SOME SEA YARNS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12790, 15 June 1912, Page 2 (Supplement)

SOME SEA YARNS.

GOMMAMDER . CRUTCHLEY'S REMINISENCES. INCIDENTS IN NEW ZEALAND PORTS. LONDON, April 26. New Zealand has an exceptional interest m tho story of the transition from sail to steam us told by Commander Crutchley, R.N.R., the popular skipper of the old Ruapehu and Kaikoura, since his connection Avith the Dominion dated i from 1863 to 1894. , Commander Ci-utchley had many years' of: excellent service m all grades m the Union line,- -running to Sbuth Africa, and it Avas only the terrible depression m trade- m 1883 ■ that placed him on the "starid--by"' r list', ; Avith seS'eral other commanders bf the same line. A circular was received stating that tho NeAv Zealand Shipping Company required officers for the steamers Avhich it Avas about to introddce irito its mail service A ' " Two other captains of the Union line having accepted the command of the Ruapehu and then given it vp — because they feared to go into ice regions or to navigate the Straits bf Magellan — Captain Crutchley imriifediately Avired offering to take coiftmand, . and Avas accepted. "My general instructions Aye-re,": . writes Captain Crutchley, "that my ship AA'as to be brought to the staiidard of the best mail steamer" 'afloat> arid I must s&y that ariy ■> recommendation- I •<■' made' received the greatest attention." ■ _ • A distinct novelty about the Ruapehu Avaa the fact that -she carried "midshipmen," or company's .• apprentices, "a praiseAA r orthy attempt to meet the ?'demand for facilities to tariff officers; but it' Was a little too early," arid the practice Avas discontinued after several voyages. Tlie- highest day's'run ori the Avay -out Avas; '32B /knots, arid the average speed for the .passage 1&8 knots. The Ruapehu Avas, of course, a sloav ship m New Zealand waters, and the neAvspaper reporters • Were' the only thing that really annoyed the captain until he Avas informed that interviewing' Ai-as' the custom of th 6 country- arid that lie Avould be Avise to fall m with it. , INCIDENTS IN, NEW ZEALAND. Even so early as this Mr MurrayAyrisley Avas - chairman of the NeAV Zealand directors, . and it Avas to him that Commander Crutchley pointed out the .desirability of altering- the' painting of the ship.' ("The hideous yellOAv color of the masts and yards" was to him particularly obnoxious, and with Mr Mur-ray-Aynsley's permission the Ruapehu AA^as transformed into the fashioh of the Union steamers, and looked like a yacht. Captain Crutchley remarks with admiration on the 'ability of the NeAv Zealand pilots. "For haridlirig laa-'g© ships under their own steam these men' m all New Zealand ports shoAved a AA-onderful aptitude. This Wellington pilot m particular Was ari extraordinarily good- -man." •- . A ■'"";' "' 'WARE ICE. - Acting under the prevailing fear of icebergs infesting tlie route to the Horn, Captain , Crutchley • took . a careful course, AA-ith the result;that a daj/'s run of. 320 miles only put liirii : 2B miles nearer pOrti"He spoiled his trip' to Rio, saAv not -a scrap of ice, arid- had rio trouble Whatever. But the experience- Avas valuable as an indication that bergs Avere, not nearly so' plentiful as they seemed to be oil the chart. : ■ One or . tAvo- voyages later, Captain Crutchley Avas transferred to the command of tho new steamer,, the old clippsriboAved Kaikoura, Avhich proved tb be an' exceptional pitcher./It Avas Avhile the Kaikoura lay m Lyttelton that she ay.