PERILS OF THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 14, 17 January 1902, Page 3

PERILS OF THE SEA.

A RECALCITRANT GREW. pus pews msoouciom. Btdnbi, January 16. The Abergeldie has arrived with the crew of the Port Patrick. Captain Galloway gives the j following account of the afa»udonmentof his vessel:—On the night of the 13th he was in the . vicinity of Wilson's Promontory. At ten o'clock a sudden gale sprung up and the ship broachej to. He reduced sail, and tock every! qtep to get the vessel under contro', >ut she refused to pay off. The wimitand a strong westerly current comnned threatened to csrry her on to a clnft island. All sail was taken in and .the anchors let go. The wind was blowing in fierce squalls. The Port Patrick began to drag her anchor, an»"l the land being close under the sternltße orew came to him and s iid the ship was in a dangerous position', and they wished to l«ave her. Bo< h wind and sept were then increasing. They had received no reply 11 signals of distress sent up from midnight to three o'clock, at which hour the crew again cave 1 , aft and Baid they were determined to abandon the ship. The captain trifid to persuade them not to, but without receiving instructions, and in defiance of his request to stand by as long as the ship held together they launched the boats, wbioh bad previously been got together in readin'ss in cast of emergency. They put r ff, and the captain was l*ft alone aboard, the officers having gone with the men. Aftor staying some time, and realising he could do nothing singlehanded, be hailed one of the beats and left the ship. The boats stood in the direction of Wilson's Pro- i montory, and were picked np at eight in the morning by the Abergeldie. : After picking them up the Abergeldie stood back to the Patrick, but found her is such a position that they could render no assistance in getting ber off. The Patrick is a st«el vessel of 1740 tons register, value from £13,000 to £14,000.

When the Champion arrived, tbe Patrick was riding safely at anchor dose on between ihe points of two islands. Th« only apparent damage wai to tbe nil*. Soon after the Champion's crew took possession, the tug Eagle came up and wanted to put man ' aboard to assist, but they were warned Off, and not allowed aboard.

Messrs J. and A. Brown have sent a second tug to assist the Ofcampion in towing the vessel. *

TBI CHIBF OFFICER'S BTOBY. Beceived 16,10.52 p.m. Sydney, January 16. The offices' and crew's version of tbe abandonment materially differs from the story told by the captain. Tbe chief officer emphatically denies that they left in contravention of the captain's orders. So far as he knew, £he men did not ask the captain to 'handap the vessel, and everyone was in egreement About leaving. No orders were given against leaving, and. he considered the abandonment justiciable, as it appeared certain she would drift into the breakers. There was a I big reef sixty feet from the stern, aod 1 4the [sea. was very heavy, the anchors dragging. If the ship had struck the in such a sea, not»[ man would have been saved. Evany body was satisfied that it was a prows thing to leave, asd it was a miracfle how the ■hip held the ground. I _

CHEW DISPUTK THB Oi.PTAIN'f BTATSMSMTB. / Received 16,10.32 p m. Sydxiy, Jai mary 16. The aeoond officer says 1 he captain Barer made any request i»stand by. He got an order fram the k ripper tV at (he men to get into thy boats, and they acted on that order. The captain was already in the boat wHenhe (the mate) got in. He conaideMd the abandonment was justified}. It was sheer luck the ship did not jdrift on to the rocks. The crew in a body angrily resent the captain's statements 'that tbey i asked him to abandon the vessel and | took to the boats against, bis order*. " Nothing was said to the captain from first to lost," said the spokesman, "about leaving. Not one of ns was scared, and we would have stack to the ship like Britishers till she went down. As for clearing on*, we did no such thing. "We took to the boats by orjder of the •eoond officer." i The t»»P n also deny that the captain was last to leave, and allege that he was in the starboard boat before the other was folly manned. ) Beceive-J 17,0.33 ajn Melbourne, Jmnary 16. The Champion has arrived with the Port Patrick in tow.