A GALE, AN ICEBERG, AND A REVOLUTION

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 2, 2 July 1938, Page 29

A GALE, AN ICEBERG, AND A REVOLUTION

THE WELLINGTON'S ADVENTUROUS VOYAGE

Most readers will have heard something of the ship Wellington for, during the 32 years she sailed the ocean, she had a most adventurous career. Prom the day she left the yards of Robert Duncan on the Clyde, in 1874, till the day she foundered when being towed Gulfport, U.S.A., to Rosario, Argentina, she had many close calls. None of her narrow escapes, however, could have been more miraculous than the one she had when bound from Picton to London in 1893-94. Mr. A. E. Young (master mariner), now residing at 222 Adelaide Road, Wellington, was third mate of her at this time, and long will he remember the voyage. Eleven months it took to get Home after facing the dangers of a storm, icebergs, and a revolution. This is Mr*. Young's account of the passage:^

The Wellington was a full-rigged ship of 1246 tons register, owned by the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company, and engaged in the London-New Zealand trade.

On May 12, 1893, \ve left Picton bound for London with a cargo of frozen mutton, wool, grain, etc. We were towed out to sea by the Union Steam Ship Company's Eotorua. Strong westerly to south-westerly gales were experienced with high seas during" our run down to the Horn. When

we were about 250 miles south-west of the Horn with a strong gale blowing and the barometer, falling at a most alarming rate, the ship was shortened down to fore and main lower topstails, and reefed foresail, foretopmast, andmizzen staysails.

„_ BROKEN LIMBS. The weather continued to increase in fury with heavy snow squalls of hurricane force. On June 8 the barometer had fallen to 28 20, and the wind was increasing in violence with a very dangerous sea running. We were ship-, ping heavy water fore and .aft, at times only the fo'c'sle head and poop being visible. At 6.20 p.m. in the second dog watch, the storm being at its height, a tremendous sea broke over the starboard quarter, smashing the wheel to pieces, the ship narrowly broaching tp. The steering compasses were washed overboard, the cabin skylight and starboard lifeboat stove in, the saloon flooded, and the crew's quarters washed put. , The .man at the weather side of the wheel had his arm broken, while the man at the lee side narrowly escaped being washed overboard. The first mate (Mr. Newby) was washed along the deck and had his leg broken in two places, which was later set by Mr. Galen,. the chief - steward. Captain Cowan received severe injuries to his head. The second mate (Mr. Baker) then took charge. Extra relieving tackles, kept for such ah; emergency, were hooked on to the tiller and "these, with' the two short pieces of spokes left in the hub. of the wheel, enabled us to keep the ship before the heavy seas, while preparations were, made, to heave her to. The foresail and.: fore topsail were stowed, the main topsail goose-winged, and the canvas in the mizzen rigging and yards pointed up. Oil was used on the water, and the ship was brought up into the wind, where she lay fairly snugly rolling heavily and on occasion shipping heavy water aboard. . • HITS AN ICEBERG. At midnight the weather showed signs of improvement^ but we remained hove to while the carpenter (Mr. Colquhoun) improvised a new wheel. On June 10 this task was completed and the ship put on her course again! with the necessary sail set. The weather continued, very bad with heavy snow squalls at intervals. On June 21 when we were to the eastward of the Falkland Islands a small iceberg •was passed and just before dark -all sail was taken in, excepting the fore and main lower tppsails and foretopmast staysail, to provide good visibility. . ■ . - At 8 p.m. when the crew mustered aft at roll-call special instructions were given to keep a good lookout for ice. At midnight" the wind was strong from the south-west with frequent heavy snow squalls. At 3.43 a.m. all hands Were called on deck, land being reported right ahead, but before the watch, below could get there the vessel crashed into an immense iceberg which towered fully 250 feet above the deck. There ■was a rending and crashing of wood and steel as the jibboom, bowsprit, jind'plates crumpled up and the foretopmast and main topgallant, with yards and gear, came down on the deck. HORRIBLE DEATHS. There were three distinct impacts before the ship glided off and passed under a huge overhanging cliff of ice. I think the 'berg had only recently t turned over. It was soon discovered ' that two of the crew in the starboard watch, Thompson (an ordinary seaman of Ardrossan) and Fleming (an A.B. of Glasgow), were missing. At daylight Fleming was found amidst a tangle of wreckage, jammed in against the windlass with an iron plate almost severing his legs. Nothing could be done to extricate him. He was. quite conscious and implored someone to shoot him. After four hours' fruitless efforts to release him he died- .Part of his body had later to Tbe dismembered in order to remove hiniofpr-.btirial. ■

