SOME FISHERMEN'S YARNS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 167, 18 July 1898, Page 3

SOME FISHERMEN'S YARNS.

Mr Harold "Wood contributes to thel 'Pishing tjaiette'" some interesting notes under this heading. He says:—* At the time when the North Sea sea* son will be almost at its worst; and* in the. hope that .those to whom ing -is a delightful sport and pastime will be interested in the doings off those hardy men who Isupply outs tables with sea fish, I have looked-tipj my note-book and jotted down a fev4 of the thousands of examples of saving life which have been performed. bjj these gallant fellows. These,yarns! have never before been published* Dates are in every ease omitted, tout! they are all comparatively* receiit* The barque Daphne, from Portland* Oregon, had discharged her cafgo^ofl wheat in a southern portj some; atonal ballast was placed oh board to StifEert her, and in fine weather She left jjqrtj, in tow of the Queen of the Wave tug* boat to go to Glasgow, whence she* had been chartered to load fof Calcutta. As far as the Lizard all wenftwell. Soon after the barometer drop* ped, and it was evident that a north* west p-;\le was coming. By the time! she wad abreast of the Badger* light* hoUse, on the Welsh cOasVthe galei came, and ' . .- ; J

A REGULAR 'SNORTER'

it was; the skipper of the tug said hef could do no more, and invited thei captain and crew of the Daphne to( abandon their ship and run for: thel nearest port in the tug. But Captains Matthews wasn't built that way; he* begged the skipper to try again, and received the reply that nothing metre! could be done, and that if he and the crew of the Daphne did not comet aboard the tug he should cut his hawser and leave them to their fate. But* even if they had wished to leave thfeW ship, the sea was running so high thati it seemed impossible a boat could llvei in it. Eventually, this tug skippetj did cut his hawser, and left the* Daphne to drift on a lee shore, where* certain destruction on the merciless rock-bound.coast was the only thing left for the ship and all hands. Thinks what it means! The tug ran for Hake-« port, A short time afterwards the* steam trawler Polonia hove in sight* she saw the Daphne's signals of dis-« tress, and bore down .upon her. Hefl skipper, realising the state of affairs* called for a volunteer to accompanyj him in a boat to the ship 'fast going; to destruction. 'All the crew volun-* teered; selecting .the third hand tot accompany him, they launched their: boat, taking with them a rope one end! of which was made fast on thej Polonia. After superhuman efforts* for ; $

THE SEA WAS RUNNING (MOUNTAINS HIGH.

they reached the Daphne. It seemed many times that they must have beenf swamped, but they succeeded in getting the rope on board. Then back again to the.Polonia, another dangerous journey. The rope was made iass to the steed trawl warp, which, was hauled on board, and by its means thai Daphne was towed into Hakeport and safety without injury to ship or crew* 1 was present when she came hvatua can vouch for the violence of the sea» William Wilson, the skipped of the! steam trawler Margaret Home, k&cl been at sea man and boy 35 years, an* when I was collecting fishing yarns U asked him for his experience. 'I have* been lucky,' he answered. 'I have! never lost a boat or a man. As ta what our life is like, it is just as ypii have seen it day after day.' 'Hays you no tale of saving life you can tell me, skipper?' I inquired. 'I know, nothing about that, sir,' he answered,, turned on his heel, and walked away. 'How about last November, skipper?'queried the mate. 'Oh, go on,' said Wilson, and continued his walkHowever, as he would not tell me, I asked the mate for the story. 'I daresay you remember that wild storns last November. We were four days; out when the storm came. It was about as bad as I ever knew it, and blew heavens hard. We had on board a boy, on his first cruise, and he wag a bit sea-sick, but .4

THE PLUCKY LITTLE CHAP, vj

did his best. A beam sea struck tha ship and carried away a lot of loos.c gear, and with it this poor' boy. Our? skipper, Bill Wilson, was standing bjj the steam winch when this happened*, but, seeing the boy washed away* jumped after him, sea boots and all* Those who have ever worn sea boots will know what a drag they are, arid can appreciate the skipper's pluck* He grasped the boy by the neck, an<i we threw him a life line and hauled the pair on board. If you had been* there, sir,' continued the mate, enthusiastically, 'you would have reported the case, and the good old skipper would have got the E.H.S medal, but* as it was be got nothing for the very* pluckiest deed I have ever seen.' ;

William M'Andrew was the skipped of the Scotch steam trawler Jeanie* I met him with a lot of others aH Grimsby. Listen to his yarn. % translate his Scotch for the benefit of those who have never 'lairned the language in their youth.' Of£ the* Orkneys on the Jeanie we had verys good luck, but a north-easter broke otf us, and we were swept clean. The life-boat was washed away from her chocks, the chocks were broken, and the deck smashed for many feet. Thja life-boat was carried by the sea up to. the funnel casing, which was brokett by the blow, and then the engine-room skylight was caved in by the boat ia its fall. We were quite helpless, fur-v naces out, and .- . > WALLOWING IN THE TEOUGH Oft

THE SEA,

We all thought that our last moment had come, but we reckoned without our first hand. A trawler hove in: sight, and we signalled her. Presently she came within distance of us, a»tt the mate said he would swim to her. and carry a life line. It seemed morev than man could do, but he said b& would try to swim to the steamer. He cut the lead off the life line anct tied- it round his waist, plunged pverboard, and did his best, but the heavj} sea was too much for him, and he was beaten back. A second and a thirft time this occurred, but the fourth, time, after a good rest, he tried again* and succeeded. He got the rope op. board, and after a severe trouble al\ our lives were saved. If he had notj done it I should not have been hex 9 to-day.' ■ '>.. ; _il