THE HELEN B. STERLING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18466, 30 January 1922, Page 7

THE HELEN B. STERLING

THE CAPTAIN’S STATEMENT.' - i.. WORST GALE IN FORTY-TWO « YEARS. (Pis United Press Association.) AUCKLAND. January' 28. . Captain Harris, of tho Helen B; Sterling, who. had hitherto refused to say anything concerning ■ the wreck, to-day made a stale-' mcnl. He said, the vessel sailed from, Newcastle on January 5. All went well for the first, week, when they had a sf-mg » 1 . from tho south-east-. The .ship n u m water, and he tried (he gasolri c • i which broke down. The second olfiu&r mu or left the deck of the ship. They ]nunpocl cv hand, rfnd on January 19 the- weather cleared; but next day it began to • breeze up from S.S.E., and then hauled round'-to E.N.E. On Saturday night ho shortened eaii, and it blew very hard, so that the men were washed away from the pumps. He lowered the mainsail to tha ninth reef, and set tho spanker to keep the ehip head on to the seas. -At 5.30 am. on Sunday, when he was l»low, tho mainmast went over the side, and he sent out S.O.S. He got word that the Melbourne was after them, but ho made a mistake in tho position, which he did not know till 11.3, when -he sent out tho true position, and got an answer: ‘‘We* will reach you at 2/a.m. Keep. &■ .good' heart. , Melbourne will do all she can.’". He added -that the ehip was almost awash when abandoned. It was the worst gale he, had experienced in his 42. years of .sea experience, ,