THE REGENT GALE IN ENGLAND

Southland Times, Issue 17231, 30 December 1912, Page 5

THE REGENT GALE IN ENGLAND

SOME TERRIBLE EXPERIENCES. HEROISM BY OFFICERS AND MEN. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.) LONDON, December 28. Received 29th, 5.5 p.in. The Naming arrived at Gravesend at six o'clock on Saturday morning. Her bulwarks have been considerably damaged, her .fore deck a mass of wreckage, her hatches stove In, and having a heavy list to starboard. Captain Bidwell, on arrival, left the bridge for the first time since Thursday. The gale commenced after the vessel had passed the Channel Islands on Christmas evening, and increased in fury until seven o’clock in the morning. OR Ushant, where she was shipping water heavily, and speed was dead slow, her head was kept to the gale, and she was hove to. She so remained all the morning, the waves breaking over her right up to the bridge. The captain never before experienced such a gale and such tremendous seas in his thirty years’ experience. During the afternoon a mountainous wave swamped the whole ship, burying her forward, wrecking all the tackle in front of the mast. Besides flooding all the passenger accommodation It smashed the winches, burst through the hold, and flooded the cabins occupied by the women nad children. The waves tore up the iron deck, turning it back as If it were brown paper. As It was impossible to proceed the Naming was turned round to prevent another such sea striking her. Had she taken another of the kind it would have been all up with her. Turning in the teeth of the gale caused a very anxious time, hence the request for assistance. The turning occupied eighty minutes, and the vessel was running for four or five hours before she got out of danger. Chief Officer Pestle estimated that the wave was seventy feet high. A seaman sustained three broken ribs, and it was impossible for some time to remove the women and children from the wrecked cabins. The captain declined to take food while the ship was in danger. The debris imprisoned five men In their cabins for ten hours. The male passengers exhibited great coolness, baling out the cabins, which were knee deep In water. The women and children suffered considerably owing to their feet being in water for so long; and many were helpless owing to seasickness. The departure of the Tokamara for New Zealand ports was delayed, and the steamer, Duchess of Cornwall, reached Falmouth after having experienced tremendous seas, which tore away her funnel, smashed all her boats, and put out her fires. Two men were drowned. The stokers and engineers worked up to their knees in water and their heroism saved the ship. The storm destroyed the Sallyport at Old Portsmouth, whence Nelson and other heroes embarked in old historic days. PASSENGERS’ ACCOUNTS. LONDON, December 28. Passengers state that at the moment the great wave struck the ship Captain F.i dwell shouted to the crew. “Now, boys, it’s life or death. Don’t trouble about anything else. ’ The order and discipline was splendid throughout, and the stewards did everything possible, but were unable to maintain supplies of food, and many were foodlcss for fortyeight hours, except for lea biscuits. The wireless operator, Reynolds, was working for fifty hours without cessation. The firemen were waist deep in the water, and the coal was swept off the bunkers. The seamen on Friday night gave up their to the women and children. Lloyd’s estimate of the yalue of the cargo is £IOO,OOO. SHIP IN DISTRESS. LONDON, December 29. Received 30th, 12.15 a.m. The four-masted barque ‘ Maryann Elleadbody, of Glasgow, with a cargo of Australian wheat for Limerick, Is in distress off the coast Her-sails' have Seen destrdyed/rand she has a heavy list starboard!