The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-09-22 00:00:00

THE 'LENNIE" IN AN ATLANTIC

STORM.

The barque Lennie, of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and
bound from that place to Dover with a cargo of
timber, was towed In the Granville Dock from the
Downs on Monday. The master, Captain Harris, re-
ports !loving encountered extraordinary weather In
the Atlantic, and the vessel altogether had a remark-
able voyage, to which her crippled condition renders
ample testimony. The vessel is 984 tons burden, and
is the same ship as that on which Captain Hatfield
and the first and second officers were cruelly mur-
dered about six years ago by the crew composed of
Greek seamen, who were subsequently hanged in
England. The Lennie left Yarmouth, Nova Scotia,
for her destination on the 28th of June, with a
crew of 15 hands, and all went well until the 31st
of August, when they were overtaken by a heavy
gale from the west-south-west, accompanied by rain,
and the sea running very high. By midday the
gale had increased very considerably, the wind
coming in violent squalls. This continued throughout
the day, with quite a deluge of rain. Towards evening
the lower topsails and foretopsails were carried away,
and by midnight the gale had increased to a hurricane,
the violence of which both the captain and his officers
say they have never before witnessed in the Atlantic.
The sea rose to an extraordinary height, the vessel
being at times quite engulphed, as it were, between
the huge waves. At this time the barometer had
fallen to 28 34 deg. The captain describes it as a
tremendous, high combing sea the ship scudding along
under bare poles, labouring and straining heavily, and
constantly shipping vast quantities of water. All
the hatches were battened down, but water
found its way into the hold; For some time it was
found impessible to reach the pumps, but this was
ultimately done under great difficulty, the men being
lashed fast to prevent their being washed overboard.
A large quantity of timber, casks, kc., were washed
about the deck, and the men narrowly escaped being
struck several times. Shoetly after midnight a
tremendous sea swept over the poop, and it was some
time before the ship recovered herself. The bin-
nacle, compass, and ventilators wefts smashed, the
cabins flooded with water, and the whole of the
provisions on board destroyed. Captain Harris, who
did everything to encourage his men to k-ep to the
pumps, then found it impossible to run .any longer,
and brought the ship to on the starboard tack. An
hour later the wind veered round to the north-weet,
the sea making a clean breach over her, washing
the deck load, much of it consisting of huge baulks
of timber, adrift, and a large portion of it over-
board. The poop rail was torn away on the port side.
and a part of the planking started from the main to
the mizzen rigging, some being started on the starboard
also. The boats were smashed, a clean sweep was
made of the bulwarks, and the doors of the forward
deckhouse and a part of the structure carried away,
the deck load washing from side to aide in the greatest
confusion, drawing ring-bolts out of the deck in
all directions, besides chafing the water-ways, and
starting the bitte. Had it not been a question of
pump or sink, the captain says, the men could
never have remained at the pumps as they did, it
being almost impossible to stand against the vast
quantity of water which swept over the vessel. At
daylight the gale slightly abated, and Captain Harris
descended the pump well, being unable to get a
correct sounding, and found the water four feet
above the keelson. He then turned his attention to
the poop, where the breaches made by the sea were
patched with canvas. In the course of the morning the
gale freshened, and; a fearfully high sea continued to
run, the ship's lee rail being seldom above water.
Captain Harris says that had not his vessel been timber
laden she could not have lived in such a sea. The
fury of the gale continued throughout the morning,
and a further examination being made at 2 p.m., it
was found that the water had risen to within a
a foot below the between deck beams, the ship get-
ting very low in the water. As a last effort to save
the vessel and cargo, she was got round on the
other tack, and in doing so her jib, flying jib,
staysails, lc., were carried away. The foretopmast
was then cut away, and in doing this the yards on the
foremast, with the jibboom, were carried away, with all
the gear attached to it. This considerably relieved the
vessel, and she managed to struggle against the gale,
which continued with unabated violence throughout
the night. Next morning a sail was sighted, and the
crew, who had suffered great hardships, having been
working at the pumps without food or rest for forty-
eight hours and being in a very exhausted condition,
desired to abandon the vessel as t eing in a hopeless
condition, she having then 131 t. of water in her hold.
Captain Harris, however, said he would never consent
to leave the ship while there was any chance of keep-
ing her afloat, and induced the men to return to
the pumps. As the morning wore on the hurricane
abated, and the water in the hold was reduced by 41n.
per hour. The vessel which was sighted was hailed,
and a supply of food obtained from ber, their offer to
take the drew from their perilous position being re-
fused. Ultimately, all available sail was set on the
Lennie, and as a reward for his courageous perse-
verance Captain Harris bad the pleasure of reaching
his destination without puAing into any intermediate
port in the Channel, having been 72 days on the
passage.