THE ARAWA

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 114, 10 November 1934, Page 14

THE ARAWA

V Iri;: the ; index' :of >i-; Mr.!' JT: ? Sncll'g membriesj ■ and he°; is ■avWeiiingtpniman/ fewmbio vividspatches of the'past:, are recorded Ethan'shis: :adyenture!; on;-,ithe old-A'rawai; 3267/ 'tons,;'on^her -maiden trip to NewiZealandijustsonififtjfJyears ago.:; In'• 1879 '■Mr;'Shetr cameout to the colpVy';in v'tKe: 'weUl-rtni*nibereiJ:Pltia'deij' leaving 'lioridon;;inJOctober^thatayear:' Ho was :in!1855,.: 50 one way and'another he; has seen aifew; ; thingspiihisCtinie^Afteiva year';o^i3y-o in'fNe>v'Ze'aland:he took the Kangitikei homOTaWbbuiia ' in'lSß2,i ancl; after^a spell on;natiye;soil found'a«b;llet asjai steward on" the recently-launched Arawa oiTNovembcr 6; 1884.?: v?. .'■ r^'XCy: -:?% O' r" We called at, St. Vincent iristeaa\pf going;: to Cape 'Town, '*'he( said- to;.me; ('and from there, we;made-;for Hobart. We'did not sight the Cipe, and all went Well until' we were about midway across ihVltidian^Oc'ean.;-^ ;'; ■>.''<*■ -'; --'^J 'v^'il'^-. • "In the evening, at about; 6 io'clpck,a - casting of: the patent steam: /steering irear smashed. The;Arawa.:waS|thenr«t Mp to?useithis type/of sttfering gearj and the engineers knew yery.little about it. I have never spent such ia six. hours a«- those between■ the .time>\the-; casting smashed' and?;^-were; able,'toVcontrol the'-ship/-.-;;: {■'";■■•.':■.-!'"v: ui'l : -v.;!.i\vitni ;■ ■«' Eyery 'stitch':" of r our-canvas had been set "at the time the casting broke; We 'came round- into the wind'at. tewi-. fie speed,"andr thle sails.jwere ripped t out W;the''';yards\-*a^'';. / tb^n;;.tb;;-'b i itß;"in?^»:' moment or;tw6V ; ;We could :d6' nothing.The ' engineers? attempted to.' lift ;the irpn'gear off ■'the rudder-head fin order, ■lo'.fitlthe^ninijge'OT.'-'llierricksiJtaekles,.. and blocks were rigged: vp1 all over, the, stern, but they could; not .shiftthe head.-

She4wallow:ed7 there if or. six>hours, ; »n<J the:iru]i^iiwpl£'^n;b'paid/i;C*V*'4'A'i>evor' foi'get'them!. Some,>.Wre, '.tuning and epnie' ■\vere: praying. ; Wo: had isovcrftl parsonj' ohVboard, tp"oi> \l' rcmbmber «|C« ing. one of■'■' them hanging on to--one "pi the lifeboats; and being drenched every tiflie 1 thovshipirolied;over; r Many.' times she foiled'p/er* dnd: stopped ,;iot'ai q'u»f; i:er. or !'haft - &■ minute, before. «tic took the Reverse roll; "Perhap»'cv.ery quttf' ter of 'an hour "sKe'would 'swing brOflrl' side'-1»; : th c■ wi nd; Muge" mbu n ttti nous seas -.were:.;running,-; and. ■-,a:. ; very,: hcftvy gale: yras. blowing.. We; had: not; noticed it wlierii-''wp.''were running ',hctdt6.'ihe windi'a'nd!bowling along at top,' >-!' ')'■ ' ; '<Well, they didn't know what to'do on board.;-Then) the,third:,or,, foHr,th enainper-r-rl forget: which—started to repair' the'easting.';.'The other' engineers knew hbthingof this new Ft earn.rudder, but the man who. had- taken the job;in hand fiied? the casting and we !came round'beforo the ;wind -again.. ,The sailors had to; bend' a whole new' set of sa'ilg'i"''-'^-^'-'■"■'•-■"■''. ''v'1----" ?:'.-'V>

t ■From'iHo'bart'/the'ATawaCcamc to Wel^ lirig'ton, arriying here ftf ty - years ag6 this' Christmas, and- bringing out .three; or fourbundrcd nominated immigrants. Mr.. SnelHs. discharge,from the Amfa is-datecl December 24,:1884, the'captain of; the .'ship,being John Stuart,