BARQUENTINE HAD STORMY VOYAGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18418, 21 March 1928, Page 4

BARQUENTINE HAD STORMY VOYAGE.

AUSTRALIA TO ENGLAND TOOK NINE MONTHS.

After a voyage from Australia lasting nine months, and a series of adventures that recall the daj's of the famous East Indiamen, the six-masted barquentine E. R. Sterling arrived in the Thames on January 28. Near Cape Horn the vessel sailed through icebergs for hundreds of miles; off the Falkland Islands she met a heavy gale. In the course of a hurricane near the Cape Verde Islands the chief officer was fatally injured. The vessel was so badly damaged that for some time she was unmanageable and drifted at the mercy of the trade winds many miles out of her course. She eventually had to be towed for the last 4000 miles from St. Thomas, in the West Indies, to London. The total distance covered during the voyage was between 20,000 and 25,000 miles. The E. R. Sterling left Adelaide on April 16, 1927, with a cargo of between 40,000 and 50,000 bags of wheat and relied entirely on her own sail during the voyage,- as no auxiliary engine is carried. That she reached Tier destination is due largely to the determination of her master, Captain Sterling, who never once gave up hope, even when encountered by difficulties at times which seemed almost insurmountable. All went well until the vessel rounded Cape Horn, and then vast stretches of large icebergs, lasting for 500 miles, had to be navigated. When this had been successfully accomplished, a heavy gale was encountered north of the Falkland Islands on July 4. After many anxious periods, the vessel weathered the storm, but she was partially dismasted, losing her main and mizzen masts. Only four masts were thus left, and it was at first intended to bear up to the port of Montevideo for repairs. As, however, the ship was still manageable, on second thoughts it was decided to continue the voyage. Death of the Chief Officer. The next misfortune occurred after crossing the Equator. At four o’clock on the morning of September 4, when near the Cape Verde Islands, a terrific hurricane sprang up, which lasted for four hours. During the greater part of this time the vessel was at the mercy of the waves. The foremast, with all rig attached, was lost, and Mr Roderick Mackenzie, the chief officer, in endeavouring to save more of the rigging from damage, was so badly injured that he died two hours later.

The accident to Mr Mackenzie occurred when the storm was at its height. There was no doctor on board, and the injured man was taken into the captain’s cabin, where, with two of the seamen, Captain Sterling administered restoratives, dressed his chief officer’s wounds, and tended him while he was dying. “5.0.5.” calls for a doctor were sent out, but owing to damage to the wireless aerial, these met with no immediate response. Mr Mackenzie was buried the next day. Captain Sterling reading the committal sentences as the body was lowered over the side of the ship. The vessel's log-book gives a vivid description of the unforgettable experiences through which all on board passed. The deck was continually awash, and it became almost impossible to work or stand. For what seemed endless hours the ship wallowed helplessly in the trough of the seas.

Wireless Officer’s Good Service. Great devotion to duty was shown by the wireless operator, Mr M. B. Anderson, who was making his first voyage. Mr Anderson is a j'oung Australian, nineteen years of age. He had had a good deal of experience in wireless matters, and was therefore engaged by Captain Sterling specially for the trip to England. In the calmer days of the earlier months of the voyage he had constructed a special receiving set, and the monotonv of those on board was often relieved by the messages and news received froYn far-off lands. During the hurricane the wireless aerial at the masthead was blown down on three or four occasions, and Mr Anderson, taking his life in his hands, climbed up the rigging to repair it. Eventually, his repeated “5.0.5.” calls were answtred by the steamer Norman Monarch, which offered to tow the E. R. Sterling into port. This offer was, however, declined by the master. “As a result of the hurricane,” said Captain Sterling, in describing his experiences, “the vessel had become quite unmanageable. Seeing that it was impossible to proceed farther under those conditions, in my judgment the only thing left to do was to keep with the wind and seek a port of refuge. It was decided to make for St Thomas’. That port was reached on October 15, nearly six weeks after the hurricane took place. We had sailed 2212 miles under those hopeless conditions.

A Port of Refuge. “When within fifty miles of the port of St Thomas’, I sent out a message to the port authorities informing them that the ship was proceeding to that port and asking them to have a pilot in readiness. This wireless message, I understand, was put before Governor Evans, who generously decided to send out a warship to tow the E. R. Sterling into port. This was done without any charge of any kind being made against the vessel or the cargo. Needless to say, the Governor’s kind action was much appreciated by all of us.” Finding that there were no facilities or equipment available at St Thomas’ for the refitting of the vessel, Captain Sterling decided to tranship the cargo to its destination by steamer. It was, however, impossible to secure a suitable steamer, and it was finally arranged, through the London Salvage Association, to tow the damaged sailing ship to London. St Thomas’ was left on December 15, and Horta, the capital of the Island of Fayal, in the Azores, was reached on January 10. Eighteen days later the E. R. Sterling arrived in the Thames, where she parted with the Dutch tug that had taken her safely from St Thomas’. Captain Sterling, who is over sixty years of age, has had a long and adventurous seafaring life. He seemed little the worse for his experiences.