THRILLING TALE OF THE SEA.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8130, 3 May 1906, Page 3

THRILLING TALE OF THE SEA.

SINKING SHIP IN THE BAY OF BISCAY. GALLENT RESCUE BY THE SHIP KALLIOPE. A thrilling tale of the sea was narrated by Captain Zimmerman, of (jhe German ship Kalliope, which arrived in Sydney last week. The Kalliope is from Hamburg with a general cargo, and she commenced her voyage on December 17 last. Fierce gales, with squalls of hurricane fury, beset the vessel until she waH well into the Lsay of Biscay on January 11, when some excitement was occasioned by the lookout sighting a ship in the offing in distress. Captain Zimmerman bad (he course altered, and bore down on the vesßel, which proved to be the Servia, a Norwegian ship, bound from Newport to Pensacola, in ballast trim. The vessel was IN A TERRBLE PLGHT, having three days previously sprung a leak. • As the Kalliope headed for her she was knocking about at an alarming rate m a heavy sea; her sails were in ribbons, and to all appearances she was fast sinking. The Servia appeared to have opened out all along the sides, and as she rose on the of the seas the water could be seen pouring out of the seams. Tho distress flags from the shij, told of her hopeless condition. She was almost waterlogged, and the FRANTIC SIGNALS MADE BY THE CREW showed their anxiety to be taken off. The Kalliope was hove to, and stood by at a distance of half a mile to render assistance. For several days previously, it had been blowing a heavy gale and, when the Kalliope met the distressed vessel, the weather was still stormy. Under these conditions, the resoue was beset with great peril, but the signs of distress made by the crew AS THE SINKING SHIP wallowed in *he huge seas, spurred M the plucky bauds of the Kalliope into action. Captain Zimmerman , called for volunteers and, immediately, the chief officer, Mr Barnmeister, and four men came forward and offered to risk their lives to save the crew of the Servia. Quickly a lifeboat was got ready and launched with four sailors in it. The chief officer was attending to the tackle at the time the boat was lowered, ana a big sea coming along, swept the lifeboat away fronr. the side of the KaJliope before he could jump into her. The brave officer, however, determined that he would not be left behind. Seizing a lifeline he jumped overboard and was ' LIFTED'BY A WAVE into the lifeboat, and took charge. All this time the Servia was drifting at the mercy of the wind and sea. She was buffeted about in a fearful manner. As the boat beaded for the Servia, it was seen that all the boats of the ship had been smashed to matchwood. The seas where still pounding away at ber, and the crew clung on, aa a last deserate hope of being rescued. It proved a hard pull for the liteboat to the sinking vessel owing to the wind conditions prevailing and,' on nearing her, hearty cheers were given by the distressed sailors for the plucky boat's crew. The boat dared not approah too close to the ship, t-s the heavy seas threatened her destruction against the side of the vessel. The crew of the Servia weie on the > ALERT WITH A LIFE-LINE, and this was thrown to the boat and secured by the boat's crew. The men at the oars bad, however, to hold a strain on the line to keep a safe distance off. Meanwhile a bight had been made in the life-line, and then one by one the £crew jumped overboard from t-he Servia. Alter a desperate struggle eight men were picked up by the lite-boat, and these were quiokly transferred to the Kalliope; life-lines being again used to haul them through the seas from the boat to the deck of the ship. Then the boat returned to the barque and succeeded in rescuing the remainder of the crew in the same manner. There were altogether 16 of the crew on the Servia, and THE WORK OF RESCUE occupied six hours. It was 2 o'clock on the afternoon of January 11th when all were eafely transferred to the Kalliope. The Servia, by this time, was roiling rails under and the sinking vessel was left to her fate. Captain Sorvenaen was the master of the Servia, and there were two officers and 14 men. They told the stroy that the ship had been 30 days out from Newport, knocking about in heavy galea, and three days before the Kalliope arrived on the scene the ship sprang a leak. The crew were Kept constantly at the pumps, but failed to get the water nDder. They were completely exhausted when the Kalliope came to their aasitsance. To add to the \ TROUBLES OF THE DISTRES- j SED CREW j the ballast, consisting of slack, j liquefied, and rendered the ship | unmanageable. The distressed stailors were shown every kindness by Captain Zimmerman and the crew of the Kallk-.pe. Theiy escaped from the wreck with ouly what they stood in. The Kalliopo. consequently headed for Madeira, where, on January 17th, they were safely landed. Later reports received show that the derelict was subsequently sighted in lat. 40,8 north and long. 12 west by the Norwegian barque Bergliot, which arrived at Capetown on Maroh 14th. v ~..„„.