HEAVY SEAS

Southland Times, Issue 20536, 12 July 1928, Page 7

HEAVY SEAS

ULIMAROA IN GALE. ROUGH PASSAGE FROM SYDNEY. A TERRIFYING TRIP. (Per United Press Association.) Auckland, July 11. The Ulimaroa arrived from Sydney at 8 a.m., 24 hours behind scheduled time. Captain Wyllie said: “It was the worst trip I have had for years. We dropped into it from the moment we left Sydney and had heavy seas and a strong south-west gale all the way across. We were hove to last night for an hour off North Cape. Fortunately nothing busted on the trip except the carrying away of some canvas on deck.” A list developed on the voyage. Captain Wyllie imagined this was due to the coal. One passenger said it was a terrifying time. “The ship started to roll off Sydney Heads. I thought we were in for a rough trip and We got it. The seas were washing over the rail. I was frightened and they all were frightened. That is no exaggeration I assure you.” Another passenger said on the first day out several cabins were flooded. Portmanteaux and luggage were floating about on the floors. Several passengers were saturated by water that poured into the vessel. Members of the crew stated that some of them were very lucky in not being washed overboard. The captain and boatswain had a very narrow escape. “We had a list of ten degrees,” said one man, “and this must have developed to 35’ degrees. One heavy sea ripped up iron casing over the steam pipes alongside No. 3 hold and threatened to wash some of us overboard. It was a case of hang on by your eyebrows.”