SEVEN-MILE MYSTERY

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 November 1940, Page 2

SEVEN-MILE MYSTERY

RUMOURS OF UPTURNED BOAT. Widespread enquiries were made yesterday afternoon by the police and othei' interested patties as the result of a report, emanating from Rapahoe, that an overturned rowing boat, with two persons clinging to -it, had been seen in the surf some distance off the shore. Constable D. K. McQuarrie, of Runanga, was communicated with, and immediately proceeded to Rapahoe, but was unable to find any trace of a boat or any direct evidence that one had been overturned. The Greymouth Harbour Board’s new tug “Kumea” was despatched to the Seven Mile, and searched the supposed scene of the “accident” for some time, without finding any trace of a boat. Apart from the original report, many rumours concerning the alleged overturning were soon in circulation and a persistent one named two youths, K. Inglis and G. Skeats as the victims, but neither of them was at the Seven. Mile yesterday. On Monday, however, they sailed a flatbottomed rowing boat from Cobden to the Seven Mile beach, where the boat was tied up in the creek, and. they secured a ride back to town, by road. The rumour was that they had attempted to sail back yesterday and had met with an accident, but it was entirely without foundation, as the boat was later found by one of the youths concerned, tied up in the same place that it was left on Monday. It appears likely that the cause of the report was a. large log, or other debris, floating off-shore, as no report of any missing, person has reached the Greymouth police, and all enquiries have had a negative result. Again there is a possibility that the. whole matter was in the nature of a hoax, and if so, it will not be lightly regarded by the authorities. Apart from the waste of time, considerable.. expense was incurred in, despatching the tug to make a search.