PERILS OF THE SEA.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 101, 30 March 1925, Page 12

PERILS OF THE SEA.

TRAMP STEAMER’S ESCAPE. Almost miraculous was the escape of the Ellerman-Buck nail tramp steamer City of Bristol on two nerve-racking occasions during the trip from Glasgow, via New York, to Auckland, which she completed on Thursday. The vessel sailed from Glasgow for Barrow-in-Furness in the first Hour of New Year’s Day, and soon struck bad weather, which became worse every minute, until the ship was' straining in every part. Mountainous yeas continually swept over her, and then serious misfortune overtook her when the steering gear was swept away. Captain Pemberthy ordered both anchors to be dropped, and for a time this manoeuvre had the effect of steadying the ship. But the storm got worse, and it looked as if the vessel was going to share the fate of' another large ship, which a few miles away was gradually being carried on to the rocks. An endeavour was made to ship the anchors, but the sea carried them off. For .many hours the captain, the officers, and crew had an anxious time, until the ship gradually veered off the land. The other vessel was less fortunate, for she foundered, all hands being lost. After three and a-half days the City of Bristol reached Barrow-in-Furness, where she got a cargo of railway lines for Auckland. Leaving England on January 16, the ship soon struck another storm, and to add to the perils of the sea, part of the 400 tons of steel rails began to shift in alarming fashion. Several of the officers and crew went down into the hold, and at grave risk of life and limb spent two days and a night continuously working at the cargo. The heavy rails were swinging from side to side of the hold, pounding against the ship’s side and' threatening to batter a hole in her. There was plenty of excitement dodging the heavy metal as it pitched from side to side, for one blow from a rail might easily have killed any man who got in the way. After the cargo had been secured the ship was better able to weather tile storm, arid after 16 days in the Atlantic she reached New York, about a week behind her scheduled time.

The voyage from America to New Zealand was made under more favourable auspices, the vessel making a splendid fine-weather trip and averaging 11 knets.