SHORT OF COAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13502, 29 July 1907, Page 5

SHORT OF COAL.

- THE VOYAGE OF THE COMO. i i i —™—, , -, i 1 - i ■■ ;':^v:;&.;:w:Kv:-:::-"-: . ' ■ :«- :■ ' HEAVY WEATHER. IX SOUTHERN ; -■ ~" ; ' . OCEAN. ' "■-; Vnotufk of the steamers bound from South America: to Australia, which have : ; Lou such fvpquei.t visitors to the port of ' Auckland during the past few months to ; > -'replenish their, supply of bunker coal, put i ; in an : iippearnnce on Saturday morning, in the' large cargo steamer Como, bound from y dparaiso to Sydney. ■ :.:,■•. \-p. . .:;:,: |g|g§ : ' 'Tlio Como, which visited Auckland some : months ago, coming from:. New York to; Australia and New ■ Zealand, took out a. ' ciiV of coal from Sydney to Valparaiso in JvlaV lust and whilst at that port, owing; . to bad weather, the steamer had to put to '"sea on two occasions, remaining outside - for 24 hours each time. The cargo being ' finally landed, the Como left for Sydney , on Juno 23, and from the outset of the voyage experienced heavy head gales and % seas.. Day after I^"y^:'.' the same ; weather conditions continued, and •-. in .- i the hope, ' of meeting calmer weather. Captain Eel--'kins put the steamer on a more northerly course, "' going as far north ;' as .22 degrees. |8p little respite from the bad -weather was "obtained,' and it was hoped that /the steamer .would hi enabled to make a good ' voyage. After , four days, however, the. ■ Wither changed once again to the old 1 conditions, for head gales and seas were ' the order of the day. Speaking to «i Hen alb reporter on Saturday. Captain "Pelkins said : "Well, when the steamer was put on the southerly course, again, we caught- it all right. We had ■'<r;'i!e after gale, accompanied by 'heavy seas, " the wind all the time being ahead. The Como did not'average more than six Knots per hour, and -when you remember, that the ; steamer can do 11 knots comfortably, in. '•• anything like ordinary weather, it will give you some idea, as to what the weather * was like. The steamer was drawing POfi 1 aft, 'but that did tot prevent the propel-. : ■ler, being, out of the -water: on many an 'occasion. Finding that the coal in the bunkers was becoming short. I decided to ,' run into, a 'New Zealand port for a supply; and having received such kindly and fa-' vourable treatment on my last visit to Auckland. I 1 chose to put in here, and so shaped ; my course accordingly. The bad -weather, however, still kept with us," and coming up towards the gulf on "Friday' ■ niijht, heavy, rain :set in,- which continued t . ;'', iiulii'i early , this morning, ; and we :V -iiMde,'the anchorage at 10 a.m." ■ , " s ' ? ' Captain Felkins describes the weather '-..'as being the stormiest and of the longest -' duration of any that he In* experienced " : for many years: and how far it interfered i with .progress nt the steamer,may be /imagined from, I lie fact/that on her last run, from Valparaiso to Sydney, the voyage w anied onh 50 day.-., whilst an the prc- •■ sent voyage it took >35 days to reach §!^ijcldlind./' : ' ; - ; ?"j-;.;3 ' ; iv:.'; ; : ":^-';'" r : v ; ■'Sv' l||*|i'lio|!"CSnp,'| having'- taken ■/ on - board ■;■ 200■ .. ■tons of West-port coal, resumed her voyiWe to Sydney yesterday morning..