SHORT OF PROVISIONS

Otago Witness, Issue 2761, 13 February 1907, Page 53

SHORT OF PROVISIONS

BARQUE PUTS INTO LYTTELTON

HARBOUR

CHRISTCHL'RCH, February 8.

Late last night a big British barque sailed into Lyttelton Harbour and came to an anchorage in the stream. When daylight this morning revealed her riding at anchor there was much speculation as to her identity. Certain it was that her captain was familiar with Lyttelton, for a stranger would not have dared to sail the* ship so ' far up the harbour without a pilot. Later on it was learnt that she was the British barque Annesley, which had put into port short of provisions. The press representative who went out with the health officer learned that the vessel, which is laden with pig-iron and bricks, is on the voyage from the Tyne, England, via Monte Video, to San Francisco. It is now just on 10 months since t*je Annesley sailed from England, and it is over three months — 98 days, to be exact- since she left Monte Video. The weather-beaten and rusty appearance of the vessel's top sides spoke eloquently of a long and weary battle with heavy gales and high seas, and of many tedious days of calm weather. The mate, leaning over the vessel's rail, said that "it took her all her time to do five knots an hour, and it would need a couple of gale^ to drive her at eight knots." Captain Ceriez, the master of tho Anneslev, was anxious to get ashore at once in order to consult with his agents and anange for supplier of fre-sh provisions.

THE CAPTAINS STORY

As tho launch returned to the whaif, Captain Cerioz told his story. The Annosley, under the command of CVptain Culbert, left tho Tyne, England, on April 24 last year laden with a cargo of pig-iron and bricks for San Francisco. The passage proved uneventful until the vessel reached tho neighbourhood of Cape Horn. Here she encountered a long succession of westerly gales. On July 14 came the crowning misfortune, tho death of Captain <"ulbert, and then the cornmaml devolved on the chief officer. The stormtossed vessel was beating io and fro off the Ho.-n, trying to get to the westward, but fehe was so- severely damaged by fearful gales that at last her acting-master decided to put back to Monte Video for repairs. . The vessel reached that port on August 28 last, and while there all the damage done to the vessel was made good, and she was once more in a thoroughly seaworthy condition. x Her present commander, Captain Ceriez, was sont out from England by the owners, and he took charge of her in Monte Video. Captain Ceriez states that under his charge the Annesley resumed her passage from Monte Video on November 2 la^t.

TERRIFIC SEAS.

Very heavy weather, with terrific seas, was experienced just after leaving, and in preference, to another battle with howling westorlv gales and tremendous seas off Cape Horn, Captain Ceriez decided, as many Bailing ship skippers have been doing lately, to take his ship to San Francisco via^ the eastward passage roiflld the Cape of Good Hope and across the Southern ocean, thence round New Zealand into the Paoific Ocean. After leaving Monte Video the ship, which wa« getting very foul on the bottom, was 32 days before she crossed the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope. The fates seemed to be against the vessel, for the passage was a succession of contrary winds, heavy gales, and calms. "Never in my life before have I exneiienced such - wretched weather/ eaiu Captain Ceiiez in an emphatic tone. " Week after week of calms and contrary winds, with every now and then a howling gale winch would last 12 or 20 houris, just long enough to raise a big sea. The vessel would ship green seas fore and aft during the gales, and then would follow a week or so of calm, during which time '.ke vessel rolled and wallowed in tho heavy seas until I thought ehe would roll he*mast* out. Week after week passed by,

and always the same weather — calms all the time, with now and then a heavy ' blow ' to vary the monotony.

SLOW PROGRESS.

"Owing to her foul condition the ship made very slow progress when she did get a fair wind, but on Sunday last, 93 days out from Monte Video, we made the Snares, to the south of Stewart Island. I then made up my mind to put into a New Zealand port for provisions, for at the rate of progress the ship was making the stock we had on board would never last us to 'Frisco. We experienced very thick weather along the New Zealand coast. I intended to put into Port Chalmers, but could not make that port owing to the thick weather, and so we came on to Lyttelton." Captain Ceriez is well acquainted with New Zealand ports, and he last visited Lyttelton seven years ago, in 1900, as master of the Shaw-Savill barque Brussels.

The Anneslev is an iron vessel of 1694 tons gross and 1691 tons net register. She was built at Stockton in 1876 by Richardson, Duck, and Co., and was formerly known as the British Enterprise. She is owned by the Shaw-Sa\ill Company.