ROUGH WEATHER

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 June 1928, Page 9

ROUGH WEATHER

STORM ON EAST COAST. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 23. Ninety hours overdue from Auckland to Wellington, on a trip scheduled to take 52 hours, the Canadian Challenger arrived at eight o’clock this morning. The ship had discharged a considerable amount of cargo at Auckland, and consequently she came in for a severe tossing when she encountered heavy seas to Castlepoint. The* weather was fair, but on Tuesday morning a heavy southerly wind sprang up, which rapidly increased in strength, until it was deemed advisable to heave to. All through Tuesday and up till Wednesday night the ship strained at her anchors, and suffered a severe buffeting from the seas, which assumed mountainous proportions. At times the squalls of rain and hail made the conditions even more uncomfortable. After the ship got under way, she proceeded no farther than Cape Palliser. Then the gale sprang up as fierce as ever, and Thursday found her once more hove to under conditions which were a repetition of those experienced at Castlepoint. Though the Challenger shipped a number of seas, she came through the ordeal undamaged. SNOW, HAIL AND RAIN. DUNEDIN,’June 24. The steamer Holmdale experienced heavy weather and a severe buffeting on her trip from Wellington to Dunedin. The voyage usually takes her 34 hours, but occupied 94 hours on this occasion. Heavy snow, hail and rain accompanied by a gale of hurricane force, gave the captain and crew an anxious time. After leaving Akaroa, the storm increased in ferocity, and 8i miles in 24 hours was all the headway she could make. She sought shelter at Akaroa again. She arrived in Dunedin not much the worse for wear. The steamer Corinna encountered a similar experience on the South Canterbury coast.