STORMY VOYAGE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 325, 12 October 1908, Page 10

STORMY VOYAGE.

A BARQUENTINE'S EXPERIENCES. MASTS AND LIFEBOATS BROKEN. A SEAMAN INJURED. . Olio of tlio largest -wooden • barquentin.es which has been in Wellington,for a long time, the Helga, formerly known as the ifortuna, arrived in tin stream at 1.20 yesterday afternoon, bearing the marks of a one-sided battle, with tho elements on the run across fiom Newcastle, which port tho vessel left for Wellington oil September 20, when she completed loading a cargo of coal, consigned to the Manawatu Railway Company. A message was received from, .'the Pilot Station. yesterday morning advising that: a barquentino' was off the Heads, and required the services of a tug. Tho tug Duco was dispatched, and, oil getting outside, found the more or less crippled Helga. A line 1 was got on board the' barquentine, and Captain A brum left the sailer at anchor off tlio Thorndon Esplanade at 1.20 p.m. Tho maimed vessel was cleared' by tho acting Health Office.- at about 3 o'clock. It was patent to those on the water front that tho vessel had had a severe handling on the run across, an an ancient mariner proclaimed to a'curious crowd that her "fore t'gallansail was broko off about Bft from the doublings," also that the main topmast had fared similarly. The layman could see that the tops of two masts were missing. Account of the Voyage. Captain Pearson, who is in command ol tho Helga, reports that the vessel had - an unusually passage and got into difficulties' soon after leaving Newcastle on Sepi tember 20. A heavy westerly wind was blowling when tlio vessel cleared the coal' port, anu as soon as she got clear of . tho land, yery high seas.were encountered. These conditibns continued for two days without anything untoward happening, although the vessel was severely buffeted,- and took a good- deal- of water on her decks. At length an exceptionally fierce squall struck 'tho struggling ship,'and'carried away a good deal, of .top hamp'or. The'fore royal mast, the topyard mast, royal top-mast, and main top-mast parted. Tho .crew worked-willinglv cutting away the broken spars, some of which they: managed to save, but all was chaos for tho time. It was an anxious time for those on board, and tlio position was rendered the worse when tho vessel broached to in the heavy seaway.! Huge volumes water poured oil board; '-and washed everything movable about the decks as the boat rolled and plunged in the sea: Tho' wind, shrieked through 'tho'.'rigging, and broken spars, sodden sails, and'pieces'of rigging littered the decks'and ; tlie' main and fore, masts. -To add to. the discomfiture of tho crew, tlio seas which rolled over , the ship every moment smashed two of the.,'life-boats-and damaged another, leaving only oiie uninjured. Some minor damage was also done to the deck-fittings. Hard unceasing toil on-.the part of tho crow cleared things up and made matters somothing like shipshape, but'the troubles were not yet over. [ The .'weather continued exceptionally heavy, and two days ' after tlio big 'acqident tho mizzen.'boom, .carried, away.

Accident to a Seaman. The samo■ day a young seamatv named •O'Grady, about 21 years or ago, Mfiis 'struck by some' falling'gear, and thrown to the deck and'severely injured. O'Grady .was able to get about when the vessel arrived yesterday, but it is.stated 7 that he will have to be medically examined here, - as the nature of his injuries is not known. As the weather continued hard from the westerly, Captain Pearson decided to come on to Wellington under the best rig he could put on the ship. The rest of the journey 'was made under the disadvantages outlined above, but Wellington was reached without • further serious mishap, although n great deal of time had to be spent repairing sails, several of which wero blown to /ribbons during the run. The Holga is a wooden barqucntino of 1311 tons gross and • 1254 net, and is owned by Mr. 0. G. S. Lane, of Sydney. She was built at Sandcfjord in 1892. The principal dimensions of the vessel are: —Length, 209 ft.; beam, 42.2 ft.; depth, 21.7 ft.