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White Wings Vol I. Fifty Years Of Sail In The New Zealand Trade, 1850 TO 1900

Eventful Run Home

page 53

Eventful Run Home.

the Glenlora had a rather eventful passage Home from Auckland in 1875. Mr. Albert G. Allom, who is now residing in Auckland, was a midshipman on board at the time, and he has supplied me with a few incidents of the voyage. The ship ran into very dirty weather off the Horn, with head winds. It was understood that Captain Le Vesconte had made a wager with the captain of a ship sailing a few days earlier that he would be round the corner (meaning Cape Horn) in less than twenty-one days. He ran very far south, and encountered a large number of icebergs. One morning at daylight the ship was surrounded by no less than thirteen huge bergs, and in order to clear them the ship had to be continually put about. As the nights were very dark it was a wonder the ship did not run into one, it being impossible to see further than the end of the bowsprit. Later the ship ran short of water, and put into Pernambuco for a fresh supply. Soon after getting under way one of the sailors fell overboard from the cat-head while assisting to get the anchors on board. No time was lost in manning a boat, and just as his comrades were about to assist him into the boat he was caught by a shark and dragged under.