VESSEL FOUNDERS

Evening Star, Issue 20129, 20 March 1929, Page 11

VESSEL FOUNDERS

AN UNMERCIFUL BATTERING CREW LAUDS SAFELY (Per Ukitbd Press Association,] AUCKLAND, March 20. The schooner Elsie Alary, from Gisborne to Auckland, sprung a leak and foundered in the Bay of Plenty. The crew took to the ship’s boat, and landed on Alderman Island after a three-hours’ puli. The Trawler Humphrey later picked up all bauds and transferred them to the Northern Steamship Company’s Ngapuhi, which arrived at Auckland early this morning. The Elsie Alary left Gisborne at 8 {tin. on Saturday with a small quantity of general cargo, and rounded East Cape before 7 o’clock on Sunday morning. when she ran into bad weather, which by evening bad developed into a full gale. At 12.45 on Alonday morning it was a tearing gale from tlie north-east, with a very high sea running and Captain Owen hove to. The wind shifted all round the compass finally settling from the west. It was evidently the same cyclone disturbance that caused havoc at Opotikx on Alonday. and the Elsie Alary, which was somewhere near the centre of the cyclone, received an unmerciful battering for two hours. The seas were running mountains high, and it seemed as though the schooner must be buried beneath the great waves. Biting rain squalls drenched the crew ou deck. The 1111101 was howling so that speech was impossible, and the crash of the sea against the vessel was like thunder. The Elsie Alary at first rode the storm splendidly, but at about o o’clock ou Alonday morning Air Piggott, the assistant engineer, reported tint the schooner was making water badly, and that the pumps were unable to cope with the inflow. Every .pump was manned, and the water was kept in cheek enough to allow the engines to be kept running. The gals continued with unabated fury till 4 a.m. The water continued to gain, showing a very serious leak. At daybreak the wind dropped somewhat, but the sea was as bad as before, and the captain decided to make for the nearest land, Alderman Island. The. Elsie Alary was obviously sinking. For about vliree hours the engines were kept going, but later they stopped. The schooner had to depend on her sails, and being waterlogged was in no condition to cope witli the stormy seas. Within an hour it was realised that the captain could not make his objective, so the ship’s boat was supplied with biscuits, tinned meat, etc., the crew taking some of their personal belongings. As they were thus preparing to abandon the ship they knew it was possible that at, any moment she would sink from under them.

At midday the crew piled into the boat launched from the sinking schooner which was wallowing heavily in the heavy sea, and the water in the holds was within ‘lit ot the dock planking. The boat got safely away and made a. sale landing at Aldermru island about p.m. Sitting lonnd a roaring fire the crew had a meal and took shelter for the night under bushes and turned in. Heavy rain fell about midnight, but some protection was got in a temporary shelter provided by the ship's boat and the sail. Yesterday was spent on the island, but at sunset the trawl :r Humphrey was brought to the rescue by a blue flare, and the shipwrecked party was taken aboard, being later transferred to the Xgapnhi bound from Tauranga to Auckland.

Tlie Elsie Maty was originally called the Amelia Sims, and was a vessel ot L'H tons gross register. She was rigged fitted witli a 130 horse-power engine. Captain Owen had wiih him ns ms crew IC. Carr (chief engineer)H. Piggott (assistant engineer), J. Colonial? (leading seaman), C. Currie (able seaman), A.~ Anderson (ordinary seaman). T. May (cook). The vessel was owned by Air Frederick Hall, of Gisborne.