VESSEL REACHES AUCKLAND AFTER TRAGIC VOYAGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18643, 24 December 1928, Page 14

VESSEL REACHES AUCKLAND AFTER TRAGIC VOYAGE.

OLIVEBANK’S CREW HUNGER - STRICKEN; OUTBREAK OF FEVER. Memories of hardships associated with what is now almost a tlosed page in the history of the sea were revived when the four-masted Finnish barque, Olivebank, of tons, arrived in Auckland on Wednesday evening, states the “Herald.” She was assisted into port by two tugs after a tragic voyage of 109 days from Saint Pierre, off the coast of South Africa. Disagreeable food which led to an outbreak of beriber i fever among the <crew and the deatl/ of a seaman, as well as terrific weather conditions, combined to make the voyage one long to be remembered among the ship’s company. At one stage of the voyage across the Indian Ocean, while the ship was encountering a severe storm, the crew was too weak through sickness to attend to the sails. The cargo of guano commenced to shift and the seamen worked for thirty-six hours in the holds without food or rest in an endeavour to stabilise the loose material. Conditions finally became so bad that the master, Captain K. O. Troberg, decided to put into Melbourne for vegetables and fresh water so badly needed by his crew of twenty-seven. However, on the night Melbourne was reached a seaman died of beriberi. Several others were removed to hospital, and it was not until November 27, over a fortnight later, that the journey could be continued with the rest of the crew. . LONG TRIP ACROSS TASMAN. The boatswain deserted in Melbourne and two others were left behind ill. The journey across the Tasman Sea occupied twenty-three days owing to unfavourable winds, and the crew expressed whole-hearted relief on arriving at Auckland. Last May the Olivebank was sent to South Africa in anticipation of trade, but for four months she could not secure a cargo. From Ascension Island she went to Port Victoria, Mahe Island, but lay idle there for a month. It proved impossible to secure green vegetables, and even then the crew was living on meat, rice and biscuits. Finally, on July 1, departure was taken for Saint Pierre, a small island of about 400 acres in the Indian Ocean, near Madagascar. For a fortnight the ship stood off the island in a vain endeavour to beat against strong winds and seas. Anchor was at last dropped about fifty yards from the shore, but the sea bottom was composed of coral and afforded insecure anchorage. In addition, the ship was light, and owing to continued bad weather it was nearly two months before her capacity of 4100 tons of guano was loaded. TURTLE MEAT AND RICE. Departure was taken from Saint Pierre on September 2, but the Olivebank was still without proper food for the crew. The men had to be content with large quantities of turtle meat, supplemented by additional supplies of rice. No green vegetables were to be had, and a species of sweet potato supplied by the natives on the island was unfit to eat. Prior to leaving Saint Pierre an epiderriic of beriberi had caused many deaths, and the crew showed signs of sickness about a month after leaving for Auckland. Conditions became serious on the vessel when about 1000 miles west of New Amsterdam Island. A severe storm arose, but by this time several men were stricken with beriberi, and others were too ill to undertake their usual work. For several days the storm raged, and the vessel was kept on her course by the heroic work of a few. Huge seas broke right over the ship, and, to make matters worse, the galley was flooded. What little cooking had been done before then had to be stopped. The crew was now being fed with biscuits, and at one stage the ship was in a perilous pdteition through the inability of the men to work properly. Those men available were too weak to man the rigging, and the sails had to be left to the mercy of the winds. Several of the crew managed to climb as high as the cross-jacks, but they were forced to cut holes in the new sails in order to hold on in their weak condition. The constant battering of the seas against the almos’t helpless vessel then caused the cargo to shift. With water almost constantly covering the decks it was impossible to open the hatches, and several members of the crew, weak and hungry, had to crawl from hold to hold to try and keep the guano in position. FEVERISH WORK IN HOLDS. For some days the position was perilous. Men worked feverishly in the darkness of the holds shovelling guano back as it slipped toward the hull. Shifts were impossible owing to the depletion of able-bodied men, and at one stage several seamen worked in the holds for thirty-six hours almost without a break. At last the storm abated, but on and off the vessel continued to meet with bad weather. It was then that it was decided to put into Melbourne, which was reached on November 11. Since June the crew had lived almost entirely on meat and rice, and fresh provisions were greatly welcomed. The voyage across the Tasman was slow but without incident, and food was plentiful and good. The barque was picked up off Tiritiri Island by the tugs Te Awhina and Simplon, and when she dropped anchor in the stream all that remained to remind the crew of meat rations consumed in the Indian Ocean was a live turtle kept as a pet. The crew now totals twentythree, of whom seven are unpaid apprentices. The highest wage paid among the seamen is £3 5s a month. While in Auckland the Olivebank will be docked to have her hull cleaned. Below the water’s edge there is a thick coating of shellfish and marine growth, which reduced the vessel’s speed to a maximum of six knots with all sail set in a good wind. Ordinarily she is capable of doing about 13 knots.