A STORMY VOYAGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23514, 31 May 1938, Page 12

A STORMY VOYAGE

ISLAND STEAMER BUFFETED WORST IN CAPTAIN’S EXPERIENCE LIVE STOCK SUFFER (Per United Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, May 30. After a voyage which her master, Captain J. Allsop, described as the worst he had ever experienced in all his 123 trips between the Chatham Islands and Lyttelton, the Chatham Islands steamer Tees arrived at Lyttelton this morning, 50 hours behind the time when she was expected. Exceptionally rough weather delayed the vessel and, of the 78 head of cattle put on board at Waitangi, about 40 reached Lyttelton alive and some of these were landed in poor condition. The Tees left the Chatham Islands at 11 p.m. on Wednesday and within a short time ran into a gale that lasted for nearly three days. At noon on Thursday she had covered only 40 miles of the trip, making little headway against the high seas and the 70 mile an hour gale that she encountered. It was only natural, in these circumstances, that the live stock should suffer, said Captain Allsop. One of the four men who were appointed to look after the cattle during the voyage, Mr A. Strachan, said he did not think a single beast would have been lost had ordinary weather been met. The first beast died on Saturday, but until then the stock appeared to be in fairly good condition considering the circumstances. But, on-Saturday, numbers died and he himself had worked from 10 o’clock in the morning until 8 o’clock at night in helping to dispose of the carcasses, which were dumped overboard by the ship s discharging gear. This had to be worked in a heavy sea with the vessel pitching. On Sunday more of the cattle died and, altogether, 35 were dumped overboard. There were at least two carcasses unloaded at Lyttelton to-day. Some of the cattle when they were loaded into trucks were unable to stand and it was stated that they would be sent to a by-products company. Others in better condition were forwarded to Addington sale yards.