TWO MEN IN A DINGHY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 230, 25 September 1908, Page 5

TWO MEN IN A DINGHY.

! _ BAILING OUT WITH A BOOT. I I ! CREW"? THRILLING r_XPKRIENC__ ADELAIDE, September 10. j ' During the wintry conditions on Wednesday afternoon, a small dinghy, with a man and youth aboard, made its appearance at the Grange. The couple i were making for the shore. As shipwrecked mariners, they had scrambled into the dinghy on Wednesday afternoon, after the ketch Triumph (15 tons) had'sunk. The Triumph was bound for Port Adelaide with a cargo of mallee roots, r.nd sprang a leak half an hour before ihe foundered. The spot where the vessel lies is given ias about 17 miles from Wonga Shoal lighthouse, by west-north-west. When the leak was discovered, recourse was had to the pump, which proved insufficient to cope with the indow of water. Wilson, master of the ketch, says: "A sea struck us and swept the lee deck cargo overboard. The roots on the other side slipped across the deck to leeward, and the ketch went right over on its side, ana went down straight away, broadside i on. I felt a knock ou the back and was ' carried under water slightly. When I re- J gained the surface, the dinghy, which we '■ had towing behind the ketch, was float- \ ing. I swam to it, and cut the two ' painters fastened to the ketch. Theyj were drawn tight below. I looked for my mate, who could not swim. He was 20 feet away, hanging to the main gaff of the ketch, which had j not then disappeared. I called out to him. -Strike out for the dinghy.' He did '. so, and got within 5 or 6 feet of the , boat. He then went under. Then I 1 next saw one of his hands sticking out of, i the water, which I grabbed, and pulled j him on board. Fortunately, the paddlea' I were in the boat. The ketch sank within j a few minutes. The dinghy was only' 110 feet long, and we set it straight be-: fore the wind and sea, which were in j • our favour, and pulled with the oars, I though it was impossible to reach the j j shore on account of the high seas. ! | -'The steamer Juno passed us within ; i half a mile, bound for Stansbury, but j our signals could not have been observed, j las she did not stop. The seas appeared I likely at any moment to swamp us. | j Twice the dinghy got half-full of water. IWe did have a time. I took one boot j . off to bale her out, and Bird was simi-1 larly engaged with his cap. We kept on; ; a straight course, and finally landed J near Grange Jetty. We pulled the! dinghy up on the beach and took train • to port. I'll have a look for another job now.'' i i The Triumph was constructed of wood, ; I and was built in 1557.