THE FLOATING OF THE STEAMER.

Timaru Herald, Volume XL, Issue 2919, 31 January 1884, Page 8

THE FLOATING OF THE STEAMER.

The Triumph now lies anchored snug olf Mechanic!)' B»y, making ono foot of water per hour, which f, few minuted . pumping roduoos. Mr Frasei: in'vends losing no time m getting the vessel m prder again. The following ia ;v detailed accohnt of tho floating of tho vessel. Throughout <;he afternoon of Wednesday the work of lightaning her by the removal of cargo was continued. The forp hatch was tomol down by shipwrights under Mr Gonk, and all fissures and cracks stopped up with cement and the pumping gear m. No. 2 hatch prepared for instant use. Tho Chief Engineer also made the accessary preparations m his department. So careful, indeed, . wore tho prinoipals m their . calculations tlu^t Fraser hinrsolf donaed tho diving dreFS and made an examination of the vessel bolow the water line. Hetweon 12 and 1 o'clock on Thuredaj morning all was ready for tie attempt. A double hawser held tho Triumph fast by the bows to a reef under her port botr and she was held on the starboard bow by en anchor and a kedge, the former being one run out by Cp.ptain Brothorton himself. A length of line with an anchor attached had born takon out on the port quarter and the atarboard qnortiir was mudo fast to the neiirot rocks on tlie island by a couplo of stout hawsers. Farther ropes were m readiness on deck for unforeseen exigencies and the ship's three boats were got round to tho lee side m case of need. This time t'ae steamer Annie Milbank, which was m cloao attendance, vriS', directed to be m readiness to come alongside m order to tike out an extra anchor seaward from the bows. Captain Alexander Fftrquh;»r having command, took ltis station on the bridge with the Triumph's first and second officers and !ilr Gonk under his orders, while Mr Frasor assumed control of the pumping- iv id engineering, assisted by the first and second engineers o.' the Triruuph. A full head of steam wiis jut on, and aocm after four o'clock pumping wai commenced. The pulsometer luid centrifugal iramps workod most effeetutdly,aud the water was expelled m a regular torrent from both sides. Gradually the effect became perceptible. The tide was now flowing itst and ere long there wore premonitory symptoms of intended movement; to note. So powerfully did the puiaps work that at seven o'clock a temporary stoppage was made, the second compartmer.t being then EilmoHt clear. 1a ss than half an hour later the tide had risen so high that the Triumph swung her bows some 7 or 8 foot away from tlw seef , but then henlad over nearly to her water way. The exertions on beard were redoubled, and a message having beea sent ashore, a signal was hoisted at the station for a powerful tng to te despatched from Auckland. The siimal, which was one of a pieconcerted code, made its appearance, iiot long after 8 o'clock, and about the same time the vessel forged slowly ahead, to the gnat delight of those on board. Becourjo was n;>w had to steam winches, which were kept going upon too various anchors so us to preservn a safe poidticn between the rocks, while Ihe Triumph was being hauled ahead. Thuse effort 3 weie directed and guided by ihe utmost cir«un3pection, and not withont duo cause either, for tha vessel bumpod once at the tail and of the reef. A few moments later she had clenred it altogether. Meanwhile tie signal " want boats to tow us off," had b<«n sent aloft, m hope that it; would be seen *nd promptly answered .np m town. The pumps had been rssumed, uid the Triumph was now leaning over at a rather sharp anglo to starboard, whila a rreshoning westerly breeze, accompanied by squalls and showors of rain, tended to increase tho difficulties of tho aitaation and to canse groat anxiety. It was also reported th/it the water waa making so rapidly m the stoko hole that tho firemen were working up to tlieir waistj m it, while a fire could not be lighled under tho starboard boiler. At this time tho ship's boats had drifted away, so that no presorvativo means wore close at hand m case of accident, the An mo Millbank being also some quarter of a clile distant. Ihe chief engineer recognising tho gravity of the situation tnado a determined effort to open the port door m the bulkhead, so as to afford ingrens for the rapidly increasing water ia tho main hatchway to No. 2 compartment, whore tha pnlsomnter and centrifugal pumps wore hard at work. So deep was the water that ho had to dive to find the door and with some trouble ho got it open, thus averting a groat daiizor. At this timo thero waa a depth of three feet of water on the platform of tbci engine-room. Thero was likoirisc a great quantity of water m tho stoko hole, and a diver was therefore sent down to unscrew t. plate that he had previously fitted on tho starboard Hide, to provent the stokehole and engine-room being nodded, the object now being to lot tho water through to the pumps. After bolf-an-hour't* labor tho job was effected. Pumping operations vroro vigorously carried on, nnd the vessol shortly afterwardii righted herself to tho extent of about 3ft on tho stavboard side. At this period the Triumph had a list of about COleg. to starboard. Her bow.