A Terrible Voyage.

Bruce Herald, Volume VI, Issue 435, 11 September 1872, Page 5

A Terrible Voyage.

(Taken from the Daily Times.. ) }; The following is an extracts from ,_ a letter of a lady passenger, from -Dunedin; ; to London by the ship City of Piinedin,; which left Port Chalmers on : the 9th of April last, and arrived- in London :on the 9th' .tuiy:— "' . . • You will be surprised to see my letter commenced at so late a .date, but when you hear all I have to ; tell I think you will be almost more surprised. tha.t we are left to tell the tale. We had. ; very stormy rough Aveather after leaving Dunedin, everything was very wretched, a head wind, 1 arid we were shipping; water more or 'less. We were in continual fear and dread for three weeks before coming to the Horn. The 'first .of ; May (Wednesday) I shall never forget as long as I liye. I retnember the last day of April was remarkable for its r sudden quietness. We were glad of a day's "rest, , for,*mp>it'orl that time, ; we : 'had- beeti knocked > aboufe dike /shuttle cocksy -arid' were'^-black- •and: blue all over.; ThevCaptaiii^did not lik^r the ; day. On the next day, I heard the wind rise at about four o'clock; in the morning, whistling and shrieking through the rigging, and -it ' was ' with great difficulty we got" dressed. The -wind continued to increase, and at dinner time the table could not be laid. A little dinnerwas, however, handed to us in our cabins. During the afternoon we had a sea or two in, but not very much. The wind had moderated a little, and the table' was laid.: for tea. I had' gone into Mrs 'C.'s cabin. -I had sat there some little time, when all at once the ship gave a tremendous lurch, and seemed, as though she were going right over. I clung to the side of the berth till the weather side of the ship seemed to form the ceiling, when I was dashed down with great violence to the other side. So long did she lie over that I thought she was not going to right herself again. The sea then broke over, dashing in the skylights, putting out all the lights, and flooding the saloon. I can only leave you to imagine oiir alarm ; every one was pale with terror ; of course the tea was not thought of. Prom that time the storm got worse and worse. About ten o'clock, Mr L.'s cabin .was j carried away, together with the companion ladder on the starboard side. By this time we were most of us in Mrs C.'s stern cabin. The wind; had risen to a furious gale, and. there was a frightful sea 011. Wave after wave kept dashing 'over the ship, and a little later on, to crown this night of horrors, the whole of the front of the poop was driven in. Oh ! what a dreadful scene ! Wave after wave, crash after crash, of timber and g'ass. The side board was shivered into a thousand pieces, the saloon table caught up, and sat ou its end, and then dashed ■ into little splinters. After this there was no impediment to the whole body of water. Three cabins on the starboard side were gutted — ours being the last of the three ; the whole of the cabins being entirely swept away, leaving nothing buc one door standing. By this time we were sitting knee deep in water in Mrs C.'s cabin, the body of water literally forming an end to the poop. The agony of that night I cannot describe ; we all expected to go down. The captain and mate came down as often as they could, to re-assure us, and tell us there was no danger, but their faces belied their assurances. There, with the storm raging overhead, thud after thud, as if the sides of the ship would be stove in ; then immense bodies of water filling the saloon every few minutes. It was not until these began to drain out a little that we knew we were not filling for the last time. We indeed all looked death in the face that night. Each one had said the last prayer, and had prepared to meet their Maker. Every now and then an attempt was made to nail a sail across the poop end, but before this could be half completed, another sea would come and tear all away again like so much. rag. . About five in the morning the wind abated somewhat, the ship rolling feai'fully and shipping sea after sea. The steward brought us in a little brandy and water ; we were all thoroughly exhausted. The whole of that day we sat in' water. Nobody could pass in or out of the cabin with the debris. Trunks and clothing were dashing from side to side in the water. As soon as I could, I asked about a small tin box containing my money and jewellery. 1 did not know, then that our cabins had 'been carried away. I was told then that there was not a thing standing — berths and everything swept right away. As I could see some boxes dashiug about in the saloon, I thought it possible mine might be amongst them ; but as all hands were engaged on deck, nothing was done towards clearing the saloon. During the day the box was brought to me —the padlock broken, and everything was washed, out, except two print dresses. Although I had no 'hqpp of ever seeing the bag in which, you will remember, I had. put the money : and jewellery, I described it to the mate, so that when ,7 Jfibris were cleared away, it might polibly be disQoyged. J»' !vS s* came on the scene' Was .f?. arfuL *S» ship lay over §0 much that the rail of the poop was in tlit* water- Two men were placed at the wheel, but they could not stand, first one, and then the other, being constantly washed away.' The captain and mute' could not stand, they •were- dashed down continually. 1 'The men at the pumps were washed about the main decks like corks, bulwarks were torn away, hencoops gone, half of the live stock were 'drowned, the second" mate ill, washed out of bis berth, the second class and steerage ' passengers taken into the forecastle. The ; c.aptain told us he had no, control over the ■' ship, and he had just to let her drive before 1 the wind.. Almost c.very time; the ship 1 was iv the trough of the sea, a mass of water would just sweep over the ! snip from