Thompson's body was not recovered until six days later from amongst the

tangled wreckage. Four days were spent removing the debris and clear-

ring up the decks. The forepeak, on was found to be full of water, the bows having been crushed in to within a few inches of the watertight bulkhead. About 150 tons of cargo were jettisoned from the forehold and the water-tight . bulkhead shored up and strengthened. A jury foretopmast was rigged and yardcrossed and a course was then set for Rio de Janeiro, a distance of approximately 2270 miles. REVOLUTION AT RIO. When off the River Plate, at dusk, we sighted a vessel on the starboard bow steering to the southward. We burned signals of distress and the vessel came close across our stern but owing to the failing light it was not ! possible to read her name. We hailed her and explained our plight. She advised us to make for the River Plate and then squared away on her course again. That was the first and only ship we had sighted since leaving New Zealand.

Two days later we experienced a heavy blow from the eastward but it was of short duration. Tha ship wallowed in the trough of "the sea and rolled rails under, it being impossible to bring her close up into the wind'on account of her, damaged bows and the

fear that the watertight bulkhead would give way. After that we had fine weather and moderate breezes until our arrival in.Rio de Janeiro.':; All hands were very .pleased when the Sugar-loaf was sighted and we were later taken in tow by the tug.

~. ~W§. anchored, off , Nitheroy,. all our past troubles and hardships forgotten. Arrangements were then made for effecting repairs, which were expected to take about three months. Two weeks after our arrival a revolution broke out, the rebels intending to depose President Pixoto. The navy, under the command of Admiral De Mellos, who was in cnarge of the Aquidaban, sided with the rebels and bombarded the forts of Santa Crux and St. Jaoa (sic). Fort Vilaganon took the part of the rebels and was in turn bombarded by Santa Crux. We witnessed many a duel between these forts. Shortly after our arrival, at Rio, Mr. Newby and thr^e members of the crew were invalided home to England in the lonic. WARRANT FOR ARREST. During the progress of hostilities we | lost a fireman named Carruthers who J was shot while going ashore in a boat and whose body was never recovered. We sold about a thousand carcasses of mutton and lamb to the rebels at a satisfactory price and as a result of this a warrant was issued for the arcest of Captain Cowan should he come ashore. However, Captain Cowan went home as a passenger in the Aorangi (N.Z.S. Co.), and Captain Broomhed, of the cable-repairing ship Electra, was signed on in his stead. About three months after our .arrival in Rio the circulating pump of the freezer was giving trouble, caused by marine growths. A diver from H.M.S. Sirius was engaged to go down and clear the inlet, this being satisfactorily accomplished to the relief of the chief engineer (Mr. Crawford). Time could not be spared for overhaul as the freezer had to be kept going day and night. Repairs "were eventually completed to the ship without further incident. A new foretopmast and stump jibboom had been fitted-and all hands were pleased when we were towed out to sea and once more our journey to London.

We experienced good weather on the rest of the run Home and arrived in the East India Docks on April 12, 1894^ just eleven months after leaving Picton, with our cargo of frozen mutton in first-class condition. This is a freezing recoi'd.

The following day we were paid off and so was brought to a close a memorable voyage.