NARROW ESCAPE OF THE A. S. N. GO'S S.S. BALOLUTHA.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1086, 24 September 1869, Page 2

NARROW ESCAPE OF THE A. S. N. GO'S S.S. BALOLUTHA.

HIS EXCELLENCY GOVERNOR WELD ON BOARD. (From the' South Australian Register*' August 23.) The Balclutlla (s.), Captain Grainger, left the anchorage about 8 o'clock on Monday night,, aud got on all right till next morning about 4 o'clock, when the officer in charge reported something wrong with the sternpost. The steamer at this time had not done much more than clear the Gulf. Not much was thought, of the first report, but by-aud-by. another came, which indicated something serious. The after part of the saloon was cleared, and men put to work in tho stern compartment of the steamer. Captain Grainger promptly decided that the best course would be to make an orlop deck with ajury bulk-head, which.was.very rapidly done. By this time the locality of the leak had been traoed ■. to tho dead wood at the stern.but at what height could only be ascertained by experiment. The first effort did not prove wholly successful, for though it , diminished the influx of water, the real source of danger had not as yet been reached. The orlop deck and bulk-head had been fixed too low, and the water continued to rush in higher up. Captain Grainger then adopted a very desperate expedient for shutting off the source of danger. .He had sacks of flour piled up on the orlop deck tilLthey nearly reached the saloon deck. On these he fixed a heavy iron safe which, happened to be in his cabin, and, in nautical parlance, he " tommed the pile down by driving in posts between 1 the safe and the saloon deck. In order to appreciate fully the difficulty and danger, of the emergency, it must be remembered that the Balchitha is an iroja steamer, and, conse- • quontly, could not be patched up like a wooden hull. She is also light built, and not being deep laden, 1 her rolling was no assistance to the men, who were , working for .bare life at her sternpost. An ordinary captain miglnVhave been excused for poiuting her , head toward land, aud, abandoning her when she } appeared to ' bo no longer, tenable. But Captain . Grainger has proved before that his seamanship is of a tougher kind than this. . He determined to bring her back if she would float, and he has floated her back accordingly, much to his personal credit a;:d that of his crow. Wheii boarded in the Gull , she was roiling tremendously, and a stream of water equal to the discharge of a two or three moh pipe was pouring through the leak. But the donkey. '> engine and the hand-pumps were able to hold this in check, and when the wind slanted infavor of th_€ steamer she got into the Gulf at a fair speed. It ihould be pointed out with regaid to the statement nthe first telegram about his having six feet ol ,vater in the hold, that this applied only to the stem jompartment, to which, in fact, all the damage has Seen confined. . - _ „ „ The following; letter from his Excellency Governoi Weld to his Excellency Sir James Fergusson, has ilso been published:—- ; ... " Barque Aurifera, Spencer's Gulf, " Commenced Thursday, August 19, 1889. "My Dear Sir James,— At noon on Tuesday the Balclutha's shaft broke down. The exact damage is not known, but her stern must be very muct wrenched and injured. The water splashed up int< the saloonfrom the after Water-tight compartments which filled. The compartment itself noxt gay< way. By great exertion on the part of the captau and men tho leak was partially stopped, though ai nn£LttemJJi&_.\yatßrJiad- gained, so-muok-thiat abj was nearly going clown byline stern. The boati were all got ready, provisions handed up, anc everything looked like a boat voyage to Cape Borda then some 30 miles east of us, the wind moderati from the north-east. The conduct of the captaii and all belonging to the ship was admirable. A bar rior was constructed with mattresses, blankets, anc pillows, battened down by carpeuterwork,andfixec by wedges to the after compartment, strengthened in every possible manner. The steam and hanc pumps were kept going ; and the leakage havinj been reduced to about two feet in an hour, the watei was easily kept down. In tho meantime all th< ordinary work went on, meals excellently served every one doing their duty. I thought it mostcredi table. So the day passed. An effort had been mad( to go ahead slowly, but the engines could not movi the screw ; and nothing oould be- done even to