stern to'fbriscastle.' The barometer v as 28deg i . and something lower. The next day the 1 Wa ' gradually went down 1 . "Wewere, driven by the \ storm ; ;into latitude {08.30.! ' And ; now the* passengers began to, ■realise their -,; 1 great losses. .Mr L's.Mrs U's, and 6nr ; cabins were washed away, so tliiit we bid lost everything, except Mr L., who had saved a hox early in the istorm. Neatly. .all- his clothes were picked '«p_.before the end of the poop, was driven * ; in.' Fortunately he is insured. In the evening 1 the bag- containing my money aii d jewellery was actually found amongst the ruins.; The jewel-cases were a mass of pulp so that I had. simply to peel them off and throw them away. ■■ I cannot say how thankful I was, for I should have larded without a fraction. I cannot give you a list of ' whaj I lost, it is too long ; but I can tell you all I saved; The tin: boxes were picked up, with everything washed out of theui excepting a< few underclothes at the bottom of: one, and two .muslin dresses, at bottom .of the othe.r^ A 'llfVtty prospect, and but three weeks, of .the^passao-e ovevj" The B.s, N.s, and Mr m. aid not lose anything, as they were on the other side^-al enough their things were' mil cihvvet and damaged. Miss H.. Lost 1 very little; her 'large wooden boxes did nbis spring their locks, and the water did not get in very much. The' case you packed with wine 'and books I never saw. The case containing my bed linen, and the carpet bag with all my boots, were lost entirely. • I had kid slippers oh the night of the sform, and so I remained with soaking wet feet for days and . weeks afterwards. All this time the washed-out passengers slept where they could, but I should say. that the ladies and children were in Mrs C.'s cabin. Miss EL and I remained in Mrs C.'s cabin for ten days, until our own could be re-erected. On the 6ih, my black silk dress, to land in,' was picked out; of the debris in rags, torn bit from bit; hats and jackets all overboard, all my wraps and . . other clothing, gone, and the weather colder on this side of the Horn-. r The following fortnight was perfectly wretched — not a dry aricle of any: kind to put on, thick fogs all day, and constant calms. Bible picked up in the sheep pen. On the 10th, got back to our new cabin, and a wretched place it was — two berths temporarily fitted up of dirty old bits of wood, the floor and side* all oozing out salt water. Half a mattrass kindly lent by Mrs C, in a wet berth, with a borrowed blanket, which was not quarter enoup;h to keep me warm those dreadful nights. Not a toilette requisite, not an article of any kind indeed had we ; clothes strung up in the rigging, nothing drying and no dry clothes to put on ; not able to get on deck at all, thoroughly chilled, feet wet and cold; chilblains on hands and feet, cabin wet, walls running down with salt water, saloon like an old battered outhouse, and as cold and damp as a well, and becalmed nil day. This is repeated without change for more than a fortnight. Worn out with fear and want of sleep — nothing can describe the miseries of this voyage. On the 21st, entered the tropics, and now we have begun to breathe, and if I had only a few decent clothes I should not feel so bad. Subsequently, we were nearly run into by a steamer, and had a dreadful thunderstorm on the coast of England. Particulars of these I will reserve till I sea you. I must add that the City of Dunedin is a very good ship, and her sea-going qualities seem not to be the least impared. We have had an excellent table all the way notwithstanding the loss of so much of our live stock.