A PROLONGEDD VOYAGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2287, 30 December 1897, Page 11

A PROLONGEDD VOYAGE.

Letters received in Sydney by the l»»t fSau Francieco mail contain numerous references to the Hahptmann's voyage of 214 d&ys from South Shields. The ship met with the remarkable experience of being two months becalmed on the equator. The captain (Biadou) died at sea, and the crew suffered terrible privations. One letter to Sydney is from the chief officer (Green), aud contains a description of thi; unexampled passage. He says : " For weeket the men lounged about the deck* praying for a brefZsto spring up that would take them to any port before the food supply had vanished. When the United States training skip Adams hove in sight we were reduced to the extremity of starvation. Nine of the 25 men composing the craw were down with Ihe scurvy. It was at this time that the captain sank from exhaustion and what seemed to be erysipelas, probably dus tv i insufficient nourishing food. The whole crhT were on a biscuit a day and a quart of water, with a little barley water. When the A'laovj hove in sight all that remained of food was some rice, and the men by that time ha'i^ become so weak that they were uuable to r&iso a cheer as they saw the steamer heave-to &.nd\send off her boat with, food to succour them. Only or.c m»n of the lob was stroog <-.ti<iugh do go aloft, so thib the vessel had been unabls to take advantage of any favourable weather, the crew being physically unequal to workiug tho ship." To add to the terrors of starvation the ship fell in off the Home (Juae 7) with a gale, and the seas that broke over her smashed the lifeboats and deckhouses, and for s-vernl d&yp, eaya the letter, the vessel pitched helplessly about with 2in thickness of ica on her deck and masts and yards.

The prosperity of Alexandra South, owing to the dredging boom, may be gauged by the fact that last week s'x tons of beer and spiri'.s went vato the town per waggon. The executive of the New Zealand Alliance takes exception to the remarks of Mr Hawkins, 8.M., in the recent sly grog-selling case in Clutha, aud passed a. resolution disapproving ol them.