THE BARQUE DEVA AMONG ICEBERGS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 3278, 30 March 1885, Page 2

THE BARQUE DEVA AMONG ICEBERGS.

A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. The following description of the barque '• Dova's experiences among: the ice on her last 1 voyage Home from Tiniarn has been very kindly supplied to us : — We were towed out from Timarn on the 17th ' July, bound for London, U.K., with a cargo of grain and wool, m excellent trim for <i smart c ran Home, but had easterly and baffling winds * down to Cape Horn, being off the Cape on 30th c August, 44 days out. On Sept. Ist, m lat. 55.30 * S., long. 5G.10 W., wepasseda small iceberg c andatll p.m., the ship beingonthe port tack, ° ■with all plain sail set, the cry was heard from - the look-out man on the foks'l hoad, " Ice on n the weather bow !" followed immediately afterwards by " Ice on the lee bow !" and only a < sailor can realise the importance of such a * ■warning. All hands were called and quickly ' at their stations, but we found ourselves m a c regular ice-field, extending on either side as ' far as the eye could reach, with loose v pack ice and small floating bergs m the only s channel through which any egress seemed a possible. Some of the blocks completely " deadened the ship's way, and what still further J added to the peril of our position the wind fell * : away light. The scene was a strange one, c and heightened by the darkness of the night, c the glimmer and blink of the ice looking weird ° and eerie under the dark colored clouds passing " overhead, while the flip-flap of the sails against T the masts and the noise made by the crashing of 9. the loose blocks of ice against the side of the c ship as it rnshed past made her tremble from " stem to stern. Mr Davis (the mate) was a stationed on the foks'l head, while Captain P Pierropont wa3 at the helm conning the ship. * At about 1 a.m. a fog-bank came rolling down s Upon us like a huge shadowy monster and m a a few moments had completely enshrouded us, r; rendering it impossible to see anything a few r yards off, while every now and then a mass of ice, towering over the bulwarks, would go £ crashing and thumping along, each concussion ° sending the loose ice and small detached lumps D showering upon our decks. This lasted till 2 a a.m., when the carpenter reported water ® making fast m the fore-peak. On examina- * tionwe found one of the plates had been stove . m leaving a hole largor than an ordinary port. n All hands were soon grinding away_ at the com- V partment pumps, and bailing with buckets, JJ etc., endeavoring to keep the water under, but after a short time we found that it gained ' rapidly on us, and m two hours had risen to J' the first deck. Wo then tried to pass a ™ thrummed sail over the leak, but after making " three unsuccessful attempts had to give it up, P losing the sails. As the ship wa3 rapidly ® : Bettling down by the hoad, Captain Pierropont " gave the order to jettison cargo from the fore s ' hatch, the bow compartment at this time " being full of water. At 5 a.m. commenced a l heaving out cargo, and continued doing so till °' 9 a.m. on Wednesday, when we had a Pi moderate breeze from the N.E. Passed al a largo mat over the bows, with guys fore £' and aft, m hopes that the suction would ni draw it into the hole. Wo baled and ® : pumped all the timo, trying if possible to re- z duce the water sufficiently to enable the al cai-penter to get at tho leak from the inside, &] but the seas washing the mat away, our labor ™ was useless. We then got an oar, with a re ]arge pad on the end, and with great perseverance managed to force it into the hole, after which we found that we could keep ** water under, and even gain slightly -ac Tho weathor at this time waa olp' on it. Bign of ice anywhere, it havir' ,u,r, and no rapidly as it appeared, lop~ .j vanished as cold so intense that the ' -»mg, however, a of irpn, and icicles p* 1 " ropes were like bars rigging. So cold - from the standing been coiled do- <vas it that after a rope had found {so*' ..vnafew minutes the fakes were '""e'ncaf together as rigid as if they had "" a f:' ..t m stone. Thursday morning found p> -ill battling along just able to keep the . wcer down by incessant pumping, the wind Dlowing fre3h with a high sea, falling glass, and every appearance of a heavy gale. The day passed away slowly, the men working away at the pumps with a dogged perseverance, and the carpenter busy making a huge pad to "torn" against the leak from inside. On Friday we experienced a strong N. W. wind, the ship being under lower topsails only, and plunging heavily. We managed to pack the leak temporarily, but only just m time, as immediately afterwards our pumps became choked, rendering it necessary to take them up and clean them. Had this happened the day before nothing could have saved us, as the bulkheads must have gone. The orperiences of the past few days proved that the ship was exceptionally well built, the water being confined entirely to one compartment. At 6 p.m. we replaced pumps and found the water had gained vory little. Tho sea was still running very heavily, but all hands wore cheered at the last report, and hope began once more to brighten the men's faces, looking now terribly haggard and worn after the five days' battle with death. Saturday morning found us still scudding undor lower topsails, with a frenh westerly breeze. We completed repairs, ivv\ effectually stopped the leak. By noon we had cleared out tho compartment, and thon made sail closehauled to the N.N.W. , and had we beon sighted by any passing ship, they would have been unable to diacorn any trace of tho terrible ordeal wo had passed through. Too much praise cannot be given to Captain Pierrepont and his officers for their behavior during this trying time. When all hope seemed gone they cheered the men on to further exertions, working themselves right nobly.

Auckland, March 20. Arrived— Kawatiri, s.s., from Lyttolton. Sailed — Notero, for Lyttelton.