ARRIVAL OF THE BEN NEVIS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2275, 7 October 1897, Page 38

ARRIVAL OF THE BEN NEVIS.

The barque Ben Nevis, from Glasgow, arrived on Friday, and anchored at the quarantine ground. It will be remembered that the Ben Nevis met with some terrible weather, being overtaken by asiorm of such severity that she was practically disabled and narrowly escaped complete disaster. To make matters \vorse, her encounter with •wind and water resulted in the loss of one life, a sailor named Johansen, a Norwegian, being washed overboaid by an immense sea as he was proceeding along- the deck to take bis turn at the wheel. The Ben Nevis is a barque of 1053 tons, and is under the command of Captain Sims. She brings a, full cargo for this port and Wellington. The Ben Nevis left Glasgow on March 31. .On July 3 a veritable avalanche of water swept over the barque, carrying away the steering gear and washing the man at the wheel to; the other end of the vessel, where he recovered himself -just as the sailor who was preparing to go aft and relieve him was, as already indicated]! carried overboard -and drowned. With thp loss of the steering gear the barque naturally became unmanageable, and " broached to " of her own accord, with most disastrous results. As she swept helplessly round, .mountainous seas crashed on beard, and the barque was fora time buried in water. - Portions of the bulwark were carried away, the lifeboats and their davits shared a similar fate ; tha poop deck was smashed, and the quarter hatch stove in ; this and other damage being but the work of a' few seconds. The cabin was completely flooded, and' everything movable in it was swept away in less time than it t-*kes to record the incident. Worst of all, Captain Sims lost all his ravigating instiuwents au<i charts, the absence of which considerably intensified the concern which he felb, as his vessel seemed in imminent danger. Throughout the ordeal, however, all on board worked with a will, and after many hours, as the hurricane showed signs of abating, the emergency steering tackle was with difficulty adjusted, and the barque once again put on her course. Port Phillip being the nearest port, Captain Sims, in view of the damage which his vessel had sustained, determined to put in there for the necessary repairs, arriving on. July 14, when a suivey took place, and as the bull was in a perfectly sound condition, it was not found necessary to dock the vessel or discharge cargo. During her* stay in Melbourne the whole of the saloon was replaced (including tables and settees), decks were recaulked, one new skylight was fitted and one repaired, while new skids and two new boats, new stanchions, topgallant, and forecastle rails were replaced, the afterhatch and scuttle hatch were repaired, and a new poop deck and other repairs were executed.

Bltjfp, October 2.— Sailed : Hawke's Bay, Kteemer, for London. Cargo froni the Bluff— 612 bales wool, 927 cases frozen rabbits, 13,395 carcases mutton. 4 boxes crayfish, 1 box' oysters. The Huddart-Paiker Company's s.s. Anglian left the cross wharf on the 28th for Sydney, via East Coast ports. The harbour and all the shipping officas, with all 'the vessels in the upper harbour, were put into nautical mourniDg cm the 29th nit. as a rnaik of respect for the late Mr J. L. Gillies, secretary of the Otngo Harbour Board. The s.s. Pukaki w,as fioated'outof the graving dock on the 29th ult., and her place was occupied by the s.s. Beautiful" Star and tug Koputal. The amount of customs revenue collected at tne Dunedin custom house during the past mouth ou goods cleared for consumption was £25,897 33a (id, and the beer duty for the month came to £1311 5s Bd. In the corresponding month of last year the revenue on goods amounted to £32,072 183 Id, and the beer duty to £1288 19« 3d.

During the quarter ended September 30. 1897, the customs revenue received -ou goods cleared for consumption amounted to £101,854 16s 3d, and the beer duty for the quarter was £3739 16s sd. In the corresponding quarter of last year the sum of £97,087 0s 6d was received on goods cleared for consumption, and £3391 18s lOd as beer duty. The Union Steam Ship Company's Waikare, Captain J. Anderson, from Melbourne, via Hobart and the Bluff, arrived at the tongue wharf at 7.30 a.m. of Saturday. The s.s. Hauroto was floated iEto the graving flock on Saturday morning for the purpose of shipping a new boss for her propeller blades. The s.s. Wakatipu, Captain O. Spinks, from Sydney, arrived at noon on Sunday. The a.s. Waihora, from Sydney, viaEsut Coast, reached Dunedin at 6.15 a.m. on Sunday. She left -the company ; s.Margaret street wharf at 5.15 p.m. on the 22nd. During the week ending October 3, the following vessel* have been at the Dunedin wharves :— Arrivals : Rotorua, s.a , 576 tons ; Napier, s.s., 41 tons ; Waikare, s.s., 1901 tons ; Omapere, s.b., 3&2 tons ; Waihora, s.s., 1269 tons ; Wakatipu, s.s., 1258 tons ; Invercargill, s s., 123 tons ;— rtotal, 5527 tons. Departures: Invercargill, 5.5., ,123 tons, ; Anglian, 5.5., -1354 tons' ; Napier, s.s., 48 tons; Onyx, barque, '403 tons ; Grasmere, barque, 1157 tons; Rotoruin, a.s., 576* toni; Napier, a.*., 48 tons; Omapere, s.s., 352 tons; Maud Graham, .schooner, 80 tons j-^total. 4141 tons. , The Union Steam Ship Company's steamer Beautiful Star, which is to be placed in commission again, will be taken from Port Chalmers to by Captain Browne, EN.R., the late chief officer of the company's s.s. Mararoa. The Italian barque Gio Batta Beverino, from JNew York, via Lyttelton, arrived on Monday. The Gio Batta Beverino is a. fine-looking iron vessel of 1157 tons reeiater, and comes consigned to Messrs Bates. Site, and Co. Her careo

for this port coniists of some 1050 tons, having discharged 950 tons at Lytteltou.