STORM AT SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 April 1923, Page 4

STORM AT SEA.

STEAMER IX ROUGH WEATHER, SEAS SWEEP THE DECKS. A PROTRACTED VOYAGE. After battling for seven days and ten horn's against a strong head wind, which raised mountainous seas tnat smashed, on board in foaming torrents, flooding cabins, stokehold and engineroom, the small steamer Joan Craig put in a belated appearance at New Plymouth early yesterday morning from Newcastle. The Australian port was cleared at eight o’clock on the night of Thursday. April 19, and under ordinary circumstances the vessel should have arrived at New Plymouth last Wednesday. She encountered the full force of the easterly gales which have been raging lor the past week, and. the little vessel .had an encounter with the elements which will live long in the memory of those who were aboard her. The Joan Craig belongs to the R. S. Lamb Company, of Sydney, and is of 1148 tons gross burthen. Her cai>go consisted of piles and timber for the New Plymouth Harlbor Board, and poles for the Southland Power Board, and, as is usual in the of vessels carrying lumber, a fair proportion of the cargo was carried on deck to the level of the rails, note being stretched from the forecastle to the bridge to lessen the risk of any of the crew being swept overboard during rough weather as they made their way along the piles in the course of their duties. Fine weather prevailed throughout the night of sailing and the next day ('Friday). but Saturday morning broke with indications of wind from the south-east. By mid-day it was blowing hard from that quarter, and a heavy sea was soon raised, which struck the (boat on the starooard bow. The master (Oaptain R. Thirlaway) put the crew to work tightening up the deck lashings, a precaution which was repaid during the ensuing days of the voyage. By 4 p.m. the sea. was very rough, and a fair amount of water was coming on board over the bow. Throughout the night the gale increased in int?nsity and it continued without abatement on Monday, Tuesday and Wedstesday. Heavy seas, following each other in quick succession, swept the boat from stem to stern, the water finding its way into the cabins of the officers, md down into the engineroom and stokehold. The log showed that 109 milee were covered in the 16 hours up to n®on on the first day out, the fine weather on Friday enabling the steamer to pul 172 milps behind her up to Saturday mil-day. The gale made its effect obvious in the speed in the next 24 hours, howe/er, the distance traversed falling to 120 miles. A little woe piciced up on Sunday, when 160 miles were recorded, and more were done up to mid-day on Tuesday, when 188 was the tally. Wednesday ilrought about a continuance of the’heivy sea, the waves piling over the forecaitle and smashing aboard, burying the dek cargo in a smother of foam. The nxt succeeding 36 hours were the worst of the voyage, the second officer (Mr. F Taylor) told a Daily News reporter yesterday, and life aboard, was the reverse of pleasant. No damage was done however, and the Joan Craig graduall’ forged ahead until she dropped ancha in the stream at New Plvmouth at 530 yesteiday morning.