Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-04-23
A SAILING ADVENTURE.

Myfaiher owned the brig Peushaw, which
sns \ tidy craft Of 800 tons burden. sailing
out Of Australian and New zealand ports.
During the year was fifiecu year. old tho
brig wa. voyaglng between Sydney and
Wellington. a stretch II water about !. 80
mile. wide One night NJ We entered the
straits, BEATING our way slowly up against
a head wind, we came In collision with .
coastirg schooner running out She had
no lights act. and. as was afierwafd shown,
all bar crew. captain included. were half
drunk and did not see ours. was on look.
out and saw the schooner first. hut aa va
were close ON the wind and she close at
hand We could do nothing. She struck Nv
on IN. starboard bow with great crash.
Our forcmast went by the board. tho
schooner's bowsprit wa twist~i ON nnd
the two craft bumped and crashed for three
or four minutes aud then separated.
In such emergencies men act on impulse
and cannot always clearly remember what
occurs. In thh case ] climbed aboard the
schooner. thinking she was the least In.
jnred, and Il appeared that every one Of
her crew tumblei on to the decks OF the
brig for tho same reason. u was some
minutes after the craft separated before I
discovered that WIS alone. Thcschooner
was then In the trough OF the sea aud roll.
ing about at great rate. first went for.
ward and used an ar and my knife to cut
away the jibboom, bowsprit and forctop-
mast, which were floating alongside. The
mninboom Of the foresaii had icen broken
aud dropped this sail. The foresal was
all right, but dropped tho peak. The stay
sail and two iibs were gone. ] nov got the
schooner dead before tho wind and she ran
on at great pace.
Inow began 10 wonder how badly she
had been damaged. bad seen that her
bulwnrks for distspre Of fifteen feet on
the farboard bow had been stove IN. but
~ 20 tho hull itself ! could not say. ]
should have laid her head to the sea aud
wind but for hcr damages. Young ~ I
was was horn at sea. aud n pretty fair
sailor. and knew could not set storm
sail In tho forcrigglnr nor hold her up
without II. I could not leave tho wheel
without fear Of hrr broaching TO. and No
for thu hrst hour stood there expecting
she would Ill and founder. As al. con.
tinucd buoysnt, and failed 10 hear ths
swash OF water below decks, ! finally came
TO the conclusion that she had received no
great injury. Such psavsd 70 be the case.
Her stem and some Of tho planks were
broken above tho water line, and the bnl-
varks had bscn tory away ~ the bowsprit
was wrvnched out, but her crew had no
call 10 leave her.
11ss accident occurred about 10 o'clock.
Tho Wind wns then blowing n lively rate.
but by midnight therr was half gale and
= ha.UU - Ia a. all A. a.
I'm and send her. and don't remember
that ] was Anything more than anxious
sver the outcome. was being blown 10
the east. right out into tho South Pacific.
hut at that season Of the year the gales
wcro likely 10 be Of short continuance.
This one reached It's height a. midnight.
and when daylight oAnio the sea had very
much dccmasei. and the schooner could
not have made over ten miles an hour run
ming with all sails set.
After l could see the lcngth Of her !
brcaxht her head on. and by iashing the
forsail boom amidships and dropping the
peak lIttie more found she would hold
there with the wheel dashed a.port TIL.
done I went aloft for n iook around. but
could 40 nothing. Returning TO the deck
] got out the Union Jack and vet Il In the
main rigging NJ signal Of distress, aud
then inspected damages The little craft
WINS ~ dry M n bone. though her bows
above water were complete wreck. Their
was little or nothing could do TO mend
tnatters. and 40 | turned 10 and prepared
breakfast. by the tiino that was eaten thu
wind had dropped TO three knot breeze,
while the sky promised good weather for
the next day or two.
Whom ! came To inspect the cirgn
found IL TO consist mostly Of lumber. TIL.
WAS TO have been taken up the coast 20 the
site OF n new town. There was also som,
hariware, provisions, machinery aud dry
goods. Tbs lumber IN the vessel would
noat her, no matter u the hold was fall Of
water, aud / need have no fears ON The
question OF food aud drink, When cam,
TO look for a chart | could find nothing
not evon a coast survey chart. The esp
tain had seemed to trust entirely 10 Inrm
DRY or luck In making his voyages M an,
down. had looked over iather'A chart
many time. but Ia such q ouraory wa,
thai could not now remember what LAM
lay 10 the east Of me- remembered tina
the nearest coast was that OF South Amer
len, but that was thousands Of miles away
and concluded that my chance lay In b.
Ing picked up BY some vessel.
After dinner l lay down and slcpt 10
several hours, aud on awakening wen
Aloft for look around. Nothing Int Ak
aud water were In slsht. had been drl,
ing To the west all day at the rate OF abou
three knots an hour, and when came I
ngure up the probable run Of the night b,
fore estimated that ! was 100 miles OF
the coast The breeze still held from Il,
same quarter. and ireshencd somewhat q
night came on. remained awake unit
about 10 o'clock. and then bunked dow
on the deck, and was 30 little disturls
that slept right through the might, an
awoke at 0 o'clock next morning 20 |
treated TO tremendous surprise. m
schooner was high ind dry on sand
shore, and before me was beautiful gree
forest. She had taken ground 80 soft
that had not been disturbed.
Twas ashore on the Chatham Islands.
group OF fourteen ycrdant islands TO Il
east Of New Zealand. aud the only brca
In the wide waters stretching TO the con,
OF Patagonia l had struck one Of d
largest ones, called "Cathafine,n and NJ
no sooner on my feet than there WA sut
chattering Of birds Us almost deafen,
me. These islands were not then In hnll
~, and have such sparse population no
mat the number v not recorded ON ii
quarts. Land being 50 plenty and chean ,
.hs Island OF New Zealand Itself and the
eeng 10 many futtile Islands along
~ no vt Of people cary 70 isola