeful the steam dropped',, and they could not get the pressure up again. The mate got drunk, and a'though he was supposed tc he at the wheel nothing was seen of him. The wind blew very 'hard at Beachy Head, and th<rjr were nearly driven ashore. They eventually got to the Isle of Wight, where th»* captain sent up his last distress signal, and a fishing boat came up. At that time, there we-e only three bags of coal in the bunkers, and they had to be towed into Poole.