VESSEL IN STORM

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18973, 25 March 1936, Page 3

VESSEL IN STORM

CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE SEAS FLOOD O A IWX'S WIND LIKE JIG ERICA N E An exeepl ionally severe slunn in 11 Irisli Sea. was experieiiee.d liy I lie I* eil - era I Line sleamer Middlesex, wliieli arrived ill Auckland from Liverpool on Sunday night.' The wind reached hurricane force and heavy seas Ipoke on board the steamer and did considerable damage to deck ‘lit tings, as well as flooding the crew’s quarters. Two of (he ship’s boats were struck by seas and lifted out of their chocks, a. hole being knocked in one of the boats. I'lie wooden porch sheltering the captain’s cabin door was smashed in by -a wave, which also struck the compass platform, over 4Cft. above the. water line. It damaged the panelling round the platform and .washed away the platform ladder. One sea smashed in a cahin door anil tilled the forecastle with water. Hooding tin engineers' and petty officers quarters. The same wave nearly washed overboard a monkey, which has beeiMuc ship’s mascot for about two years, the box containing the monkey was being washed about the deck when il was rescued Seas breaking on deck tore ..wav a considerable amount ot non stcasnpipe casings some ol which were bent almost double. I lilting Ihe storm a steamer w hich could be seen from the Middlesex "as nealiv blown ashore on the 'I nseaO Hocks, mi the south coast of Ireland. Al’lor sending nut a wireless rail lor aid she managed to clear the daugei without assistance. . Three other vessel , a, steamer, a schooner and a coasting vessel, also sent out messages that lhr> were in danger, but the .Middlesex could do nothing more than battle against flu tempest. After being how-to for 12 hour., she was able to resume her voyage. A few days later the Middlesex cm countered a* south-west. 1 storm. which lasted for three days and caused her to ship more water on (leek. She was three days late in arriving at I’anama. hut good progress was made during the pr..sage across the Pacific, where genei.div line weather prevailed.