TRYING TIME

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18069, 19 March 1923, Page 9

TRYING TIME

Mid-way across the Atlantic en rputa from Liverpool to Panama the steamer Westmeath ran through 1 A storm which must remain in the memory of her most , hardened sailors as the worst they have over experienced .in their life at sea. in violence it exceeded that met ,v\ntk by the liners Remuera and Kaikoura in the East Atlantic a little over two months ago, and in duration it equalled that which the Waihora passed through en route from Nauru to Auckland about a month back. ' / Details of their experiences were brought by the officers and sailors when the steamer arrived at Auckland last week; and their narrative was that of men who had known the perils of a wild night at sea. Ten days out from Liverpool the steamer ran into a soutfhG west hurricane of extreme violence, with’ mountainous seas. She had oecn running in the teeth of a strong head wind since clearing the English coast, but at 8 p.m. on the 29th the conditions rapidly became worse, and at 2 a.m. tlie vessel was rolling and tossing dangerously, with the water coming green right over. Even the bridge, fifty feet above the water line- was swept by the heavy seas, and it was only witli the greatest difficulty that the vessel was prevented from falling away and taking the weather broadside on. 111 this condition she was hove-to for about eight hours, witli the engines going just sufficient to keep steerage way until I p.m. on the 30th. HEAVY DAMAGE ON FORE DECK. Most of the damage that occurred to the steamer was found, to have taken place on the fore dock, but tho "alter deck had also been swept by the seas that were ceaselessly breaking over the bridgo and carrying away everything movable that came in their way. , All the awnings on the forecastle head were splintered and earned away, the two derricks for No. 1 hold were swung out over the side, and the cleats were both flattened out. .Slipping and sliding about on the deck, the sailors and the boatswain, under the direction of the chief officer, did their best to secure the swinging derricks, and in the intervals between the seas managed to get them lashed to the rails. Their work was a dangerous one in tho pitch black darkness, and tho chief officer laboured strenuously. Heavy pieces of iron, which had been torn up, were loose on the deck, and anyone attempting to move about in the open was in constant danger of bciim struck by them. Fortunately no accidents occurred. Having secured the derricks, the sailors had to turn their attention to tho vents left open by the smashing and twisting of the ventilators. All hut a few ventilators were carried away bodilv, and tho seas, coming over every few "minutes, found their ’way down through the apertures to the ’tween decks. These openings were covered as rapidly as possible by stout pieces of canvas, but only a little of the work could bo done at a time, as the sailors were compelled to hurry ,for shelter every time a fresh sea threatened to break on board.