BAD WEATHER AT WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9046, 23 March 1908, Page 5

BAD WEATHER AT WELLINGTON.

SHIPPING INTERRUPTED. ] I BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, March 22. The bad weather which had been experienced for several davs seemed to reach its height yesterday. The wind blew with hurricane force, and it rained the whole day. No damage is reported in the city or suburbs, and the railway services were not interfered with. The shipping was considerably interrupted. The Rotomahana which k>ft,Lyttelton at 6.10 p.m. on Friday, and was thus due' about 6 a.m. yesterday, did not put in nn appearance till 9 p.m. When off Kaikoura ths wind began to freshen, and by the time Hie vessel was passing Cape Campbell a hard southerly was blowing. About 4 a.m. the Rotomahana was near Wellington heads, but being unable to pick up the light she turned south, and steamed slowly till the weather improved somewhat. When at half speed she made three knots an hour against the gale and eleven knots with the gale. . The Maitai was two days late in | arriving from Sydney, which port she left on Monday. A heavy southerly gale commenced on Tuesday evening, and continued until Cape Farewell was sighted on Friday afternoon. She passed Cape Farewell at 4 p.m., and then ran into such a heavy southerly with high seas and thick zainy weather that she was hove to from 10 p.m. on Friday till 10 a.m. to-day, when the weather moderated, and the Maitai steamed into the harbour at noon.

The coastal steamer Kahu arrived from Napier at 2.15 o'clock yesterday afternoon, having taken 85 hours on a trip which usually occupies 24 hours. She left Napier on Wednesday night, and except for an interval of twelve hours sheltering at Castlepoint had been battling W'th the elements until 2 o'clock on Saturday. Her position at the head* was serious. Tht sea, according to Captain Thomson, was tremendous, the weather thick an-J the coal bunkers of the vessel at a low level. There was not enough fuel to take the vessel through the Straits, and Captain Thomson had great difficulty in making port. Perhaps the. toughest experience was that of the little steamer Tasman. She left Nelson for Wellington at 4 a.m. on Saturday, and when a few miles from Cape Terawhiti shipped a heavy sea which washed clean over the bridge into the engine rooms, and into the saloon, and badly started the bulkhead under the bridge, opening the deck seams, carrying away the bridge deck, ladders and the hatch over the forehold. Captain Cox decided to put back, and ran into Oyster Bay, where he conferred with, the captain of the Charles Edward. Captain Cox then took the Tasman to Picton, and had the deck temporarily re-caulked. She ran across to Wellington this morning. During the trip from Picton. a heavy sea smashed in a port in the forecastle, and seas went over the vessel and again into the engine room, the vessel having to be stopped to enable the broken port to be blocked.