AGROUND ON SUMNER BAR

Evening Star, Issue 22774, 8 October 1937, Page 15

AGROUND ON SUMNER BAR

STEAM TRAWLER ASTRAY IK FOG MEW TAKEN OFF NY LIFEHAT [Fn Umn Fuu Anocunov.} CHRISTCHURCH, October 7. Grounding on the Sumner bar while trying to reach Lyttelton in a thick fog this the small steam trawler Muriel, owned by Messrs I'. Feron and Son, fish merchants, Chnstchuroh, was abandoned two hours later by her crew, all eight of whom were taken off by the Sumner lifeboat Rescue 11, The fog lifted shortly after the vessel went ashore, and large crowds of Sumner residents, augmented by many hundreds who went from Christchurch and Lyttelton, watched anxiously from the foreshore and from vantage points on the ’hills, following as closely as they could from the movements or the lights the efforts to warp the vessel off the sandspit by means of a hedge anchor, and the subsequent removal of the crew from the trawler. The Muriel grounded shortly before 7 o’clock, and the impact caused one of the rudder chains to carry away. She was, therefore, left helplessly at the mercy of the combers which rake the sandspits of the Sumner bar in even the best weather. The Muriel is a solid little wooden vessel, however, and she is not expected to suffer any serious damage before an attempt is made to float or tow her off on tomorrow morning’s tide. Fortunately there was not a heavy sea this evening, and the lifeboat had no difficulty in getting alongside the Muriel, first to take aboard one of the trawler’s anchors, and subsequently to take off the crew. There is always a nasty jobble on ths Sumner bar, and the violent swinging of the Muriel’s masthead light and even more violent pitching of the powerful searchlight of the Rescue told its tale to the watchers on the shore. The Muriel’s crew consisted of Cap- ' tain W. Stephenson, who has been master of the vessel for eight years, W. Butcher (engineer), W. Ross, Max Parsons, and G. OUey (deck hands), G. Mitchell and J. Harkih (firemen), and M. Johnson (cook). They suffered no ill-effects from their experience. The Muriel had been fishing off Motunau during the day, but only a small catch was made, and nine cases of fish were aboard when the vessel beaded for Lyttelton, its home port. Two hours out from Lyttelton, in a smooth ses, the Muriel ran into a fog. She was moving inshore, trying to pick up Lyttelton Heads, and the first indication that anything was amiss came when she struck.

Captain Stephenson told a reporter of the ‘ Press ’ that an attempt was made immediately to back off, but one of the rudder chains had carried away and the vessel was helpless. She whistled vigorously, and soon there was a reply from the siren of the Sumner Lifeboat Institution. Fortunately the high tide facilitated the launching of the Rescue 11. at Scarborough, and it was not long before the lifeboat was alongside. After ascertaining that the Munel’s crew was in no immediate danger, the Rescue 11. which was manned by a volunteer crew under Captain G. Hines, proceeded to take soundings in the vicinity of the stranded vessel. The lifeboat took aboard one of the Muriel’s anchors and laid it in deepening water' at the full extent of the anchor cable. The Muriel’s winches, however, could do no more than straighten the vessel up. As the tide was ebbing fast, and as the Muriel was now hard aground, it was decided to leave the ship until the morning. The crew was transferred to the Rescue 11. without difficulty, and, after being brought in to the Scarborough boat harbour, were taken by motor cars to their homes m Christchurch and Lyttelton.