Well Buffeted.

On March 31, 1897, she sailed from Glasgow for Dunedin, but did not reach her destination until October 1—183 days out, and this was the occasion when she had such a close call. At that time she was rigged as a barque, and was in command of Captain Sims. All went well until she was right down in southern waters, where she ran into dirty weather, and sail was reduced to low topsails only. A tremendous sea was running, and now and again the barque shipped green ones that swept the decks from end to end. Things culminated on July 3, when she was about 1000 miles south-west of Melbourne. On that day a veritable avalanche swept over her, carrying away the steering gear, and washing the man at the wheel to the other end of the vessel, where he picked himself up just as the man who was getting ready to go aft and relieve him was carried overboard, and, of course, drowned, for no boat could have lived in such a boiling sea.

The steering gear gone, the vessel became unmanageable and broached-to, with disastrous results. As she swung helplessly round mountainous seas washed aboard, and for a time she was buried in water. Parts of the bulwarks were washed away, the lifeboats and boat-davits went over the side, the poop deck was damaged, and the quarter-hatch was stove in. The cabin was completely flooded, and everything movable was swept out, including the captain's navigating instruments and charts, the loss of which left him in a very bad way.