CYCLONING in 1864.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2908, 26 May 1888, Page 2

CYCLONING in 1864.

It was a regular snorter and no mistake. We [met it, fought it, and weathered it well up the Bay of Bengal near Diamond Harbor. _ " Keep a sharp lookout for tho lightship/' said the mate, and he went . aft again to join the skipper under tlife shelter of the tarpaulin in tho mizzeiOT. rigging. I'd give more than a pay to be snugly moored off the Esplanade in Calcutta, thought " Old Man" as lie growled out we're not abreast the Diamond Harbor Lightship, I'm—" "Sail on the lee bow, hull down" was passed along from the "look out." The glass showed her to be a schooner; aud as we neared each other she proved to be the pilot boat-, The wind had gone down a bit, and the sea was less " choppy," so, after leading us for half-an-hour, ho dropped alongside, and, with his leadsman, managed to get aboard.

"Where's the lightship Pilot?" said the Captain. "If I've got the right hearings, we ought to have had it close ahead of us when we sighted you."

"It's the Lightship that's wrong and not you; she's clean gone, either drifted out into the bay or sunk at her moorings, nothing could hold in such a rip and sea. M The channel buoys are all adrift oP Sanger Island, and I fancy we shall find things in a pretty mess all the way up. I came here in '54, and have;/ ■ had teii years of it, but never knew oyclone like this." " Well,Pilot,how™* will you manage with no buoys off tho island? It's ticklish work there, isn't it, at any time?" "Oh, I'llworib^

through right enough; but I liopo this gale hasn't shifted the sand—it's moro changeable than a girl of eighteen. Thanks; I don't mind if I do. Your heaUfy and a safe trip to the ' moor ing^Oaptain." " By the mar-r-arh, Seven." " What's that ? Only seven fathoms? Why, thoro ought to be more water than that hore. Starboard your helm a bit; keep her at that. Steady." " Steady it is, sir," And a Qmr-cr-tcr four,

"Hard a starboard! Hard over! Hard over! Let go tho lea braces! Round with the yards! Bound with . them! Work men, work, as you value your lives! She must sink if we strike. It's all quicksand off here." And a liar-erf three I Bound swung the yards. The helm was answered handsomely—but it was too late. A gentle gritting under our keel for a minute or so, and we were TRbrought up " all standing." ' Boats were never got out quicker. You seemed to feel her settling under you, and the water was creeping up inch by inch. She had no "list," but was upright as a lighthouse. •

Two boats were in the water, and two more in the" davits" ready. Then we found she'd stopped "settling," and the Aier wasn't rising. It was near on tlfa top of the flood tide wben she took the sand. Well, sure enough she made a bed for herself then and there. Pour Bells iu the afternoon watch. Tide ebbing fast. High water again about half past two in the morning. " Sounded all round the ship, found the bank quite a small one, gotkedge anchors out; too late to do anything that tide,

I mustered the whole ships company, and the skipper told them he wanted a boats crew to pull for Sangor Island, about two knots and a half off, land there, light a big fire immediately to net as guide for the bearings of the and keep it going all night, "The Pilot agrees with me that if the ship can be saved this is tho only way of doing it. I won't ask any of you my lads to run a risk, I shirk myself. I'll-," "No, No Sir. excuse me, your place is by tho ship," said our third mate." We know your pluck of old. Now boys, who's for the Sangor Island Beacoit? I'm in charge." Not a man lmngnck, six were wanted and twentysix TOumteercd. '• Well give the tigers a scare if wo get there, It will be a toughish pull any way. If we don't get in under that point, we'll go right out into the Day, and then—well time enough to think about that when wi do.

" We won't wait any longer, sir, for the ebb is slack, or else we shall lose daylight before we get to work ashore."

" It's a vicious tide for travelling at any time, that of the Hooghly, but if you're in an open boat pulling across and against it, why it's a regular dg/uoii.

" All together my hearties; with a will. Now she lifts."

Closer came the land, and nearer came the point. Can we fetch it? A half-mile of yellow, surging, rushing water yet between us and Bangor. Once carried round that low spit of sand, ml we are lost. Arms are are heaving—muscles straining—but hearts are staunch. "Easy starboard, pull port, tull for all that's dearest."

Now again together-jump with the " painter" bow—there, she grounds. Hurrah! was gasped rather than chanted, as that desperate pull had " winded" the strongest, Another hundred yards of a drift, and six men ■would have been carried to sea, with a very faint chance of being heard of again,

" Aye, aye, mate, yon asked me for along yarn, but now I've got ashore, and am living in the Wairarapa, I mean to" spell" a bit, so if you want to know anything more about our quandary, you may come along in the iie-flr' Dog Watch,"