AN ILL-FATED LAUNCH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 74, 20 December 1907, Page 8

AN ILL-FATED LAUNCH.

BJSBIOUBLY DAMAGED: AT ORIENTAL bay. ■.

•A few- days, ago a : locally-bjiilt steam launch, named tile Nidia;was brought on i trolly to Oriental Bay, aiid: deposited on this beach, with a view to speedy launching. In the meantime, the nor'-westerly breeze was freshening u,p, and a bit of a lumpy sea began to roll into the ..bay,.-but nothing daunted, the youthful owners .of tho craft got .the engines' fitted in" 'the. launch and everything ready for mooring :the. boat out when the tide made,. . In duo courso tho launch w'as, made, to take 'th'p;/tynter, arid was. anchored some distance out;'from .shore,"liiifc unfortunately, as it turned out, not clear of the breakers, with the result that-,tho anchor came home, and the, craft came ashore, considerably straining herself. SliO' was tied up to a telegraph ipost,, and tho j Hood tide at night time was awaited. Another anchor having been 1 procured, libout midnight a start for sea wafe' again made; and the launch, thistiinc with steam Up, was successfully got offshore, 'aiid warped olf, hut something went Iwrong with the engines at first, then a difficulty was experienced in gotting tip the big Anchor, and finally the littlo punt in attendance Was smashed up against the latnicli and drifted away, and thero was nothing for it but to lot tho boat drift ashore' bricio more, tho time then being about, ,2.30 a.m, The owners then went home disgusted and tired out, and next morning ioiind that the launch had been severely damaged, wliilo a ropo had hopelessly foivled tl)e screw. The boat is now lying on the. Oriental Bay beach pretty well a complete wreck, and .much sympathv is felt for her owners, who have had their trouble for 'nothing.