*, which wore turned m shore, wore deprnasad !to within font or five feet of tho wnter line, while the stern stood ho high up that not much nso could be mndo of the propeller, of which two blvdos could bo distinctly aeon. She presented her full broodsido to a choppy goa and tfio recurring Kqualla so thore was a tremendous strain on the steel hawser and a strong lino by which she was held forward and npon tho anchor which was passed on-; oft. Thoy stood it splendidly >'or a time, but at last the steel hawser parted, and a few morionts later tho atom line Bnajpcd, leaving tfio Triumph to rely upon tho frail : security of a kodge and tho ropo. For an hour and a halt' it hold and then govo way, loa ving tho viissel completely adrift. Thoro was oxextremo aanger of h«;r going on either Shag Bock or Hhmiter, and tho cnifinos were kept working no as to keep . her dodging backwards and forwards with tho object o'. getting her sufficiently <jlose | m shore to permit of a line being taken aehore and a rops being made fast to tho rocks, while further assistance wan obtained. The Annie flliUnank, m the meantime, had gone ahead for the purpose of keeping tho largo stontner'H head to the wind, bat; tho attempt proved abortive. Tho threo ships', boats wore oil the windwarci wide, and two mon having been placed m each of thorn, thoy wore orderjd to take thoci round b«r utorn to tho lee side, but the freshening wind drove two of thi'm a counlij of miles to looward boforo tho Annie Millbank picked thorn np. Tbo other oilo reached );ho steamer boforo drifting far. Thw rim tho most critical stage fcr thoHO on board the Triumph. All tboir hawsers and anohora hod been oarnod away, and thny had not ono boat loft. The vessol had ntiil a strong list to starboard, und it wail only by a constant dodging about l.ithor and fchitiior that «ho could bo kopt p)F tho rocks'. Kvontually tho Triumph wna worked oloso m xhoro nndor tho loe of tho island, and a lino was taken to ono of tho rocks and made fast. Tho Annio Militant was dospatoljod to town for tugx, and preparations were niedo to' koop cvotytbing slinir till her return. . At 1.30 p.m. tho Mananonrt faovo m night, but hold on hor com bo. At 3 p.m. tho Wnitaki modi hor appoanuiuo Caad imchorod aiitetn,

'while " Captain CrawTorß"'"oSne" on ' "board"."] After Captain Crawford interned from tho conference on board the, Triumph v with Captain Fjrquhar (wbp' still held his position on the bridge), and Mr Frasor, whose smutted face and clothes spoke eloquently of hard' Work, the "Waitukl'inade fist and started to tow her hugo disabled ootapß : nion round tho leo of. the island so as to come under Whangaparou on the ofchrr side, whora smooth water oonlcl.be had. The tide, however, was found to be too strong, and the Trinniph'a ateoriuß gear would not work properly owing to fcjo great height of hoi 1 ' stern out of the water. The "WaftakA \ therefore raado fast again here, bow on to the Trhtmph's stem and on hor port side with the objeiit of taking her straight; np the channel instead of going "round the island as at first intended. Therfi was very little) sea room, and tho position was dangerous; Shoaror Rock frowning menacingly behind, and rooks also showing on tho Triumph's bowi while thediffioultios of tho situation worn still farther complicated by the fact of tho Triumph having no boats, anchors, or hawsera—anything but a reassuring state of affairs. Another obstacle now presented itself. The wind was blowing no strongly from the west thatas soon as the two vessels moved snflunently away from the leo of tho islands, to catch it and to got , stcenige way, thoy wore swung rouuel by it. Again and again was tho experiment tried, but always with the samo result und idwuys with the dangerous oontfcngonoy ol' coming down upon tho rooks. Towards 5 o'clook, the Triumph going full Hpeod astern und tho Waitaki also with full speed on, "bettor progreHß was niado, but still it was very slow and the wind was still cxarting itsolt tc> oarry both vessels to leeward. . Shortly bfcfore 5 o'olook, when tho tide wiva on tho turn to the flood and tho vessel about thnso miles ont from Tiritiri and pirouetting: around m tho open sea, the smoko of an approaching steamer was discerned, and half-an-honr Inter the Rotomahana arrived and at onoo mado fast fj> the Triumph's starboard quarter, : the Waitaki remaining on the port quartor. Had she not appeared at this juncture an urgent message for further assistance from all available steamers would hayo boen sent to town by a Sfcir. pigeon, one being reserved for tho purpose Aftor