TEMPESTUOUS SEAS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21146, 2 October 1930, Page 6

TEMPESTUOUS SEAS.

MAORI IN A GALE. VESSEL FOUR HOURS LATE, . (Special to Daily Times.) CHRISTCHURCH, October 1. Tempestuous seas gave the ferry steamer Maori a boisterous passage from Wellington to Lyttelton last night, and she did not arrive at Lyttelton till 10.55 o clock this morning, about four hours and a-quarter behind the usual time. The passengers spent a sleepless night and slight damage was. done on the deck, though fortunately the motor cars were out ot harm’s way on the aft deck. The Wingatui, on the way from Wellington to Lyttelton, also felt the force of the stormy seas and will not make port till to-mor-row morning. "The trip was considerably worse than .the one on June 12 last, when the Maori was three hours and a-hal£ late,” said Captain Irwin, “ and waa also worse than the one prior to that, when the motor cars were damaged on the forward deck. Last night very heavy head seas broke on the deck and one wrenched from its fastenings a wire reel. Luckily the motor cars were stowed on the after deck, otherwise, in all probability, they would have been smashed by the heavy seas. The weather was tolerably fine at Wellington up to 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon, but after that a southerly gale sprang up, and when the Maori left it was increasing in force. Severely buffeted in crossing Cook Strait, the vessel did not reach Capo Campbell until midnight. On a usual run she is there by 10.15 p.m. Kaikoura was not abeam till 5.15 agn.. compared with 1.25 a.m. on a usual trip. Against the heavy weather reduced speed was necessary. The Maori was _ kept at 14 knots till 7 o’clock this morning, thereafter she logged 16 knots, but it was poor going, compared with the 19 knots of which she is capable in good_ conditions.” Passengers described the passage as one never to be forgotten. The vessel tossed in the heavy seas all through the night, and sleep had been quite out of the question. Luggage piled on bunks in the cabins was tossed about and many people experienced the greatest difficulty in walking.