A TALE OF THE SEA.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 57, 9 March 1899, Page 5

A TALE OF THE SEA.

EPISODES OF A RECENT ATLANTIC GALH.

The Hamburg;-American liner Alesia (Captain Meyerdleriek), bound from Hamburp to Boston, with fifty passengers and a general eureo, wa.3 towed into Queenstown harbour on January 21 In a disabled condition, her steam and hand steering gear being 'completely smashed and her rudder broken as the result of being batterod by the storm In the Atlantic for twenty-three days.

Her captain, on landing at Queenstown, stated that during his long experience at sea he never met with gales so. terrific. He left Hamburg on December 2,1, and passed Dover three days later. The weather was moderate until the Land's End had been left behind. Then the steamer commenced to experience frightful storms. Headway in a westerly direction was slow up to January 11, when in lat. 49.27 N., long. 23.39 W., it blew a perfect hurricane, and the liner's decks were swept by enormous seas, which smashed the steam-steering gear.

The crew then had recourse to the hand steering gear, but the wheel was shortly afterwards demolished by a huge wave, which broke on the deck, and nearly swept several of the crew overboard. To add to the difficulty of the situation the rudder had also got broken, and the vessel became almost unmanageable in the mighty seas, drifting helplessly at the mercy of the storm, and tossed about in every direction. The same afternoon they sighted a steamer, labouring in the sea and flying signals of distress. She proved to be the British steamer Glendower, from Philadelphia for Sligo, and from her signals it was ascertained that she' was sinking, and that the' captain and crew wishied to be taken off. 'We were prepared to send a boat,' continued Captain Meyerdierick, 'bad as the weather was, but owing to the disabled : state of the Alesia we could not get her into position to lower a boat. We stood by her all night, and although the seas mercilessly swept along, her decks, arid her crew could be seen crouched together in' sheltered parts of the sinking vessel, awaiting rescue, we were powerless.to do any god. ... i -Next morning we sighted the steamer Barrymore in lat. 49.20 N., long. 31.S W., and told her captain of the condition of the Glendower. We then headed a course for Queenstown, and on the 13th sighted the Old Head of Kinsale, to which we signalled for assistance. 'Last night the wind blew a hurricane, and, although tug-assistance was expectr ed, we deemed it prudent to keep well out to'sea, clear of the land, and rode out the gale until daylight this morning:, when we shaped a course for Queenstown. Subsequently meeting the tugs, we got one I astern, and by the aid of a hawser passed to her, managed to steer the ship, and, \ thus aided, succeeded in entering Queenstown Harbour.

'The passengers were, of course, somewhat alarmed, especially after being so long at sea; but they are all in good health. The Alesia will get necessary repairs here.'

In addition to the fifty passengers the Alesia had a crew of sixty hands and a general cargo of 700 tons. The passengers were principally Germans, Bohemians, and Russians, and included several children. .

The steamer Barrymore, referred to in the foregoing narrative, reached Gravesend the same day. The master stated that, at the request of the captain of the Alesia, he bore down on the Glendower; he found her sinking rapidly. Her crew were taken off by the steamer Menoiminee, which was proceeding to New York.