CASTAWAYS.

Evening Star, Issue 5660, 30 April 1881, Page 2

CASTAWAYS.

Yesterday evening Sergeant Hanlan, stationed at Port Chalmers, received a telegram from the Inspector of Polioe that four men were on Green Island (whioh is about three miles from the main land), that they had no means of escape, and were without food. Sergeant Hanlan immediately com. municated the intelligence to Captain Thcimon, harbor-master, who made arrangements with Captain Sinclair, of the Plucky, to prooeed to the men's rescue, and the steamer started at four o'clock this morning. There is now very little doubt that Captain L-mdec, the signal-master, was right when he telegraphed from the Heads on Thursday morning trat a large boat was adrift about seven miles to the eastward, althiugh nothing could be seen of tho boat when the Plucky towed out the ship Wcstland, and it was therfore surmieed that some of the masses of kelp had befen mistaken for a boat. In all probability, the boat that was seen from tho Heads belonged to tho men, and by some means hud got adrift, thereby cutting off their means of escape. The names of the men are—Peter Campbell, Archibald Campbell, Charles Cummin, and Gustavo Lambeck, who left the Taieri Mouth on Tuesday morning for tho purpose of collecting j.,uano on the island, and intended to return on Wednesday night. As they did not return a*; vho time expected fears for ihi.ir safety wore entorlaincd. On Thursday night sifjval fires wc;re sei n on the island, and a boat attempted to reach it from the Taie'i Beach, but owing to the heavy sea the crow see reluctantly compelled to return, their boat, which was an open one, being nearly swamped. A messenger was despatohed on horseb&ok to Boat Harbor, Brighton, iu tho hopo of getting a boat and crew there to proceed to tho •aland, bub in thin lie was unsuacesiful. On Mh return ho rodo to Waihola 5 there took thetraia to Duucdin, end communicated the circumatanco to tho polioe. Tho Plucky, with Mr M'lndoe and Constable Young on board, left tho pier at Port Chalmers at four o'clock this morning, reaching the island at 730 It then being low tide there was no diffioulty in taking the four men off with tho steamer's boat, and she returned to port at 11.40 a.m. From the statement of Peter Campbell, who Is in his seventieth year, it appears that ho and his companions reached the island at S p.m. on Tuesday, and after taking out the sail, as was their usual custom, to utilise it for a tent, they archoredthe boat (alargeopen one of five tonß burden) off with twenty-six fathoms of cable, in three fathoms of water, and landed on the island in a small dingy kept for that purpose. On Wednesday morning it commenced to blow hard from the S. W., causing R naßty eea to get up. At noon they perceived that the boat was dragging, and there were no means of getting to her. They watched hor drifting towards Sandfly Bay. Their provisions and water were in the boat, and they suffered severely from the want of wat( r for two days, They desire to express their gratitude to Captain Sinclair and the crew of the steamer for the kindness flhown to them after being reeoued.