NEEDLESS ALARM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 81, 17 January 1936, Page 5

NEEDLESS ALARM

SUPPOSED DISTRESS SIGNALS.

EXCITEMENT AT NEW BRIGHTON. CREW WITH ELECTRIC TORCHES. LOOKING ARTER SHEEP CARGO. (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Because flashes from an electric torch last evening were mistaken for distress signals off the pier, Brighton worked itself up to an unprecedented state of excitement. To-day comes the anti-climax. The excitement started when Captain C. G. Carey (master of the scow Ngahau), solicitous for the welfare of his cargo of 500 sheep, sent members of the crew, with torches, to see that they were safe. Lively imaginations on the beach mistook the flashes of the torches for distress signals, although a distress rocket explodes at a height of 500 feet. The alarm. was raised and the lifeboat, Rescue 11., from Sumner —the only lifeboat in New Zealandwas dispatched. The Eire Brigade charged down to the beach, the fire-bell was exercised with surprising vigour, while in the meantime someone operated on the Surf Club's alarm bell. The result was that New Brighton's population was quickly concentrated in the vicinity of the.pier, waiting for things to happen. While all this was going on, the Ngahau, never in danger, nosed her way along the coast, crossed the Waimakariri bar and safely berthed at Kaiapoi. "Damn nonsense!" exclaimed Captain Carey this morning, commenting on the report that distress signals had been given, "and as for Morse signals sent from the shore, we. never saw them. We had other business to see to."

The Ngahau, the captain said, left Kaiapoi at 10 o'clock yesterday morning and arrived at Little Pigeon Bay at 12.30 p.m. She loaded her cargo of sheep for the freezing works and sailed at 7.30 p.m. She struck the north-west gale about 9.30 off New Brighton and for a while could make no progress. Standing in close to the pier to avoid high seas, the vessel missed stays several times, which would account for the lights being obscured from the shore at intervals. At 11 o'clock the wind moderated and good progress was made up the coast to the bar, which was crossed at one o'clock this morning.