THE STEAMER RICHMOND IN A HURRICANE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8172, 6 February 1890, Page 5

THE STEAMER RICHMOND IN A HURRICANE.

AN ANXIOUS NIGHT AT SEA. A PASSEiN'GKH supplies us with the following graphic account of the experiences of the Island packet Richmond during a terrible hurricane encountered between Auckland and Tonga:—" As your readers will no doubt remember the s.s. Richmond, Captaiu R. G. Huttou, left Auakland for her usual Island cruise at midnight, on Saturday, 11 tli November. She hud a number of passengers, was fully loaded, and had about 150 sheep on deck besides a quantity of timber. There were also in the between-deoks some '25 cattle, horses, and pi>;s, and about 100 sheep. Fine weather, with light airs and calms, was met with until Sunday Island was passed about 2 p.m., on Tuesday, 14th December, being distant about 25 miles. The wind then went into the S.E., and on Wednesday, 15th, at noon, the wind was E.S.E. ; a moderate breeze, with thick hazy weather, barometer 29m 755, thermometerS'Jdcg. About 4 p.m. the wind hauled into the JJ.IL., with very thick weather and heavy showers of rain, and a high confused sea from the northward arose. Although it looked very threatening ahead still, as wo were out of the usual hurricane latitudes, no one had tho slightest idea of what was to follow. However, as the barometer commenced steadily falling, Captain Hutton evidently became uneasy, and before dark all hands were called to marl down the sails with double gaskets, and to make everything fast about the decks. At 5 p.m. the engines were slowed down, obviously to give the bad weather a chance to pass by ahead of us. The wind had now bucked into the S.E., with torrents of rain and much lightning. By 9 p.m. a very heavy gale was blowing, and preparations were matte to encounter a hurricaue as tho glass was steadily falling, and we now began to imagine what was in store for us. At 11 p.m. the captain turned the ship about, anil ran to the b.E,, hopiug_ to escape the worsu of the storm. The wind was now blowing furiously from the E.N.E., and at about 11.45 p.m. tho starboard boat was torn from its fastenings, and with all its contents blown bodily overboard. At midnight the bar&meter was 21)'30, and still slowly and steadily falling. At'2 a.m. on 16th the sea had become so formidable that the ship could no longer be run with safety, so she wasi brought to tho wind, and laid on the port tack. At 4 a.m. the barometer registered 29 00, and tho wind by this time was ]N. 10. and blowing harder than ever. At 5 a.m. the wind was gradually hauling into tho northward, and the rain falling in perfect sheets, the barometer being '50. The force of the wind was now tremendous, tearing everything off the decks that it could get hold of. "The sheep pens, though strongly fastened down, were in spite of the utmost efforts of the crew, lifted bodily and the canvas covers torn to shreds, the frames smashed to pieces, and the whole wreck blown completely overboard. The canvas curtains of the shade deck were torn one by one from their fastenings, anil literally blown into ribbons. For some time it was thought the shade deck itself was going, as it was lifted up from its fastenings, and nails and screws torn out and dashed about, but fortunately it held firm. The wind got into the netting of the stayforesail, blew it out of its gaskets, and in less than a minute the sail was a thing of the past. At G a.m. the barometer was '2S'HO, and it seemed to be the very hoight of the hurricane. It was impossible to face it; tho spray from the waves was driven across the ship in sheets, and one could not see a yard ahead. Tho howling and shrieking of the wind as it forced its way past obstacles and down the alley - way was truly appalling. At this stage the captain determmed to try the effects of oil upon the raging sea. This was effected by piercing a small hole in a drum of oil, and allowing it to tloat to windward in a has:, which at onco had tho effect of lessening the deluge that was pouring over the ship, and doubtless saved what stock was left on deck. At !) a.m. the barometer rose to '28.45, the wind lulled suddenly, and all hands hoped they had passed through the worst of the storm, but at 10.80, although the barometer had previously risen to 28.W), it fell agiin to '28. inches, and commenced to oscillate like a pendulum. The wind now came back from the S.W., blowing harder than before, and it would be impossible to imagine any storm fiercer than the hurricane that then set in. Strong iron ventilators were snapped off their stalks, the whole railing of the main deck was torn i off, and the strong iron stanchions twisted like wires. By 1 p.m. tho barometer had risen to 28"60, and the wind lulled as suddenly as it had risen. The hatches were soon unbattened to relieve the stock, which, fortunately, was found alive, though much exhausted. Had not the ship been fitted with air-fans for forced ventilation on the cattle deck not a beast could possibly have lived, as the deck was crowded with stock, and the beat below was very great. Both passengers and crew speak with admiration of the behaviour of the little vessel during the hurricane. She proved herself a most admirable sea boat, allowing the seas to slip under her in a really wonderful manner. In the lull between the squalls the waves were tremendous, and many a vessel loaded as deeply as the Richmond was would most likely have foundered, but she rode over the seas like a duck. No material damage of any kind has happened to her, and nil injuries can easily be made good again. Owing to the furious manner the sheets of spray were driven before the wind the water penetrated every crack and crevice, and the saloons and cabins were flooded out, while the galley fires being washed out, the passengers had a very uncomfortable time of it. With the return of fine weather, however, everything was made right again, and the ship arrived in Tongatabu at six a.m. on the 18th, just 24 hours late. While lying to during 12 hours the ship had drifted just 70 miles to the southward. " During this terrible night, all hands worked with the greatest promptness and bravery, and Captain Hutton remained at the wheel, carefully steering the vessel, from 10.30 p.m. to 9.30 a.m. next day, and again from 10.30 a.m. until '2 p.m., in all I")j> hours, which was really a wonderful feat of endurance, considering the terrible violence of the storm and the immense labour required to meet the ship with the helm at all moments. " A remarkable feature of this hurricane j was the distance south it reached. At the i height of it, the captain calculates the position of the vessel to have been 25'4,'J 8. longi- ! tilde, 17(J'8 W., and no previously recorded I hurricane in the South i'aeilie has reached such a high latitude. «From calculations made, we believe the centre of the storm to have travelled about 8.5. W., passing between Fiji and *lic Friendly Islands, giving the different groups of Vavau, llabai, and Tongatabu a touch'of its quality as it passed along, but not causing any very great damage. After meeting the Richmond, it appears to have re-curved to the eastward and probably blown itself out in the ocean."