WESTMEATH IN HURRICANE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 60, 12 March 1923, Page 3

WESTMEATH IN HURRICANE.

STORM-SWEPT AT MIDNIGHT. REPAIR WORK IN DARKNESS. CREW'S TRYING EXPERIENCES. Mid-way across the Atlantic en route from Liverpool to Panama the steamer Westmeath ran through * storm which must remain in the memory of her most hardened sailors as the, worst they have ever experienced during their life at sea. In violence it exceeded that met with by the liners Remncra and Kaikoura in the East Atlantic a little over two months ago. and in duration it eqnulled that which the Waihora passed through en route from Nauru to Auckland about a month ago. Details of their experiences were brought by the officers and sailors when the steamer arrived here this morning; and their narrative was that of men who had known the perils of a wild night at sea. Ten days out from Liverpool the steamer ran into a south-west, hurricane of extreme violence, with mountainous seas. She had been running in the teeth of a strong head wind since clearing the English coa3t. but at 8 p.m. on the 20th the conditions rapidly became worse, and at 2 a.m. the vessel was rolling and tossing dangerously, with the water coming green right over. Kven the bridge, fifty feet, above the water line, was swept by the heavy seas, and it. was only with the greatest difficulty that the vessel was prevented from falling away and taking the weather broadside on. In this condition she was hove-to for about, eight hours, with the engines going just sufficient in keep steerage wav until 1 p.m. on the :ioth. HEAVY DAMAGE ON FORE DEOK. Most of the damage that occurred to the steamer was found to have taken place on the fore deck, but the after dc.-k iiad also been swept by the seas that were ceaselessly breaking over the bridge and carrying avny anything movable that came in their way.

All the awnings on the forecastle head were splintered and carried away, the two derricks for So. 1 hold" were swung out over the side, and the cleats "ere both flattened out. Slipping ami sliding about on the deck the sailors and the boatswain, under the direction of the chief officer, did their best lo secure the .-winging derricks, and in the intervals between the seas manager lo get them lushed to the rails. Their work was a dangerous one i„ the pitch black darkne.ss and the chief officer laboured strenf'rlT. i , " V ] " ( ' V "* " fir whi '-' l ' had - ormod the steamp.pe casings, but had ." r '' "' n ' W(,re lo °*e on the deck, anil anyone attempting to move about i„ < ipciiwns in constant danger of bein E -"ruck by them. Kortiinnt.lv no accL flouts occurred. Having secured the derri'ks the sailors had to turn their alten- "» '"the vets left open by the smash»g and tw,.st,ng of the ventilators. ■Nt j, few ventilators were carried away '•">■ <<<>•> the seas, coming over everY the, „"_"'"_'"'• ,o " n <' their wav down ~-..,h0 apertures to the" 'tween ra.idlv. "/'''lings were covered as rapiill. as poss.ble by stout pieces of can- • • out. only a little or the work could c'.m'.e'l'L,''',' a tinl ",« s 'he sailors were •i Trill "'"'""O- 'or shelter every time -' IIfSM «(''( f in.afnnn.l » 1 l * "ir.atened to break on board.

MAT! HES STAND TIIJ. KTBVIV As luck happened the hatches had been >---'-■ "ic^isTwe^ con - -;,.,„,, ■ i -«mas. However, was • tirl' 1 P '"'" '•' ,! " iron'that »■'- hurled upon it. and it was .-hated I rough wherever „,, movi l « tings had come , n contact with it was"' ,rr 'I"' 1 "»«»'* "" the foremast •ncr, '' , "' :JV: a " thr -'"a" > ! Pe , ovei iiiifs ncrc ~,i,. , . l'i„es er.no , , V '"" I ,h ° ' "" • ''•; r " n ».'"'t".p with the winches , _ht ,;',.', ""' "f rp ny anf) l,p nt; and :e v, f*t rr , " ,t r"' ddo "-" 0B, »"««'ck fart of the bridoe „ a , carried he tcmporaril- r • , Se hafJ { ° -I" rani, ,pa,red to keep the '""'.ken in ; 0 ,', " th a " C " ipnt b ™t -as oMra heavy se„" a ,^- POrt •'<»• »V an

IMM.V.E OX ArrER DECK - iedVo'r f ' POk , ,l,e si «'ere limiteu s; on ; , r nH '; a, ' lns «_»■««* formed £_rH_: a , -\ "" '■''nx'nter and the boatswain m prior to tlm commencement of t) ',' •o-. m„ "she," H hiftftl tWr « sea that _ T d Part am idships. The ever I w '* •«Pok+oiw carried sine, team? off the wooden bulkhead, from the mm fraane to which they vve'e at ached by means of bolts The full extent of the damam. wa* not kn ow„„ nti ,d„v dawned, and an?n -~ec,K„, then showed how great it wa". I, be rr m. ff "" t V °' ] hoM had b sn,„„hod off about five feet from the lower end. and it was necessary for -.he Mirpentijr to cut off about seven feet of ,t 111 order to repair it. .V.s soon as the weather had moderated si.iWntly the work of shifting some of he cargo in Nos. 1 aroi 4 ) lok __, .____, thp vessel has a list on, was undertaken, and temporary repairs to the damage were carried out before arriving at Panama on hebruary 11. and fresh water were taken in there, and the voyage to Auckland was resumed the following day, the run from Panama to Auckland occupying 27 days Repairs •<> the damage on deck will be commenced at Attck.'and. and will be completed while the steamer is on the New Zealand coast.