TALE OF THE SEA.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20233, 17 February 1934, Page 32 (Supplement)

TALE OF THE SEA.

Retired Captain Visits Christchurch. RUSE TO AVOID WRIT. Many years ago, a steamer loaded with wool and frozen meat went ashore at night on the Marlborough coast. At that time the third mate was Mr H. S. Brading, and after the ship was refloated and reached Lyttelton he spent four months in the port while repairs were made. Yesterday Mr Brading, now aretired mercantile marine skipper and Commodore of the Herne Bay Sailing Club, Kent, made his first visit to Christchurch since that time. Because it is so long since the stranding Captain Brading told a story concerning it which has never before been made public. Through a compass deviation, the vessel steamed straight up on the beach, the bow* coming to rest just in front of a fisherman’s dwelling. It was early in the morning and pitch dark. An examination revealed that the vessel had had about forty plates ripped open and she w'as in dire peril of remaining there for ever. Fisherman as PilotHowever, on the next tide, the vessel was got off the beach and, said Captain Brading yesterday, the master engaged the fisherman to pilot the ship to Lyttelton, hugging the coast all the way as she was well down by the head and it W’as only the wool cargo which was preventing an inrush of water in sufficient quantities to sink her. The captain’s idea in taking the local pilot was to keep the ship sufficiently close to the shore to enable her to be beached if she began to sink. On reaching Lyttelton the vessel was put in dock, where she stayed for .f-our months while new plates were brought from Sydney and fitted. After the Marine Inquiry the master of the steamer heard that the fisherman intended to serve a writ on him for salvage, said Captain Brading, so he decided to disappear. He quietly made his way to the island in Port Levy and established a camp there. Before leaving he gave instructions to have a particular signal sounded on the siren when the vessel was passing through the heads for England and he would come out and join her. Search For Captain. In a few days the fisherman and his solicitor appeared on board and asked for the captain. They were tqld he was not aboard. For some days the man with the writ called and he was always told that the captain was not aboard and that no one knew where he was. On the day of sailing a party, of four policemen, headed by the fisherman and his lawyer, appeared and searched the vessel. Do you mean to say you are sailing for Home without the captain?” said the lawyer to the mate, according to Brading’s story. He was told that such was the intention and the mate pointed out that he had orders tosail at a given time and that as he held a master’s ticket, he was entitled to take the ship out. So the policemen, lawyer, and fisherman were left on the The agreed signal was given off the heads and the master was picked up He did not come back to New Zealand and no more was heard by the officers of the incident. Before serving in steam. Captain Brading was in sail and was twice shipwrecked on the coast of England The first time was in a four-masted' ship which was being towed out of Liverpool bound for Calcutta. The tug was not strong enough to take the vessel out in the face of a rising sea and the tug master cut the hawser, leaving the big vessel to shift for herself. A rush was made to set sail, but there was not time and she struck. The crew had to

jump to the tug which came alongside, a few missing and going into the sea. Cook’s Predicament. Captain Brading naturally has a clear recollection of the incident and he tells how the tug stood off for a few minutes to make sure no one was left on board. A voice was heard coming from the sea, but no one could be seen. Eventually, the cook was found hanging on to a bar on the paddle box, being then in a very bad way, as he was being drowned by the wash from the big wheel. He was taken on board and responded to treatment later, eventually making a complete recovery. The next time Captain Brading was wrecked was off Hull. His ship was making for Hull with a cargo of grain from Calcutta. The wind dropped and it was found that the vessel did not have steerage way. Soundings were taken and showed twenty feet of water, whereas the vessel was drawing twenty-two feet. She was hard aground. A wind rose later and wind and sea soon caused yards and then masts to. fall. Half the crew were huddled in the bows and the other half in the stern. Then the grain swelled and the ship broke in two. For two days the officers and crew put in a miserable time and then the Flamborough lifeboat took them off and landed them safely. In later years Captain Brading served in C. and D. ships, trading to Australia round the •Cape and returning through Suez. Then he joined Bailey and Leetham s vessels, trading to the Mediterranean and the Baltic, and was in command of several of these steamers. A few ago he retired and is now visiting New Zealand to see his son who is farming in the North Island.