-is visited by the GoA'ernor (Sir W. F. Drummond Jervois), As a Naval Reserve man, with tAA r o Re : serve officers under him, Captain Crutchley was "keen on doing the thing m first-rate style. . It seemed ; to ■me that a^o might turn oiit a/ decent guard of honor.' Arms Avere- borrowed, the second ; officer! took. v command, and when the Governor; stepped, on board there was ii) very, good ("present arms," and tho flag Was broken atvthe : main. 1 Lunch po> ceeded,but, unfortunately, the Gqverrior ivoso rather suddenly .from the table, Avith the result that there AA r as. no time to Avam the guard* to get into AA*drking order again, j, However^ his Exoellency made no remark, ; TIRELESS TALKERS. > One .eveping; -ip Wellington the late Sir George Whitmore invited to dine two members . of the Government,* Flag Captiain (iioav Admiral) n Atwell Lake, of H.M.S.v-.Nelson, . and Captain Crutchley. "The Flag-Captairi avos a tireless talker. A -.- . But Sir George AA-as also a: tireless talker, and I fancy tliat Lake vvent them prepared, to vanquish him at the game,yfor he started to talk at the com^ menc6ment;Of dinner, kept us all inter'ejsted, and Sir . Georgo - riever got a AA'ord m edgeAvays the Avhole of : the /time." -A This was the time, of the Russian Avar scare, and the .-Kaikoura' was taken by the Government, but shortly^ afterwards handed over- again. Captain Crutchley inspected the forts AA-ith 'Sir i George Whitmore, and he recalls an inspection Of the forts at Otago Heads some! years later with Mr Seddon. The. Officer Commanding,, wanted', another Agun mounted m a particular spot. ," After some demur Seddon .agreed to give this, 'but said the Government could not ; afford luxuries. Some \ one chipped m 'That's; What the Daily . —^- says- about .you having, a special train.' 'Oh,?, replied Seddori ; 'they say that, do they?.' Well, m future I] will have a special train -a- great deal oftener than I have done.' 'V' - JiACINC THE ROTOMAKANA. A There is a story of the race betAA'een the Kaikoura' and tlie '•'Rotomahana, a beautiful vessel built by/Dennys." i Both viessels Avere m Wellington harbor ready to sail for Lyttelton. The idea of racing had never entered the captain's head, "and, as lookers-on said aftenvards, 'I went down the -middle , of tire-, harbor as usual AAdth a lead m both chains.'" He did not-cut the/bbtners fine, and to his astonishment the Ttotomahana, which left shortly after {they Kaikoura, ''came arid squeezed "m betAveen V me arid the i first turning .point. :': She avos Crowded with passengers going down to the Christchurbh' racesj arid they - howled at us ih derision*, 1 holding up rope ends and offer-irigius-a-tow if Aye Wanted ; one/ We had I started 'under: easy stearii, aS avos usual iri •: coasting, and Aye liad m fact been oyerhauled;' very quickly, but the indig-nity'of-the proceeding rather vexed me, so 1 1 sent-r for > 'my ;' : chief engineer, 4nd pointed out that it M*as riot desirable that avO ehorild be made a laughing stock, of; He -refp'lied'-that he. supposed "it Was to be 'Elder (meaning Fairfield) against Denny^' to AVhich I assented and he werit beIOAAV .A. .i The •lea"d' : the Rotomahana had; got did i not increase, but she still ostentatiously trailfed her coat.. .There was no'doUbt, under "ordinary steaming conditions; our then rival. Ai'as ■the faster ship, but. ... to malce a long' story: Short;- avo^ let my ship go' andiAVe simply 'raced past omv; friend, got to Lyttelton ; an, hour and a-half to • the' good) 'and Wer.e safely moored and piped doAvn 1 before she got* into dock. > -A' 'i "The captain of i the Rotomahana was a. -very splendid -skipper ■ named Carey. He had done/ numbers of fine things on tlie coast,' arid" 1 Avasi coriimonly -spoken of oy a somewhat fiery sobriquet-".. The record made by the "Kaikoura from Wellington to Lyttelton Avas only broken sohib years: lafcei" ;by H.M;S. : Orlando.— Post corresnonderit. •■" vi