A NARROW ESCAPE.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 138, 12 June 1888, Page 4

A NARROW ESCAPE.

The American ship Elwell, which has reached Port Jackson from New York, had a remarkable encounter with a tidal wave on her voyage. On May 15 the ship was caught in the thick of a heavy gale from the westward, and whilst scudding through it was suddenly le.'tb becalmed with a mountainous sea all round. As the wind fell away the waves seemed to drop from under the vessel, and she fell off in the trough of the sea, and was left entirely at the mercy.

of the waves. Hardly had the ship settled down, however, when a tremendous wave rose abeam from S.S.W., and rushing on threatened to engulf the vessel, which lay perfectly helpless with her sails flapping. To escape the sea was a matter of impossibility, the ship having barely steerage way on at the time, and there was nothing left the crew bub to seek a place of safety and watch the result. The sea came up with remarkable rapidity in an opposite direction to that the wind had been blowing from, and broke 10 feet over the rail, sending the spray at least 20 feet high in the air, and causing the vessel to creak again. At first it was thought the ship had been stove in, but as soon as the water cleared off this fortunately was found not to be the case, although the sea had crushed the hatch house,''to quote the captain's words, "as effectually as a millstone would have done it 3 work." The sea had also washed the iron capstan head off and sent, ifc overboard, carried away the stanchions from the under gallows, together wibh bulwark boards and boat and gallows checks, started six stanchions on the poop and smashed or started every grating and covering above the deck. The bulk of tho water struck the ship amidships. As soon as the wave had passed the gale recommenced, and the seas became regular.