gei rid of it without fear of sinking the ship. She woulc not move at all under sail on a wind, and ; driftec slowly to leeward. When night came on we- al slept well. You will forgive me for saying that The next morning, Wednesday, no alteration in the wind, the sea still calm. The barque Aurifera Captain Neil M'Eaohern, of Melbourne, hove ii sight at about 11 a.m. She made us out with ou signal flying at twenty-minutes to 12, just as shi was going about, and bore down upon us. > She wai beating up for Spencer's Gulf. She rounded-ti under our stern and took off mails and passengers The captain of the Balclutha did not think himsel justified in deserting hiaship. With a light wester ly wind ho hoped he might get her into Investigato Straits, or that he might keep her afloat till a tui was sent. In the event of a north-westerly gale h would have to run to the SS E. He had plenty o hands and good boats. He said to the that it woul< be a great relief to him te send off the passengers aud that ho had quite as many hands as ne wanted We p;ot on board the Aurifera about 2.80 on Wednes day, with passengers, luggage, and mails. Th stewardess, Knowing nobody in Adelaide, refused a first to go among strangors, and said she would sta; by the people with whoin she had sailed for twi years. So I offered to take char go of her. At abou 4 o'olock p.m. on Wednesday we left the Balclutha Tho last we saw of her she had her head to the east ward, but she made absolutely no way whatever and was drifting bodily to leeward. The wind wa N.N.E. She was then about m miles west of Cap Borda. It was a sad thing to leave her in such i state. As long as the weather keeps fine there is m fear, but the captain himself has little hope if ther should be any heavy sea. Before you receive thi you will have heard by my telegram that at noonoi the day we left her she was in latitude 85.34i S, 137.37 E., Cape Borda I S., mag., 51 miles distant, o according to Captain M'Eaohem's chart, 40 miles Since then the wind has continued at Jtf.N.E., o thereabouts, excepting that it came a little fron the west for a short time last night. I wrote this oi Thursday, 8h 30m. p.m., and it has now fallen calm We have been most kindly treated on board tin Aurifera, and the master has.given up to Mrs. Well a most roomy and comfortable cabin. We are stil only at the entrauce to Spencer's Gulf, but I writo this to be in readiness. ' I propose sonding this b; special messenger the instant I arrive at Wallaroo I shall telegraph leading particulars, and as I be lieve it to be a case of lire and death I have n< doubt but that a steamer will havo been sent, or bi about leaving in search of the Balclutha- when thi reaches you. Wind light from N.N.E. to N.N.W all night." The Balclutha, after being out in a gale, anc within an ace of foundering, returned in safety oi Saturday afternoon. On Monday afternoon his Excellency Sir Jamei Pergusson, accompanied by Lady Edith, and hi Excellency tho Hon. P. A. Weld and Mrs. Weld, pro oeoded by the road to Port Adelaide, and on. nrriv ing there paid a visit to the Balclutha, then engagec discharging rapidly at the Company's Wharf, pre paratory to going on the slip. On the party arriv ing on board they were received by Capt. Graiuger His Excolleney then paid a very graoefulcompli ment to Captain Grainger and his crew. The lattei being called aft, he thanked them, as Governor o this colony, for the gallant manner in which the: had seconded tho successful efforts of their noblo hearted captain in bringing the Balclutha safelj into port, surrounded as they had been by so muol danger. A largo crowd having congregated on thi wharf, at the conclusion of tho speech vociferous^ oheered his Excellency, taking their time from thi orew of the Balclutha. Lady Edith, and his Excel lency F. A. Weld and Mrs. Weld having been als< cheered, three cheers wero heartily given to Capt Grainger and his crew. The vice-regal party thei returned to Adelaide.— South Australian Adver tiser, August 24 Testimonial to Captaiht Gbaingose.— A inoye raent is on foot in Port Adelaide to collect snbscrip tions for a testimonial to Captain Grainger, of th< mail steamer Balclutha, as a recognition of his cou rage and professional ability in bringing back thi steamer in a disabled state. A large number o names have already been attaohed to tho subsonp fcion list, and it is proposed to soliait tho co-opera tion of tho merchants of the city.— South Austra> lian Register, August 24.