A BOUGH PASSAGE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 9512, 7 September 1891, Page 2

A BOUGH PASSAGE.

THE E.M.S. MARIPOSA. AUCKLAND, August 17. The passengers by the Mariposa give a dismal account of ber passage from Sydney, and of ber encounter with, the stoim. Two days out the trouble began, and on Thursday, Friday and Saturday the! storm raged. The anxiety of the captain will be understood on finding himself close to the North Cape but withoutseeing anything since leaving Sydney, and without the sun for two daya, witb a terrific north-east gale bursting on the ship and semi-darkness prevailing even in the day-time. Rough weather was experienced throughout; hub on Friday the lowering and darkened atmosphere and an immense sea running, just as the passengers were hoping to see the Three Kings, caused much anxiety. Throughout the whole night there were ominous signs of a big gale. In the face of such a storm no further attempt was made to round the Cape. Captain Hayward’s vessel was somewhat in the position of the Calliope at Samoa; there was no alternative but to put the ship’s head to the blast and steam right but to sea. A terrible sea was running, and the decks were continually wet fore and aft by the spray* and waves breaking on board. Thus for many anxious hours the vessel steadily held on, and without the slightest mishap until Saturday afternoon, when the storm was at its height, and the whole moveable interior of the ship began to show signs of punishment. Au enormous wave suddenly came over the bows, which it was feared for a moment would have swept away the bridge and its occupants and cleared the decks. It htoVe in the pilot-house and smokingroom, and broke away one of the boats, bending up the stanchions, smashed the hatchway forward, swept the purser, chief officer and others along the deck, and shook the whole ship from stem to stern. Antonio, one of Madame Bernhardt’s valets, was picked up in the fore part of the ship, bumped all along the deck to the other end, and deposited under a boat. The doctor bound up' his aead. Subsequently the doctor was injured, being carried against an iron stauchi on with such force as to break two

of his ribs.. On Sunday the mm was obscured at noon, but Captain Hayward succeeded in taking sufficient observations to justuy his determining his position and course, and he started straight away for Auckland. At about 1.30 this morning he saw the first indication of land at Makohanau lighthouse, and found himself within two miles of his reckoning. The storm was a regular black north-easter, and caused as much darkness as if there had been an eclipse of the sun. When the storm was at hurricane height on Sunday the decks were constantly washed by the great seas, and some deck moveables were lost overboard. Amongst the damage done was the breaking of one of the engineroom ventilators by a sea. The passengers had, indeed, a miserable time of it during the gale, and all on board were glad to reach port. Captain Hayward said he had not seen worse weather in thirty years. Madame Bernhardt was quite prostrated by the rough passage.