ROUGH SEAS

Hokitika Guardian, 6 May 1936, Page 5

ROUGH SEAS

IN THE TASMAN

(Australian Press Association).

SYDNEY, May 5

Captain MacDonald, of ,the iViakura, declared to-day that never , in r his < thirty-six years at sea : had he experienced a nor.se gale itlian the one he had just encountered on the Tasman and ’which had -tqi use.d so inuch. damage m New !Zeanind, ( ;lie gaidj ;“The seas avefe As' steep a s cliff , faces. The heavy; weather jbegan,,;, ip (.pqk trait, on Thursday: night,. and i the gale was. at its height on r ridny pud. Saturday, J,t Teacbeu a velocity..! pr 15 niUes an hour,. l ‘'JTie u seas were jterrifying to look at! \V« would ease the Aiakura to the top ol the angle; of the waves to allow her to lower herself down on the other'side without'doing structural damage, i Several- -times ..we thought that the walls of water would cause the vessel to topple-oven -Some M the waves were over sixty feet high. ThV officers ..were without any sleep for thirty-six hours*..; .They were clmging' to the bridge rail, watching every sea closely.. The fore and aft welldecks shipped ayalanches of water* The brew had great .difficulty in moping round. \ "i ’ -.■■■ U-

“The Makura came through with only minpr damage.”

MONOWAI DAMAGED.

SYDNEY. May 5.

The liner, Monowai, on, her crossing of the Tasman Sea in the recent gales, suffered a good deal of damage. One steel companion way was carried away. Several df the portholes forward were smashed, and thfe crew’s quarters were flooded.

The forward galley was put out of action. A plate glass window on the bridge was broken. Ihe officers’ quarters on the boat deck were also flooded. The* passengers were confined to their cabins the whole way across. .

The delays of the Makura and the Monowai resulted in twenty-four passengers missing their. connections in Svdnev for th e East and London.