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Star (Christchurch), Issue 6344, 25 November 1898, Page 2

' '/, A woful tale of the severity of the elements is reported by the master of the barque "Wythop, which arrived at Melbourne recently from London. She left the port oil July 16, and had an uneveii+ful voyage until she had passed the Cape of Good Hope, and had set a course to run down the easting between the^parallels of 38deg and 40deg. Several gales of a more or less violent nature were encountered, but . it was not until tie barque reached the longi- : ' tude of 75 E. that ahe was seriously challenged by storm and sea. At this point a gale set in •with great vigour from west-north-west, and soon seas of tremendous size dashed over the Tessel, filling her decks, and doing considerable damage. One sea struck her with frightful force oil the port quarter, smashing xfae taffnai, stoviug in one of the boats, and inflicting sundry injury to deck fittings as it swept with irresistible force along the decks. Captain Mackay, thinking that the vessel couid i better combat the onslaught" if " hove-to/' brought her, with great difficulty, head to wind, and in this position the barque gallantly, • - fought out the storm, for twenty-four hours, ' when & lull in the weather induced Captain ;. Mackay to. once more joroceedi -The outlook' i.-i^ras siall diflcouKiging, ; aiallmg-'baionietet;afad'; '• 1- "-Tfeayy • skies ' portending * tt&uule" " 3till : " ahead, o :"",'*nct ? theref ore those on board "were not surprised -: j&Kn, on Oct. 14,, in -lat. 38.50 S.; and long. - p^'.^sas&S'iE., another -gale . arose.. For V. time 3he. •vessel ran under a scant spread of sail before v ~ "■•£ he storm, immense following seas meanwhile .•• towering above her, and sweeping her decks until they were awash "rail high," and. as each succeeding wave broke on board, the damage wreviously done to the deck fittings was increased. In this extremity Captain Mackay once more brought the barque head . to wind, and the gale was safely passed through. The barque Fairport has arrived at Port 1 Adelaide in a disabled state. She left New York for Yokohama on July On Oct. 10, ;" .when in lat. 44.57 S. and long. 57.50 "E., she .'ires running, before a heavy gale, when a huge - •': iea bjpke ;over her, and, .<», sailor . named H. - Lawenson was washed overboard ,and not seen '■ •gain. '• The next morning-ahotjher. man was ;■ washed away, from the wheel, b"uli;w6a secured ''. -Kafore he went over the raiL.. The w'eaiher con- ■ tinued so bad that oil was poured .on the water. ".-' Then the vessel was thrown on herbeam ends, ■'•■ and remained there like a water-logged craft. The lower yardarms were in the water, and part of the cargo was jettisoned. Still the vessel ' failed to right herself, and the lee yardarms were under water. The captain then decided -, to throw overboard moro cargo, and 9000 cases • of kerosene were got ri t of. These, no doubt, are what the steamer Port Denison reported last week as having met. Before the Fairport ' finally righted the foretopma^t had to be cut i away above the cap, and the ljiaintopmast had also "to go. In the meantime the vessel had tftrrfted nearly to Cape Leuwhi, when the ifcastetftfecided to .run for Port Adelaide, where .-. the damage will be repaired before the trip to '". \ Yokohama is continued.