NARROW ESCAPE FROM DEATH

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21198, 23 June 1934, Page 24

NARROW ESCAPE FROM DEATH

, Wreck of a Fishing Boat HARDSHIPS OF CREW ON ROCKY ISLAND [THE PEESS Special Serriee.l AUCKLAND, June 22. Narrowly escaping death when they were cast ashore at the foot of massive cliffs on Whale Island at the height of the mid-week gale, in the Bay of Plenty, five members of the crew of the seine fishing boat Te Toa passed through two nights and a day of privation and hardship before they could be rescued by the Maude E, which, with the third boat of the little fishing fleet, the Cellina, had been standing by unable to give assistance because of the violence of the storm. Within a short time of the wreck, the Te Toa was a total loss, and it is feared that not even the engines can be salvaged. The members pf the crew were: Messrs W. C. Wright (owner of the vessel), Norman Owens (skipper/, Charles Wright, Roy Wright, and W. Waugh. Roy Wright and Charles Wright are sons of the owner of the vessel. Waugh is about 18 years of age, and had made only two or three fishing expeditions before the misadventure. _ All three vessels had been fishing off Torere, about 15 miles to the east of Opotiki, on Monday, when the north-easterly gale which did such havoc throughout the province began to blow up. It was decided to make for Whale Island, which offers almost the only shelter in that portion of the bay. Whale Island is little more than a jagged rock, somewhat resembling The Mount, Tauranga, in appearance and formation. The three small boats dropped anchor in Sulphur Bay, a small triangular cove, and as the storm increased in strength it was soon clear that a most uncomfortable time was going to be spent. Anchor Chain Snaps Monday night was weathered safely, but from the early hours of Tuesday morning the storm increased to a howling: gale. About nine o'clock the Te Toa decided to make a run for Tauranga. She had not gone far from the anchorage, before it was seen that the seas were far too heavy, and Wright made back again for shelter in the small cove. The three boats were receiving a severe battering, and suddenly, shortly after 2 p.m., the Te Toa's anchor chain snapped with a report that could be heard on the Maude E. "Our boat jumped forward as though she had been sent with her engines at full sr C," said W. C. Wright. "In five minutes she was ashore. She was lifted bodily by a huge wave right across one of the great scoria boulders with which the beach is covered, and was wedged between four rocks. The lad Waugh jumped ashore with a rope, which was made fast between the mast and the 'boulder in the hope that the vessel could be held secure until the tide ran out. The next wave tore the mast out, and all we could do was to snatch a few clothes and a little food and get ashore. Within 10 minutes of the anchor chain carrying away, the forecastle was full of water, and the port engine was lifted bodily up on the peak of a rock. We were left soaked to the skin on the boulder beach, at the foot of a steep cliff and in the middle of a howling gale." 1 Vessel Breaks Up The vessel began to break up almost immediately, and fortunately a drum of kerosene was among the debris washed ashore. One of the members of the crew had dry j matches, and a fire of driftwood was lit. A hut used by Maoris engaged in crayfishing stands on the other side of the islet; but it was by this time nearly dark, and to reach it over the precipitous rocky slopes of the island was impossible. The unfortunate men tried to find what shelter they could in small crevices in the rocks, and to the watchers ton the other boats, which were actually only a comparatively short distance off the shore, they appeared like so many rabbits as they crouched around the fire or sheltered behind boulders. The only food they had for the 36 hours they were on the island was two tins of biscuits, a loaf of bread, and fish that were washed ashore from the boat's catch. In the meantime, the Maude E. and the Cellina were having an anxious time. "The seas were terrific, and were coming around from both sides of the island," said J. Black, skipper of the Maude E. "My boat is the largest of the three, and I consider it was only the fact that I had a coir anchor cable, which dampened the shock of the waves, that saved us from going ashore too. Throughout the night we could see the fire as a kind of beacon, and the crew moving around it; but it was impossible to do anything to help them. By morning, nothing was to be seen of the Te Toa, except some matchwood and a crude oil drum." Men Rescued During Wednesday, the storm dropped to a certain extent; but the surf on the beach was heavy. The crew of the Te Toa made their way over the islet to the hut during the day, and were able to dry their clothes and spend a more comfortable night, although they had hardly any food. The Maude E. went round to the south side of the island to endeavour to take the men off during the day, but were signalled by W. C. Wright not to attempt to launch a boat. A daybreak on Thursday, the Maude E. and the Cellina again left Sulphur Bay, and with the greatest difficulty were able to take the five men olf. The Te Toa, which with its fishing gear and engines was valued at nearly £2500, was not insured, and its loss is a tragedy to the owner, who had invested most of his life savings in it. The launch, which for 14 years was engaged in the passenger service on the Manukau Harbour, and was very widely known, was brought around Cape Maria van Diemen a little more than two years ago, to engage in the seine net fishing trade. It had been fishing for Sanfords, Ltd., for some months. No marine enquiry into the circumstances of thQ wrafe s&jjtt te pecessaxjb „'"" " " -