OFF A LEE SHORE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 492, 27 April 1909, Page 10

OFF A LEE SHORE.

■ : —v : —v. 'WEATHERSFIELD TOWED TO PORT. TWO SEAMEN INJURED / / Tho, general opinion that tho'-'sailingjyessel ; : wliich.:was observed .apparently in/distress: ; off • Hokio; .Beach .on Saturday Jwas the ■ barque' ; Weathersfield -has' proved correct. In toir of tho'Tcrawhiti sho arrived in port at 5.20 a.m. .yesterday. Thoso. on board .tho -tug, whfolr proceeded to the resouo on Saturday night, had r.n unenviable tim'o a's.far. as Cape ; Tcrawhiti; :lIi(go seas broke ovor tho ves- : s.el, drenching'those, on boa rd,' and soma wator 'found; way. into the engine-roomj/but did no-damage. -~/tV'i ■ Tho Tcrawhiti /had /passed : .Kapiti/' before, dajbreak on. ■ Sunday ''moriiing. and, before , /sunrisej'Mtho /caiis'ei'Of'-her.'hurried dispatch ' .'frbmilWeUington \was;sighted;andi ; made out.at the .Weathorsfield, flying .'signals; of • dis- ; . I.tress/ and at anchor.about. 1J miles from' the ' shore. The small Kaiapoi trader Wootton, / bound to. Foxton, /was.'standing./by. ' As tho "/ . Terawhiti. tile,,, distress signals wtro haule'il down. ';^A't/'3:30-p;in.' l thie' Terawhiti. ha.d'maide fast to tho Weathorsfield, tho anchors were raised, v and the,; return'.voyage, to Wellington commenccd. / By this timev the...weather, /had moderated, and the two vessels reached port'' : without .• apy hitch. .At a' quarter to one " .yesterday'/afternoon /the Weathorsfield was brought a berth .'at the King's ,Wharf,- .where; ;repairs will bo effected. , , r/;- ■ /. / //';.//!/.'/;:// /^"'"'//v .. . Tho Captain's Statement. : A. Domimion reporter interviewed, Captain r Tate, 'on ;tho arrival of 'the Terawhiti yester- ■; .day nioriling.'The captain, .who,has. had con- ; /siderable, experience.,:m/ both' :sail' and. steam vessels/, stated that : the two'.successive gales -'i the. ship to seek her anchorage. / .we're;the..worst which lie had experienced.' in .; /the' Straits./.'Jt .was.;'essential that 'distress /• signals should bo shown, for. after losing a ■jib, topsails, -and stajsail .it.wasnecessary .'to: .. ' return to'port: to, have them, refitted. ' / ■ • ,' Tho Union Company have not yet definitely i ,'deeided .on a' date/.for/ the departure of .the I Weathersfield, but 1 .it / is : expected./ that re-' ! pairs.Viir.'tp.ko sonic-time.' '• '" ' v-. Fell From Aloft. : v-The' bad time experienced by/the Weathers- .] field''Was not without' accidents, On Friday, >• at\about riiidday,'. a seaman naniAd Morrison, ' who was-trying. to secure the. storm spanker,. /! after she rovmgs had earned away, fell from 1 'aloft,on to tho poop, and was seriously injured.On arrival • yesterday-morning ho was 1 removed 'to ' the hospital. Another seaman, named Hume, who had a finger broken, was / also medically attended ;on arrival yesterday 1 morning. //:..-• ; Saved by licr Anchors. /:;.:One. of the officers' said that'; the: position '.' of .tho Vessel on Saturday, was .' alarming until it was found that tho anchors were holding, by which time tho barque was amongst, the. breakers, i -Had tho anchors not •' held,' tho vessel, would, have driven on -to the ; coast.: The probability/was' 'that she would i have piled up on one of tho "sand ridges, j which extend for a considerable: distance 1 a t long way. from .'the shore, and with' a con- , the /northerly/galo would "have ' •goho to/pieces.- . Fortunately, however, the | windxhbppe<l round to the south before" any- { thing serious happened. It was;an experience i that'he-'woiild-'not'like/to go through again. ] None on board had had a proper watch below. , since Tuesday morning. . ' I ' ■•':/ j-"'- ''.' :i ' :l