AN ADVENTUROUS VOYAGE.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15112, 30 October 1914, Page 2

AN ADVENTUROUS VOYAGE.

SEALERS FROM THE AUCKLAND • ISLANDS. The story of tho adventurous trip from the islands was told to a "Southland Tiincs" reporter by Mr R. Waitiri, of a party of nine Auckland Island . sealers,, who arrived at Invercargill on . Tuesday. According to the member who was spokesman for tho party, the llachel Cohen arrived at the Aucklands on September 27th, and was received as a messenger of gladness by tho men j who wero eager to get away from tho J island after a stay. It! is stated,-that sue was twenty-two uays out from i'ort Cmunieis, aau uau oco.i compelled to niaKe tno passage thiougii Cook Strait in oruer to a iair wind. '''I'iiroe or lour, lottoid aud some- newspapers containing tho war news, so mucii iv demand, were deliver- ' od, and tne members'of tno party were lUou taken ou boaid. 'Ine t-nen neaded for tne Campbell islands; but a j .dgh sea and strong winus pre* entcd ; .■or from niaKing tue islands. 1* or hah a day the crew tiied to beat the little J vessel up to the inlet, but as ail at- ' teiupts were vain, sue was at last hove to, in which position sho remained all | the next day. Wt nigut sail was put on, and the voyage to Biulf commenced. Tue Rachel Coiieu laboured against* the l'urv of a galo day after day upon leaving' the Campbell lslanus, and she was t ri.'ht days out from the Auckland Islands before land was sighted.- ' Tho first land sighted v.-as some miles south of the Otago Heads, and from Wednesday, -2nd inst.-, till Monday, the vessel struggled along the coast, arid on the j latter date, buffeted' and weathorbeaten, she rnr.de the Nuggets. "Last Sunday wo got as far as Slopo Point, when a nor'-westerly gale struck us, and blew us out to sea again," said the narrator. "It took all the canvas except tho main sail,- and that night, there being no sail to steady her, tho vessel rolled alarmingly, lopping up water on both sides. On Monday morning we bent new sails once more started along the coast. We got; as far as Catlins on Tuesday, when the wind set in from tho south-west again. As food and water wero running out tha skipper decided to run back to tho Nuggets, and we dropped anchor thero on Monday night. It was very thick, and on this account we stood well, off shore. The members of the sealing party decided to go aft and ask to be i put ashore. The skipper said that ho would land us, and Mr Hatch paid our railway fares to Invercar_ill as none of us had any money or presentable clothes. I can toll you we looked hard shot*. Some of us were without bats, others were in sea. boots and without coats, and co on. People ca.mo'to their windows and watched us curiously." The party brought back about 1200 •senlskins, and the season appears to have been a fairly good one.