THE DISABLED STEAMER WOLLUMBIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11057, 8 May 1899, Page 5

THE DISABLED STEAMER WOLLUMBIN.

A BROKEN SHAFT. SOME DECK CARGO JETTISONED. TEE VESSEL TOWED INTO PORT. For tho past llireo or four days (says the Sydney Morning Herald of tho Ist inst.) nothing had boon soon or hoard of the Nicoll line steamer Wollumbin, which Inst Wednesday night was sending up rockets and burning bluo lights off Seal Rockt. She was on a voyago to Sydney with a hardwood and maize cargo, partly loaded at tho Tweed and Woolgoolga. At the time tho Wollumbin was showing her signals of distress a heavy SAW. gale was blowing and a wild sea was running. No time was lost in sending assistance from Newcastle, but the tug returned without having met with the broken-down steamer. Yesterday, when by the steamer Nambucca tho Wollmnbin was towed into port, Captain Colvin, the master of the Woliumbin, to a Herald reporter explained why the tug didn't find him. The narrative of the trip bristles with exciting incidents, as, for example, when the crew of 11 men found themselves left at tho mercy of tho wind and waves immediately after tho tail-shaft broke. They explained: " We were close into the rooks, could see tho white breakers off Big Seal, and hear their roar. It was a close shave. Ono bump, and with the cargo of heavy hardwood piles wo have on board it must have been all up with us in a few minutos. There wero two things in our favour— gale was southerly, with, if anything, ft little westing in it, that is off tho shoro, and the current was in our favour, setting to the south-east, which took us off the land. Had it been an easterly or southeasterly galo thero would have been no olianco of escape. Our first business was to get trysails and staysails on to her, but sho would not run, or wo could have made Capo Hawke Bay. As it was, our only chance lay in working out to sea, but we had to keep her head to the sea as best we could, for all day on Thursday the waves were fearful. Tilings got very bad, and it was evident that no headway was possible unless we lightened the ship; so we set to and throw over a lot of the heavy deok cargo forward. Tho effect was magical. She came up splendidly, and aftei that behaved* beautifully, shipping scarcely any water. By midnight of Thursday wo wore out about 60 milos off the land in light weather, so we got the vessel about and stood in for the land. It took till Sunday morning to got back, and we found wo wero off Terrigal. Here tho steamer Nambucca took us in tow and brought us to Sydney." Captain Colvin stated that they were passed by several vessels, which must have seen their signals of distress flying. One in particular passed on Saturday, and came dose enough for tho crew to see persons on the passing vessel walking about the decks, but no notice, whatever was taken of the signals. Another large steamer passed quite close, bound north. Beyond the broken tail-shaft the Woliumbin is not damaged at all, and as she lies at the Government Wharf at Pyrmont would not attraot any notice by external marks inflicted by the tempestuous weather through which she has just come.