HEAVY GALE AT THE ISLANDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13206, 13 February 1905, Page 3

HEAVY GALE AT THE ISLANDS.

THE MATE OF THE LADY RANFURLY DROWNED. , (I'm Uottmi' Press AsaoorATtos.) AUCKLAND, February 11. Tho New . Zealand Government trading scliooncr Countess of Ranfurly, which arrived from the Islands to-day, had an awful experience in a hurricane on the 14th of last' month, tho mate, a. Norwegia'ii .named Molverg, being washed overboard and drowned and an the vessel's standing sails blown to ribbons. The master of the vessel, Captain Champion, reports that after leaving Rarotonga on January li the schooner shaped a courso for ilauke. On tlio 14th inst., qwing to the heavy north-cast wind, the vessel was only some 10 miles south of Atiu. The glass began to fall rapidly, and by 8 p.m. the wind had increased" to hurri-, cane force, with a heavy sea, tho baromotcr falling a3 low as 29.05. At 2 o'clock on tlie following morning the mate, A. Molverg, was on watch, Captain Champion ho-viirg temporarily left tho deck to get a. oliange of clothing. Suddenly Captain Champion felt tho vessel come round to the wind, after having been hit by a heavy sea. Ho immediately rushed on deck, and to his dismay found that the mate had gone overboard. Tho vessel was in the trough o£ tho sea and a heavy gale tviw raging. It was impossible to launch a boat. From what ho was told by two of the native crew who were at the wheel, it appeared tlvat Molverg was holding on to the rail of the deckhouse when the s!iip_ give a sudden' lurch. Ho lost his "hold, and slipped along the deck, and while trying to cateb hold of the side rail the shin gave another lurch and the unfortunate man lost his balance and went over the side. He had little chance to swim, for lie was clothed in heavy oilskins. Deceased was 45 years of ago and n. native of Norway. When the hurricane swept down on the vessel the mainsails and all the standing canvas was split up into ribbons and 1 blown away. Captain Champion then decided to run the vessel before tho storm with only bare mast.?. Just before the mate was washed overboard ho (tho mate) gave the tiller to one of tho crew. When the captain came on deck ho found the tiller deserted, and in consequence tho vessel bad broached to. Tho alter canvas was got out as the vessel was in the trough of the sea, and. she was allowod to lay-to until the hurricane abated, which ■was about 3 o'clock on the morning of tho 15th. The' vessel sustained no further damage, and the remainder of the passage was marked by calm weather. The Islands of Aituataki and Maracae were visited on January 14 with a severe gale amounting to a hurricane, and much damage wis done at both islands,-Mr >T. C. Cameron, resident magistrate at Aitutald, reports that the gale commenced at. aboisb 9 p.m. on the 14th inst. from N.N.E., and' gradually worked southward to S.W., the wind increasing in force until the S.E., when it' blew hardest, at about 4 p.m., and then got easier until next morning, when the wind dropped. A number 01/ houses were unroofed, but some only paria-Jly so, always commencing with the verandah. The districts of Ynipac and Tauti suffered most, churolies and schools being amongst the plaoes more or less • damaged. The worst feature was tho immense quantity of native food destroyed. Breadfruit trees and bananas are down in all directions, and many cocoanuts wcro destroyed l . Mr Cameron anticipates a hard six months for the "natives and not much copra next season, as the nuts must now be used for food. AH the natives are now proceeding to plant food, to the exclusion of other work." So far as appears at present there is no need for outside assistance. ' At the Island of Manuae, which is held for cocoanut planting under lease to the Cook Islands Trading Company, the sea broke over tho reef right up on to the island itself. A copra, shed l containing about 15 tons of copra was washed away, portion of the copra, however, being saved. Several houses were blown down, and many growing coooanuts were destroyed. The sea was the heaviest known for many years.