PUKAKI ROUGHLY HANDLED.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14659, 7 May 1913, Page 10

PUKAKI ROUGHLY HANDLED.

HOVE-TO OFF CAPE CAMPBELL

After a passage of nearly live days from Greymouth, the Union Company s collier Pukaki arrived at Lyttelton at midrtight on Monday. She left the Grey river at 7 o'clock last Thursday morning, and experienced light winds and smooth seas until shortly after passing Farewell Spit on Friday morning. As she neared Stephens Island she encountered the southerly gale, and as the heavy head sea was rapidly increasing, she went in behind Long Island and sheltered there from 11 a.m. on Friday until 7 a.m. Saturday. She steamed through Cook Strait against a strong gale and a high sea. When, abeam of Cap© Compbell at 9 p.m. on Saturday, the Pukaki had a very nasty experience. Tho gale was blowing with hurricane force, with,fierce squalls of rain, hail and sleet, and a tremendous sea was running. Tho vessel made little or no headway, and so bad did tho conditions become that she had to heave-to at noon on Sunday. The gale continued with unabated force until 8 o'clock on Monday, -when it moderated sufficiently to enable the vessel to proceed on her course. During the afternoon tho weather improved considerably, though a heavy soa was experienced until the vessel reached Lyttelton.