TEMPEST TOSSED.

Grey River Argus, 22 September 1911, Page 2

TEMPEST TOSSED.

A TRYING TIME

BARQUENTINE IN PERIL

■ ■ - WANGANUI Sept 19. Tlil 1 - Danish, Carl as, thirty; 'days out from Newcastle to Wan'ganud, ' coal-laden, was last evening} left by the crew ,at anchorage in th© roadstead .about four rn'iles from, Wanganui. The bar was sighted on Saturday, and an arttemp: .was .made to tow her in fey ithe steiamer G&rtie yesterday afternoon. It failed owing to the two rope? breaking fiv*timqs. Heavy wind and sea 'came on and tho crew deemed dt .advisable 'to leave "the vessel at anchor and ca.me to town . by the Gertie. They had a rough time when ■ laawitug the barquontine in one of -her Stoats and before being taken aboard the Gertie The crew intend boarding her again ■wlneni the! 'woathielr ■moicß'raltisis.' Tlie vessel is in .no dan.gcir so long as the anchors hold. The Dani?h ib'an-qutentinei Carla-, which deft Newcastle on. August loth with a cargo 'of cc'al for AVanganui gasworks, is lying aif 'anchor some miles south of the bar iim a heavy sea. • The crew are in a boardinghouse in town. The fate of the vessel ds, one of : the uncertainties. Tho vessel arrived off 'tihei bar on Saturday, but no! ' tug was available. She came up .again en Sunday, but was aigain una-ble to s"f.u.re a ■tug. On Monday morning she dropped anchor and in the afternoon thesteamer Gertie went out to- Tow the vessel in. The weather was then fine, bus a storm was breaking. The steamer no sooner bsgian rllo tow than the rope broke. The gale and heavy seas wore rising, and after much difficulty the Gorti.e a^sf.a-in got hold of >the vessel but again the tow rope parted. This was repeated in all five timesDarkness had then set in with j heavy . rami. and .a very heavy gals ■?.nd" sea. The Carla's .anchors w"e,r? down, but the vessel was dragging to.war.ds the beach. During the attempt to gc't the' tow rope .aboard, the, Gertie had .come too close .under tho vessels' bow with the result that the j bboom crashed on to ths- steamer.: deck, smashing the lifeboat into matchwood and snapping off*- the davits, partly demoliaing the deck-hou^ci and nc-ariy ■ cairryimr away the funmc]. The Gairla's jibboon was also sm2sh ed .and al! the had sail gr-ar lvreckF.d. Co r nseciuently &.h^ was in a helpless 'state, and when she was dr'fting into great danger "'ihe Captain decided to board tho Gertie, which was standing" by. After great difficulty tho crew got away o-n a lifeboat and the. Gertie having- put out a considerable quantity of oil, the seven men were enabled, to get on board the steamer which : th's mo'nning brought 'them to- shore. To the; surprise of all, tiro... Carla intstead- of bsiag on th© ,beach in the mcrning, was ri.di-n.vr at her anchors, which had evidently found a hard bottom. Ahfiavy se,a has been running, but as darkness came on the vessel was still in the same ; position. •. / The crew aro waiting for an opportunity to -beard the;ir vessej again. ! The barquentiine Carla is still holding to her anchors, •tlwcugh the gale i> unabated and a tremendous sea is running.