A PERILOUS VOYAGE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 104, 3 May 1900, Page 4

A PERILOUS VOYAGE.

Un a recent voyage from New York to San Francisco the American • ship A. (5. Ropes had a perilous experience. For nearly seven months she battled with wind and weather. She was becalmed under the Equator, had her rudder head twibted off the Horn, came near going ashore on the Falkland Islands, crashed through floating ice and dodged icebergs in 51deg. south, and finally had to encircle the globe, proceeding by way of •the Cape of Good Hope_to get to.her destination. When the rudaer post was twisted off the Horn in a heavy soutn west gale, and a few hours later the monkey tiller became almost useless, it looked to those on board as if the career of the Ropes was ended. The ship, however, was navigated to an anchorage off Port William, in the Falkland Island" She was then practically helpless and the weather fearfully rough. By 'putting oil bags over the sides, the captain managed to keep a patch of comnanitively smooth water under the ship s jstern so that the men could work part of the time. • The main tiller was slipoed in place of the monkey tiller. Heavy •spars-were bolted to the deck at the stem projecting on either side 4ft to sft, and over the ends of these were run tackles connecting the tiller with the wheel. Before reaching her destination the A. G. ■Rooes encountered further heavy weather .and throughout her long voyage those on board had a very anxious time.