A PILOT'S YARN.

Hot Lakes Chronicle, Issue 117, 27 February 1895, Page 4

A PILOT'S YARN.

How Pilot Posgata saved an outward bound New Zealand Bbip—the Pareora—in the English Channel in ISSI is told in an interview article in the ' Strand Magazine ' for December : — '• The Pareora was a largo passenger ship, belonging to the New Zealand Shipping Company. Id iNovembor, ISSI, we were going down the Chaunel. Practically I had done with the ship, as we had reached the Downs, but the captain asKed me to stop by him, as it threatened to be a dirty night. Long before midnight it was blowing a terrific gale, and was as black as pitch. Suddenly I saw two vessels close upon us. One was the British Navy, a largo merchant ship, which foundered during the night and drowned 20 of her crew ; the other was the Larnaca, of Liverpool, both large sailing ship?. Presently 1 taw the Larnaca's second anchor had parted and that she was driving upon us. She came athwart our hawse and parted our cables. I was on the fo'c'sle. I saw there wa3 no time to lose, and I gave orders to slip our cable chains. It was well for us we were prepared. We had our foresail, foretopsail and jib blown out, aud were broadside on to the sand. I called out for some of the men to go up and cut away the foretopsail, which was blowing loose ; but all refute Ito go aloft. They asked, ' Have we time to gut down again before she goes on the saud ?' Said I' It doesn't matter where you are when she strikes, for uot a man of you will outlive it.' They finally went up and cut away the tails. That saved us, and we cleared tho sand, just touching the ■spit of it. There was an awful sea on, which struck our rudder and carried our wheel clean away. But we got clear into the North Sea, where we drove before the wind four or live days. When the storm moderated, we worked our way down again to the mouth of the Thames, and the isamo tug 1 bat took us out of tho river met us again near tho Kentish Knock, aud brought us back Lo Gravesend to refit, as wo had neither anchors nor chains.