STRANDED.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 210, 29 May 1908, Page 4

STRANDED.

PERILOUS ADVENTURE IN AUCKLAND HARBOUR. A STRANGE STORY. (by TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) Auckland, May 27. An exciting and perilous adventure, accompanied by considerable hardship to the persons concerned, is said to have occurred in the Auckland harbour on Sunday night. The story, goes that on the previous evening a party of three Auckland residents, accompanied by two boys, left tho city in an oil launch bound on a week-end fishing excursion. Drunken Bay was mado without incident, and the party camped there for tho night. Nest morning they proceeded to Motuihi/ and after .fishing there for some hours made a start on the return journey at 2.30 in the afternoon. Shortly after the commencement of the return voyage something went wrong with the launch's engino, and it was with some difficulty that tho littlq craft was got to St. Holier's Bay. Darkness came on, and the weather was tempestuous. In these unfavourable conditions tho littlo launch ran in the darkness on tho Bastion Reef, and remained there in a very hazardous position, canted over at an angle.'of. about 75 degrees.; This was> about 5.30 p.m. Tho party remained on tho reef in this forlorn plight for five hours. Tho weather wai3 rough, and thoy were soon wet through. Tho chief concern was for the.little boys, and' every care was taken to shield them from exposure, . but, notwithstanding this, they, suffered extremely from the cold, as also did tho remainder of the party. And now comes tho extraordinary part of it-lie story, which was relatod to a representative of the "Herald?' yesterday by one of those who underwont the unpleasant experience. " About half-past ten," this gentleman said, " a launch came past with three men on board. We called out to them, and after going on for . about 300 yards they returned and asked us wliat tho trouble was. Wo told them, and said wo had two boys aboard. We asked them to take the boys' to Auckland. Ono of-tho men said: 'Have yon got a line on board?' We. told them we had tw'onty fathoms of cablo out, and about forty fathoms of lino on t-o that with the anchor at tho end as a kedgo to keep us from drifting on tho reef. ,AVe said wo couldn't givo them a ropo till wo pulled in tho anchor, ancl wo pulled about thirty fathoms and gave it-, to them. They mado it fast' to their boat, but whilo wo were' pulling, in the kedge anchor' they slipped off tho rope and went off in the darkness, leaving us there. 1 . Fortunately, we liad'our dinghy with us, 'and as soon'as-wo. got off the, launch -'and towed hor'in with thb : dinghy." .It was hard work, and wo didn't mako Auckland till 2 a.m." - 1 - The occupants of the stranded launch state, .that'-.'the- .weather conditions . were exceedingly unfavourable. It was hard", and raining all the time, and if the sea had risen higher tliey would probably have liccn washed off tho reef.