A DARING VOYAGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 6273, 24 December 1881, Page 7

A DARING VOYAGE.

On' July 14, 1880, the Chilean transport Rimac, an iron screw steamer of 1227 tons, I carrying a regiment of cavalry and a valu- | able cargo, was captured by the Peruvian corvette Union and taken at Callao. After the Peruvian defeat at Chorillos and Mirallores the Rimac waß burned and sunk. Recently the hulk was raised by the Chileans, and it was found that, although severely damaged, it could be rendered serviceable, and that the machinery was only slightly injured. Every particle of woodwork was I urned out of her, and she presented more the appearance of an empty, fire-worn stjve than of a vessel with which the sea could be navigated. The deck beams were cracked anil twisted as if they had been thin iron wires, some stanchions still stood upright, but more had assumed shapes which would have astonished any shipbuilder, and the bulwarks were bulged in and out, and shrivelled as if they had been run through some powerful crimping machine. Damaged as she was, it was the desire of the Chilean Government, whose prize she had become, and <»t the South American Company, who had become her purchaser, that she should be taken back to Chile, and Captain James Hart was called upon for an opinion as to the possibility of taking her to Chile. He reported iavonrably, although declaring there was much risk, and the voyage was agreed upon. Only the most absolute and trivial repairs were effected and after the sides had been boarded up to prevent her filling, on August 4th this damaged iron tank—for it could scarcely be called a vessel —took its departure from Callao. The machinery worked well. But as the engines were intended to drive a heavy vessel, and they were now employed in propelling a light, unladen hull, they were too powerful for their work. They drove it along at a good speed, it is true, but the vibration caused thereby was severe in the extreme. Very heave weather was encountered, and as the vessel would dip into the seas or they would strike her abeam the water would rush into the hold, threatening to swamp her at any moment and keeping the pumps constantly at work. All hands, from captain to cook, were wet through the entire trip, no cabins having been put up, as such heavy weather was not anticipated. ■Several of the damaged deck beams broke through the severe straining of the sides, and one day the remains of the bridge tumbled into the hold, carrying with it tlie binnacle and the wheel, which had been temporarily fixed up. The compass was useless, it being impossible to place reliance on it, owing to the vibration causing the needle to revolve the whole time. Steering w.-il done by guesswork, the direction of the sea, which runs from the southward, and the heavens serving for a substitute. The voyage, fortunately, was performed in safety and the wreck was finally moored in Valparaiso. The distance from Callao to Val paraiso is liioS miles, head to wind all the time. The Rimac is now being repaired, and within a few months she will be again !io ready for sea.—Panama Star and Herald.