BARQUE IN TROUBLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3102, 27 August 1913, Page 31

BARQUE IN TROUBLE.

AUCKLAND, Apgiust 25. The three-masted Russian barque Clan Macfarlane was towed into port this afternoon by the Harbour Board's tug Test whina, and anchored in the stream about 3 o’clock. The vessel met with misfortune on her voyage from New Caledonia to Hamburg. According to the story related by Captain \V. A. Maekelar she left New Caledonia bound for Hamburg with a cargo of nickel ore on August 14 last. ” We experienced fine weather and south-westerly winds for the first six days,” said the master, “ and in that time tailed 1000 miles. Then the wind went round to easterly and heavy seas rose. On August 20 we shortened sail because of the force of tho wind, only keeping the upper and lower topsails and fore and aft sails on her. The ship rolled heavily all the time. After a heavy squall the wind dropped almost to a cairn at 11.40 p.m. on the 20th. The wind then rose again and the ship commenced to take over heavy rollers, and one of these did damage which disabled us. The sails were blown to shreds, the foremast and mainmast snapped and the rigging went with them, only tiro lower masts being left standing. All the yards went too, and everything from the mizzen to the royal topmasts were carried away. A seaman named Julman Laaman, who was forward on look-out dutv, was caught by a rope and lifted 6ft or"7ft into the air, dropping on the donkey engine. His back was injured badly enough to prevent him from doing any more work since. The falling of tho main yard bent and battered both the port and starboard bulwarks, but no other member of the crew was injured in any way when the masts and rigging carried away. “ All hands were called on deck to clear wreckage,” continued the captain. ‘‘Soundings xvere taken, hut the ship was not making any water. The wreckage, which went by the board, was hanging against the vessel’s sides and bumping continuously. Such a heavy sea was running that it took us all that night and the two following days to cut everything

away clear. Throughout this time we saw no other ships, our position being 175.40 E. and 33.30 S.

“When everything was cleared away from the sides of the barque we rigged up new fore-and-aft sails,” said the captain* “and headed for Auckland at a very slow rate, this being the nearest practicable port and lying about 150 miles from us. We had hue weather for tho run into port, with a strong northerly breeze ”

Tlie Clan Macfarlano is an iron barque 30 years old, and it is yet to be decided whether she will repay the cost of repairs, which it is estimated will mn into some thousands of pounds. She carries a crew of 17 all told, most of them being Finns, though there are . two British seamen aboard and one or two Frenchmen and Germans.