SCHOONER JESSIE NICCOL.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 289, 5 December 1889, Page 4

SCHOONER JESSIE NICCOL.

ARRIVAL FROM LONG ISLAND,

A STOEMY EXPERIENCE,

The locally-owned schooner Jessie Niccol, one of the best known of Auckland's fleet of Island, intercolonial and coasting trading schooners, entered the Waibemafca early this morning with a cargo of guano from Long Island (Cheeteriield Group), and anchored in the stream. On her run down from the Long Island guano depQc she had a very routrh experience of weather, having fallen in with the gale which was felt so severely here, but came through the stormy ordeal safely, tho only damage done worth speaking of being the washing of a few moveable3 off her deck. Capt. Simon McKenzie is still in command. The Bchooner brings about 140 tons of Long Island guano as cargo. The Jessie Niccol left Mercury Bay on September 14th for New Caledonia with a full load of sawn timber for Noumea, and had to put into tho Kawau for shelter in a strong gale. She had very rough westerly and N.W. winds, sometiiiiod blowing a gale, until Norfolk Island was passed. After a short stay at Noumea, during which she pub out her timber cargo, she left there a couple of months ago for Long Island, lyiDg to the westward, to load for Auckland, for the first three days she had fresh B.E. winds, and then for several days light S. W. breezes and calms. She reached Long Island on October 28th, and took her anchorage at the loading place oft the beach station.

In a few days she got all her guano under hatches, and on November sth, ab 8 p.m., she left her loading position and sailed for Auckland, with light S.E. trade winds. Hence she had a succession of light easterly and S.E. winds until in sighc of the Three Kings on Hovember 29th (Friday last). Next day, Saturday, the S.E. wind increased to a heavy gale which lasted forty-eight hours, with a high confused sea running, and the barometer fallen to 29.20 dog. On December 2nd, Monday, the wind shifted to the N.W., and blew a strong gale with hard squalls and heavy rain. About daylight on Tuesday morning, when the schooner was on her way down the coast, the wind suddenly shifted to tho W.S.W., and for aeven hours blow ,a regular hurricane. The terrific squalls coming down in succession were furious in their force, and tested the sea-going qualities of the little schooner to the utmost;, A mountainous sea was running, and large quantities of water were continually coming on board with heavy seas sweeping the Jessie's decks fore and Aft. A very heavy downpour of rain increased the u.apleaaantnesa of the

situation. The schooner had been ridingthe gale out with ths least possible atr.ount of canvas set, but at about noon the crew were enabled to make sail again, the " blow " having; moderated and the weather cleared up. At 4 p.m. that day, when off Cape Brett the wind died away to a calm. Next morning (yesterday) at" daylight a northerly breeze sprang up, and thick, rainy weather was had to arrival, the schooner making the harbour early this morning.

Captain McKenzie abates that when off the Three Kings Islands he was in company for three days with a largo four-masted fore-and-aft schooner, bound east. The vessel had the appearance of being an American craft, and was light-laden. She would probably be one of tho fleet of Yankee clipper lumber vessels, fore-and-aft rigged, trading between Sydney and Melbourne and Puget Sound, on her return voyage, or perhaps the four-master W. F. Wietzman, bound from Sydney or Noumea to the Kaipara to load kauri back.

Two hours before the Jessie Niccol left Long Island for Auckland on the sth ult., the Auckland schooner Welcome arrived from Noumea to load guano for Dunedin.

There is a probability that the Jessie Niccol will after discharging her guano here go down to n Southern port, and from thence sail for Uarotonga or some other Island locality for a load'of fruit.