A PERILOUS VOYAGE.

Bush Advocate, Volume I, Issue 51, 1 September 1888, Page 2

A PERILOUS VOYAGE.

+ . Perth, Aug. 17. The brig Oakenbury, Captain Matthews, bound from Mauritius to New Zealand, has put into Freemantle disabled, the prew were also suffering from exposure and want of provisions. The brig is a vessel of 232 tons, owned by Cap- . tain Matthews, and belonging to Salcombe, England. Captain Matthews has been recently trading between Bombay and Mauritius f but he sailed from Mauritius on the 27th June for New Zealand with a large cargo of sugar. * Variable weather was experienced to Saturday, 21st July, when a terrible . storm came on. One sea washed : away the bulwarks and stove in the main hatch, through which the water poured in great yum*

titjes. , One of the boats was •washed clean overboard, the chain - plate was broken, and a portion of the cook's galley was . smashed in; furious- was the'hurricane that the vessel was hove-to for forty-eight hours. Attbinpts'j - were made to remedy the damage, j but eventually the Captain decided that the best thing to do was to make for the nearest port. The sea had made its way into the'hold, and .this! added considerable weight to the vessel, which began to draw a foot more of water than on leaving Mauritius.! The brig was also leak- j ing r and, the crew was obliged to keep the pump going regularly. On, the following Monday the weather began to moderate, and a course for Fremantle was steered. Head winds were experienced, and afterwards a four days' calm. On Wednesday, August Bth, another gale came up, which lasted for three days, and during the prevalence of the storm the -men were kept at tho pumps night and day in order to keep the water under. Nearly a fortnight ago it was seen that the provisions on board would only last a tew more days, and if a port was not reached they -would, have to bear the terror of starvation. For twelve days the crew lived on nothing but rice. Two days ago the ■wind changed, and they reached port. The cargo is to be sold here, as the vessel it too much disabled to proceed.