A ROUGH VOYAGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13305, 11 October 1906, Page 5

A ROUGH VOYAGE.

EXPERIENCES OF THE PAKEHA. /The Shaw, Savill, and Albion" Company's steamer Pakeha arrived from London direct last evening, and anchored in the powder ground, having explosives on boaVd. The steamer, which is on her 30th visitHo New Zealand, has made a somewhat lengthy voyage on this occasion, owing to having met with extreme weather conditioned, • , The Pakeha left London on August 4Kand< r,?fi. e ?U tailing .at Hqlehaven for- explosives i , the pilot was 'lauded ,■ off Dover the %Ltti day. A dense fog prevailed between Beachy Head and Ushant, the steamer being under reduced speed for 40 hours. Mode", rate ; winds and fine weather were experienced to Teneriffe, and the steamer anchored off Santa Cruz on August 12. : Resumed the voyage the same date, and light vari-* 1 abl« winds and tine weather accompanied the' steamer to the equator, which was crossed in longitude 12 west. Afterwards strong' south-east ■• trade winds were met with, increasing in force to moderate head gales with heavy seas as the Cape of Good Hope was approached, the Cape being rounded at eight a.m. on September 5. . I, Entering the higher latitudes heavy south and south-west galea were encountered, accompanied by fierce squalls of snow, hail, ..'.'. and rain, and the tremendous seas thus raised caused the steamer to strain and '■. ;.:/;. labour excessively, and kept her lower ' decks almost continually flooded. On September 18, whilst running before a Strong south-west gale, one of the chains in the steam-steering apparatus parted, and the vessel lay-to for some time in the trough of the sea, rolling heavily, and shipping enormous quantities of water, until the chain could be replaced and the steamer brought under control again. Under these conditions the voyage progressed until the longitude of Cai>e Leeuwin was reached, when the wind veered and blew wtih great force from the north and north-east, continuing in 'that direction until the Tasmanian coast was sighted. On October 2, at nine a.m., the vessel anchored at Hobart, to replenish her coal bunkers, and left again at one a.m. on the 3rd. The same evening, when the vessel was hardly clear of the land, a heavy south-east gale sprang up, increasing to hurricane force, and raised a mountainous sea, which swept the vessel from stem to stern, flooding the forecastle, alleyways, and officers'' rooms. The bridge, funnel, and masts, were continually enveloped in, i sheets of flying spray. The gale, after, blowing furiously for 48 hours, during' which time the steamer made little or no headway, veered to the east and north-east and moderated, but for several days the passage of the storm was marked by an enormous east and north-cast swell. . Cape Maria Van Diemen was passed on Tuesday evening, and the harbour made as above: