NIAGARA IN A GALE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 84, 21 January 1936, Page 3

NIAGARA IN A GALE.

BIG SEAS IN NORTH PACIFIC. « A LIFEBOAT SMASHED. (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, January 20. Vacant davits on the after deck of the liner Niagara and a smashed lifeboat forward remained to bear witness when the vessel arrived at Auckland of a storm of exceptional severity encountered on the southward voyage between Vancouver and Honolulu. A certain amount of other damage was done to the deck fittings, but no one was injured and structural repairs had oeen made in most instances before the liner vouched P ol 'tThe Niagara left Vancouver on January 1, and ran into a storm two days later.'The wind gradually increased to gale force. Alien the storm was at its height the liner was forced to heave to for about 12 hours. Captain Martin, although he regarded the storm as being part of the day’s work, stated that there was an 80-mile-an-hour gale, and that the seas at times were 10 feet high. At intervals the seas broke over the decks of the liner. Ventilators onj the forward part of the ship were damaged. One particularly heavy wave smashed in the vestibule door on the starboard side, and a. huge weight of water poured into the ship. However, the flooding was not serious.