["Through The Cyclone", The Western Mail (Perth, WA), Saturday 20 April 1912, page 35]
THROUGH THE CYCLONE.
THE BULLARRA'S EXPERIENCE.
ARRIVAL AT FREMANTLE.
(See Illustrations.)
The Adelaide S.S. Company's cattle steamer Bullarra returned from the North-West coast at an early hour on Sunday morning and later in the day, when she was snugly berthed at the extreme end of Victoria Quay, her unkempt appearance bore ample evidence to the buffeting she had received during the recent cyclone. The most notable feature about her superstructure, as she lay at the quay, was the stoutly built wooden funnel, which, after two days' hard work, was set up to replace the funnel which was blown down in the storm. Constructed over the open grating at the base of the smoke-stack, the jury-funnel, which is really a huge box 14 to 16 feet high, added touch of the weird to her upper deck, where the fittings were considerably damaged, the rails, awning spars, ventilators, and boat davits being demolished wbeu the funnel crashed down. The bridge and captain's cabin were severely strained and, it is understood, will have to be reconstructed. The deck itself was stated to be strained but beyond damage to the superstructure and the loss of the funnel the hull of the staunch little vessel, which is over 21 years old, was declared to be as sound as a bell.
...
The thrilling experience which the ship passed through was referred to by one the officers as baffling description. During his comments on the storm he stated that even though he had passed through the cyclone it was impossible to describe it. Leaving Port Hedland on March 20, at 10.40 am, the barometer reading 28.75, the Bullarra encountered strong E.N.E. winds with rough seas. At 8 o'clock that night the ship was labouring in a full hurricane with tremendous seas buffetting her about. The crew were kept at work hoisting canvas sails on the weather main rigging aft to keep the ship's head to sea and so prevent her from turning broadside on to the storm. The work was hard, and the blinding spray and rain cut the men's clothing, while the wind tore the canvas sheets in the rigging from time to time. At midnight the funnel crashed down on the deck, and created havoc among the superstructure. Luckily no one was to leeward of the funnel when it fell, but the third mate was steadying himself on the weather wire when it snapped as the gear tumbled to the deck and commenced thumping about as the ship lurched to and fro. With the cyclone hustling in from the east, at 2 a.m. on the 21st., the ship was helpless in the grip of the storm, and Captain Upjohn ordered the port anchor to be let go, and 120 fathoms of cable run out to keep the ship's head to the wind, the engines being set at three-quarter speed steaming up to the anchor. Everything regarding the hatches, was done commensurate with safety, and in order to give the frantic cattle below every chance, four of the hatches were kept open for ventilation purposes, men being stationed alongside to be ready to batten down if necessary. There was not rest for anybody aboard the tortured ship, and all hands were at work, constantly engaged in securing fittings, which were torn away by the weather and in replacing the canvas screens aft, which had to be renewed every hour or so in order to keep the vessel head-to. At noon the glass read 28.00, and the hurricane was blowing with unabated force, darkness being everywhere. The blinding rain and spray from the mountainous seas battered the bodies of the ship’s company with a constant tattoo and stinging like "a handful of pebbles flung in one’s face." It was impossible to face the weather, and speech was only practicable by shouting in one another’s ears, while progress along the deck was made with the utmost difficulty. The seas were running two and three times the size of the ship itself, which resembled to the officers "a pigmy in a mountain range." Five men were engaged constantly in passing oil from the engine room forward to where a bucket perforated with holes was used to pour oil into a downpipe. The oil streamed out on to the sea, and had a wonderful effect in preventing the waves from breaking. A huge wave, however, however struck the bridge and the captain’s cabin 34ft. above normal sea level, and strained the superstructure. The impact started the drawers in the captain’s locker, and the sextant was tumbled out from one of the apartments on to the floor, where it was washing to and fro in the water until rescued. From stem to stern the fittings of the ship were sodden, and water percolated everywhere. At 2 p.m., with the glass reading 27.80, the force of the wind ceased, and the vessel was in the centre of the storm, where light variable breezes were encountered. The seas, however, were high and dangerous, and instead of rushing down on the gallant ship from one quarter they hurled themselves in conical shape from all directions, "flopping up and down." The engines were slowed dawn, so that the ship would be ready to meet the second half of the storm when it should, as it inevitably had to, hurtle in from the other direction. At 6 p.m., wind and sea rose again from the W.S.W. to W., increasing in force until at midnight the cyclone in all its fury had the ship again in its toils. All night long it blew, the Bullarra labouring heavily in the mountainous seas. At 6 o’clock the following morning the ship lying like a derelict in the troubled waters, thrashed about in the gale which was abating. From 8 a.m. the weather cleared up, and the crew were engaged all day in dumping dead bullocks overboard. "They say few ships pass through the centre of a cyclone," commented one of the officers. "Well, I never want to be in a ship which goes through another. What a fine sea-boat the old Bull’ is though !"