"A Man Overboard!"

Southland Times, Issue 4483, 22 November 1882, Page 2

"A Man Overboard!"

: ;^^--» '^ ' A passenger by^ the steamship Dacca, from Madras f or London gives an interesting account of an exciting ibetie^wfteii he witnessed during la rstorm in the Indian Ocean. The vessel: encountered the moasoon a few days after leaving 'Colombo, and the gale became so violent thiit canvas had to be taken 1 liri^ awnin^sVfTiirled, and things made as'sniig aspossiblcj.-' "The correspondent describes Hyh'at followed :—"! came on deek- at 6 a.m. ; f it was blowing ; fiercely and/.the spray coming pyer ithe sheets. ;: ; V ; i' There were three of :' us ' ; on ,deck when the jgtniqk— a-Migsj a ; M* » Qd vm®?* iM>-o™j>f>itim on to ; puj; Ghairß,;,whjph were,; firmly lashed to the inner cab|n 3 gky lights, lender the lee of tho ladies!' aaldon;NrAPSrt/;o£«the r:crew were , working hard togetthe starboard -lifeboat ; inboard, when a big -roll tto windward 'waffled 'us ! of/; what was /coming. . 'Hold on !' sqme'onW shontedr We held : on. ; Tfiti ; chairs rushed ,forwftrct bi their,,, . laslfings. ; ! The deck st^od .ugrigtijt. came the sea, over the. gunwale, over 'the ' taffrail, up too»r waists; lifted the lifeboat out of |,i to shackles, carried it overboard, smashing away staricliionsj anct davity and •, out to sea. Then came, tJiV.'temble cry l * Man overboard ! " .. The , helm was spot' down, the engines; reversed,;, and back we went on a search — the more readily, so.aa sharks, had.beeja seen; rpund^theishjp earlier ■? in tbe.inOiaifa^V.^/p^)^^^^^!^ *' seen some 200 yards f «fi^ keel; uppermost. Soon after the two men were observed clinging to it. Then came"au .exciting two hours; during, which we steamed after the v boat, which was drifting rapidly towards the east. But turning^ ship like the Dacca is a very slow business, and as she hung in the wind's eye 1 a 'jib was hoisted to bring her round. -By the time tins !; was. 'done' the boat, 5 with' -its f * pitifnllpoking crew, was away H»o miles and more to leeward, and" we were rolling - heavily and unmanageable. At Jas^ the captain decided to lower a boat, and the order was given, " Stand by the boat," and eoon after, "]pwerj"". Who is /going in her?" he shouted. The first officer, Mr Ingram, sprang over the side, caught hold of the davit ropes' and slipped down, ; but just as he gpt^near her a great roll of ' the ship lifted him clear of the boat twenty fe^et in the air. As he came down again the boat had drifted forward, arid [he was plunged down in the boiling sea for fife or six seconds. Up he came again as the ship heeled over, still hanging on, and raißsed.by an, ace having his, skull. smashed against the small boat's side. It was really a terrible sight, and" we shuddered as we looked on, the boat all the while being lashed up and down by the violence of the waves. But at' lasf bis opportunity came, 'and' he >into 'the stern. At once he was followed by the boatswain, two firemen, and; two European sailors, the native crew hanging shamefully back. One of the passengers—a young English officer; Lieutenant Wolff of the Seventh Fusiliers, volunteered at once, but the officer in charge would not accept a passenger's services while men of the crew could be got. At last the boat shoved off, and in a terrible sea they set out for the missing boat. Directed by the motions of a man aloft, they got alongside her and took the men aboard. Then began a hard row-back. _,We..lost sight of her again and again, wondering how she pould live in such a sea. But still she held oh and got at last under our lee. By the help of a ease of oil scattered over the waves, they^ ' were comparaitvely stilled, a ladder was let down, and when the last man stepped aboard such a cheer greeted him as told him what we thought of his pluck, and that of the gallant fellows with hun.