The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-12-18
THE OCEANS PLAYTnlNG'
Was the Steamship Lycia for IA
Days.
ENCOUNTERED A CONSTANT Sic
CEsSION OF GALES,

But the One of Wednesday Night Off This
Coast was the Worst of Al1-Capt. Jones
Lashed to the Bridge SO Hours-Cases
of Tin in the Hold Badly Smashed-The
Vessel Escaped Uninjured But was
Nearly Capsized Once.
The steamship Lycia of the Elder
Dempster line arrived here at O'Clock
last night from Bristol, England. She
left that port ON December 8, just two
weeks ago and her trip across the Allan
tic was the toughest in the history of
that vessel or ever before known in the
experience of her officers and crew. 1t
was Bright moonlight when the Lycia
steamed slowly up the harbor and WAS
dooked at shed No. 1 of the Grand
Trunk An anxious crowd of ED err
Dempster officials, custom house officers,
longshoremen and others were gathered
on the wharf and some of these were
soon on the vessels deck and mingling
with the crew and officers of the vessel.
One look at the Uttered and ice cooled
deck of the Lycia showed that she had
not be3n sailing through summer seas to
reach this port. The deck was strewn
with large planks ana timbers torn by
the waves from the cattle pens, and from
Captain Jones, the vessels heroic COM
mander, down to the cabin boy, every
man on board was completely exhausted
and ready to turn in at once.
The story of this vessels trip was
learned from some of the vessels officers,
foir hou fnrnnd in as
as the Lyoia was docked. The vessel,
which carries freight only, left Bristol
for Portland December 8, having on
board only about $50 tons of tin plate
packed in cases. Hardly had the vessel
stuck her nose out Of the port when she
began to meet with the kind of wealth er
that was in store for her during the re-
in rapid succession, and the good hip
was no sooner safely out of one than sh Q
met with another.
Captain Jones and his officers had their
hands full from the START and all hands
were obliged to put in many hours of
hard work to help the vessel up to her
work in battling the heavy sea she en-
countered. Twice the oases of tin plate
in the vessels holds had to Ee re-stowed,
being scattered all over the holds by the
rough weather. On Tuesday night the
vessel began to near land, and the
struck into the toughest sea of er
stormy passage. On Wednesday night the
wind and sea became terrific and blind
ing storm Of eleet made the night an
awful one for the Lycia's officers and
crew. Captain Jones. himself, was dashed
to the bridge for thirty-six hours con-
tinuously and the man at the wheel was
also dashed to it. Six times in two hours
this man despite his lashings was thrown
violently away from the wheel, but for
tunately was not injured. Sea after sea
boarded the big ship and her decks were
constantly flooded with water. The
cattle pens were smashed and one of the
star board boats was torn from its lash
ings and badly damaged.
At midnight the storm still cont,n ued
with unabated fury. Captain Jones
feared to run nearer the coast In the
night time in such a sea and decided to
turn about and run out to sea again, in
to the very teeth of the gale. Selling
favorable moment the Lyoia's helm was
put down and the vessel started to swing
around. When broadside on to the sea a
henvy wave caught the vessel and nearly
oapsized her. The ship was thrown on
to her beam ends, but like the gallant
craft she is, rigbted herself and stood off
shore. Until early yesterday morning
Captain Jones stood off shore and then
the gale having moderated little he ran
Those who heard the story OF the
Lycia y voyage last night said that ad
it not been for the fact that she Is an OK.
cellent sea boat, and that Captain Jones
is an able officer, the ship would have
Jared much worse than she did. The
vessels holds bore witness to the terrible
weather she had experienced. Originally
as has been said the COS tons of tin plate
was pack ed in cases, but when the Lycia
reached Portland the tin plate was in
bulk, the cases having been smashed into
kidding wood, the plates scattered all
over the decks and badly bent and
broken.
Among the Lycia's crew are two men
who were on the steamship Memphis
These men are the boatswain and the
second cook. These men vouoh for the
fact TINT the Lycia's trip was the worst
they ever expert need OH any vessel.
They also assert that the report published
In the Portland papers that Captain
Williams of the wrecked Memphis
reached shore on the back of bull was
not altogether correct but that such was
the STORY. printed at the time of the
disaster in the Liverpool papers. Captain
Williams, SO these men say, was washed
ashore from the Memphis by clinging to
some timber of the cattle pens.
The Lydia was to have began discharg-
ing her cargo last night, but the work
was not commenced for some reason. The
vessel will reload AS soon as possible and
sail with general cargo and cattle for
Bristol.
The Fremona sailed from Leith the
day before the Lydia and will also
proba bly, have story of storms and gales
to tell when she reaches here. At mid
night last night she had not been sighted
though it Ia thought she is somewhere off
the port and will probably reach here