EXCITING SCENE IN MIDOCEAN.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 1775, 8 June 1895, Page 4

EXCITING SCENE IN MIDOCEAN.

~ The British ship Arno, of London, with a cargp r of grain', sailed frpm ;New York for Liverpool. When she had been out eight days a moderate. gale tossed her about arid; caused Jier cargo, to shift ; to port. She rolled over on her beam ends. The sea swept over'hef/ washing away everything on the decks, battering the hatches and flooding the cabins. The crew reshiftedpaVt of the cargo, arid finally the ship wasTighted. She stood evenly oil her; Keel for a few hours. Theri the gale rolled the 'vessel over on her starboard . side. The -cargo :was: now hopelessly listed. 'The craft, was at the mercy of wind arid wave. ' The crew clung to the bridge and for three nights arid two day's 'they Held [there^awaiting the end. Every few minutes giant waves swept 'oVer 'the decks. One by one of the seven lifeboats were smashed and washed away, until only two remained, and these could" not fee reached.Thirty one persons " shivered and hungered there m despair. Among themwere the captain's wife, Mrs Newnham' and her little son. This woman, when: strongmen despaired and would , have thrown'themselves '. into the ' seav never lost heart. She' wrapped her baby closer and said so. trustingly that she had no fear that captain and crew felt their waning strength and courage return to them. : They almostforgct that they had riot tasted food for days, that sleep had not come to them and that they could not escape from the listed and water-logged craft. The Arno was now drifting outside the regular steamship lanes, and her., crew 'began, ;to feel that their case was growing more and more desperate;. Below the decks grain broke from the, sacks, and : mingled with water was a veritable! quicksand. It clogged the puriips. It flowed about from side to side. The s.s. JN'ormannia sighted the Arno on April' Ist,' 'rind bpr'e dP'wn to her. Captain Barends called for volunteers, and a boat ..with seven men was. finally launched. The crew "found, that m the tremendous* 'seas which" were running that the boat was practically helpless, so after a brief battle with the wa,ves they resumed.' A" smajllev boat' was launched with four ,-men.'. The little craft struggled, through 'stormy seas' for: nearly ari hour before it. gp^ close enough to get 'a :im'e v!ip\ the, Ai'nqV A' ljfe : buoy, with a double running line; jvas then thrown put frPria,, the" Arrio, and the work of rescue began .' ' ' ' The," carpenter ■was : the first to leave the Amp. N/ext came the captain's i .wife. Eriidumbei'e'.d as she was with wet and heavy 'elothirig she: plunged iritb the sea without giving a 'sign' of fear. One of the apprentice boys of the Arno, fearirig tliat'slie would lose heart, jumped m after her, and with? out line or life-preserver swam alprig with her. She was hauled oil boarcj the boat m safety. The baby, fifteen months old, was then tied up m a canvas bag and hauled through' the seething waters to the boat..' .The mother, sitting m the stern with clasped hands, watched the package being hauled slowly towards the boat, andwlien the boy was safe she fell on her knees there and thanked God. The child was taken from the b.ag as dry as lie would have been m his crib. The life-savers took off all those' on board the Arno m four trips. Ttvo of these trips were made after dark 1 , arid m a sea which was becoming more' 'angry Hour by hpui\ Tt' took eight hotirs t6 make the rescue. The rescued ones were landed at Southampton. The Amo was picked up by the steamer Merrimac, and towed to Havre. The German Emperov sent a message to Captain Barends, of the Normannia, complimenting him on the gallant rescue. • - • I