LIFE BELTS ON THE BEACH.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 48, 25 February 1910, Page 7

LIFE BELTS ON THE BEACH.

M isEW. BRIGHTON DISCOYEKZ. r%?CBy- — elegrapa.—Press Association.) r CHEIST'CHIIRCH, Thursday. Mr Nell Johaasen, of Inwoods-road, IBiEnrood, reports; having made an unusual find when walking along the North Hew Brighton beach this afternoon, in the shape of a number of snips' lifebelts. Johansen says that he is in the habit of ■walking along the beach almost daily, and sometimes fishes as far north as at the mouth of the Waimakariri. This afternoon, at about three o'clock, he saw a lifebelt in tbo sea, but did not take lunch notice of it. A little further on, however, he came upon two more, and by the time he reached Waimakariri he had picked up fourteen. He collected them and took them inland, and stacked them on Borne liarrels out of the reach of the sea. On his ■way back to New Brighton he picked up several more, and these he placed out of the reach of the Boa. The lifebelts appeared to have been in the sea for some time, as some of them bad mussels attached to them. One of those taken from, the sea was unopened, but the remainder were opened, as if they had been used. iSomc were made of cotton canvas, and a few of ordinary hemp canvas. A lot of them were striped blue-and-whifce. 0i» has on it either a number or some initials, but on account of its condition from being in the sea a long time, Mr Johansen was unable to determine what the marks are. He thought they appeared to be the letters ♦•EG, 1 ' with 'T' over them. Here are two kinds of lifebelts. One has armholes and loops to fit the shoulders, whilst tlve other land has double tows of small corks in front. - The canvas belts are in good order. It is evident, however, that all the lifebelts have travelled some distance. Mr Johansen saw others in the water, and hopes to get them to-morrow. He also hopes that those he got to-day will be dry ■enough to-morrow to permit of any marks being deciphered.