the Botomahona had made fast, the wind f reshoned up ugain, and the vessels drifted down to leewatd, near Kukine Island, About this timo it was roported that Mr Fnwer liad promised eac'i of tho Triumph's engineers J536 if they got her safely up to Auoklaiid. Tho declining sun showed the near approaoh of dnsk, and maiitors were looking rathor gloomy at G.ilp, whon the signal ''a tup wanted" was run ap. Tho Glonelg, oa her way to Tauranga had just nppearod m the offing, and at once responded to tho call by stopping hor course. She came np astom at sovon o'clock an<J. took a line froai tho Trinmph's bows, and then steamed abreast of the Rotomahana.. at onca making a very perceptible difference m the rato of progress. Meantime tho s.s. McGregor, from had hove m sigat, and also seeing the signal for a tug, held straight m for tho Triumph, Sho camo up at eight o'clock, while the Glenelg was still endeavoring to make fast, and being prettily handled by Captain Johnston, ah«i steamed right up under tho Triumph's stern. Here a consultation was evidently hold with those on board tho largo voiisel, and apparently a bargain could not bo struck, for finally the McGregor full astoru, and then set off towards Auckland at fuli spoed. A sharp . whistle from tho Triumph stopped her. and she came on alongsido ngain. She was some time m making fnsfc to the Kotoma.hana on the Triumph's tsturboard bow, and at this stage the Glenolg was lying stern on to the other steamers, connected by linos with boikh tho Waitaki and Triumph. No one seomed able to divino tho reason of this but it snbseqnontry ta-anspired that thi) Glonelg was attempting to stoer tho others. The value of tho effort, however, was questionable, for tho eervioo rendered by stxiering was counteracted b.fthe fact that tho other steamers were virtually towing the Glenelg. Shortly after tho McGregor arrived th' 3 lights of another approaching steamer were made ont, and shetur.nod out at 8.30 to be the Annie -Millbauk from town. The progress then being made was veiy onsatisf actory , th a Triumph offering snuh an obstruction to the wind that uho was continually being carried ronnd about, while hor inability to stoer afforded no means of chocking this tendency. Ah a conseqnence. the vessels drifted further andfurther off Tiritiri but thoy made very little headway from it. There were two imminent difficulties which the ebb tido would bring with it, and therefore it. was deumed advisable to despatch the Annie Millbaok to tovra with Mr Gouk on board to bring back anchors and 45 fathoms of chain, which had been injudiciously sent away on tho previous (lay as a means of lightening the vessel. At 51.45 Captain Crawford, of tho Waitaki, ordered the Glenelg to lot go her line astern and lot.ke fast along&ido, leaving the JEtotomahana und McGregor m company on the Triumph's starboard quarter. Some delay took ploco m e3:ecuting this manosnvre. About ton o'clock tho Glenelg had ba.keu hor indicated position alongside the Walfciki, and full speed boing put on all tho steamers, the flotilla bowled up towards the aorthern head at a speed of not l;ss than six miles an hour. For the first time a comparatively straight courso could be shaped, although tho Waitaki and Glenolg were too powerful for their assistants, and consequently hod to slow down occasionally. The steamers kept on at a steady spaed down tbo BoEgritoto Channel. The Triumph's pumps, were occasionally worked and her . tromendons list to sturttird now gave rims to less alarm wt tho wind moderated almost to d calm. At ton minutes to midnight the steamers woro undor North Head, making for Beau Bock m o'-'der to take tho fairway np tho harbor, and bin minutos later they wero insido North Head. Had tho rate of tjragruss been kept up tho wharf should have been reached m half an hour, but thore was an obb tido to contend with, and from this point progress up harbor was extremely fllow, and the oxcuraiomstH, who were completely tired ouli, now sought the. embraces of Morphons. At 2.15 a.m. thd Glonelg east off and «team«d on to the wharf, *hithor tho McGregor followed hor about 15 minutes later, leaving tho Waitaki, Rotomahana and Annie Millbauk, which hod returned with chain, to maku tho Triumph snug off Mechanic:* Bay. Nothing has yot boon decided upon as to when tho Triumph will bo taken into dock, but every effort will bo nm.clo to obtain its nsfl as early as possible. To enable the vessel to (TO into dock she would havo to bo got oti to a raore oven keel, which will bo dono at once, c.nd when m dock, as ulio will overhang the cato some distance, a coffe? dam will have to lie orocted ontsido of the Teasel, and then the water puiupod ont. Thou temporary repairs irill bo done and tho vossul again floated out until tmchtitno oil Mr Friwor will bo ready to make completo ropairs anil jrat tho Triumph m as good working order &3 whon sho first loft I,ho stocks.