FIERCE GALE

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, 23 January 1928, Page 5

FIERCE GALE

THREE DAYS HOVE TO. BARQUENTINE BUFFETED. SYDNEY, Jan. 10. A niglit spent running before a howling gale; three days hove to in mid ocean while a hurricane whipped the seas mountains high; meals that were eaten waist depe in water. Those were some of the experiences of til crew of the barquentine Alexa which arrivedffi from the South Seas to-day. Two weeks ago, while off Now Caledonia, the Alexa ran int oa cyclone. Captain Hayens, who had his wife on board, decided to run before the gale which at one time reached SO miles an hour. The littles hip covered 156 miles between sunset and dawn. Instead of abatign the hurricane became worse and Captain Heyens decided to heave to. For three days the Alexa struggled with the seas which continually swept the decks. One bright spot in the storm was the galley of Foo Sing, the Chinese cook who throughout the three days, kept his fire going and served hot meals, coked sometimes while he was waist deep in water. Several stays were carried away and the mess roow door was smashed to matchwood, but except fr bruises and cuts th© crew were unscathed.