STILL AGROUND

Grey River Argus, 13 June 1935, Page 4

STILL AGROUND

OMAN A FAILS TO MOVE. To-day will be the fifth day simp the s.s. Omana broke away from her moorings at the Grey wharf, and ran rground on a gravel bank, on t , . ,> Cobden side of the river, ami whe ha- resisted all attempts that have been made so far to free her. Two furb r attempts were made yesterday, on he mt ining ami evening tides, bu. on 1 ct’n occasions the Omana failed ’o move and is now on such an angle that she is practically blocking the fan-way up the river. The innhod employ* d yesterday morning was the same as used on Tuesday night, 1 v a three-way pull. from the Kiwitea Kalinga and the Omana (by a straining wire Ironi the wharf), but the Omana showed no sign of movemeat. l.a-t evening the Kalingo was locked alongsk.v the Omana and assisted in the attempt to pull her free, by putting her engines in reverse, but again theship remained stuck fast. When yesterday morning’s effort failed it was decided that the only hope of refloating the Omana wjjs by lightening her. and after some difficult manoeuvring the Kalingo was brought up alongside her, and preparations made for transferring some of her cargo to the Kalingo. However, there was a slight delay before the work could be commenced. The Greymouth Waterside Workers’ Union claimed extra pay, owing to the nature of the work and a conference was held be tween the representatives of the Disputes Committee of the Union and Mr W. B. Cunningham (local manager of the Union Company). An agreemenr was reached, under which the men received a small increase in hourly rate for work yesterday afternoon, and a further increase for last night. The work o ftaking timber from the fori- hatches (Nos. I and 2) of the (-mana was commenced at olio o’clock yesterdav afternoon and continued until just before high tide (at 7 p.m.) When the attempt to free the Omana failed, however, it was decided that the work should continue throughout last night, right Up to high time this morning (at 7.25) when it is considered that she will have been lightened sufficiently to give reasonable hope of the refloating attempt being successful. The method adopted will be the same as .last night, with the Kalingo assisting. by putting her engines into re As it is considered that the lug Terawhiti could not do what the combined power of the three vessels has failed to do the tug. which left Wellington on Sunday evening, and which ha been sheltering at Farewell Spit, habecn ordered back to Nelson, and will return to Wellington. The sight of the two big ve?»sels tied side by side in the river yesterdayafternoon was one which attracted the attention of hundreds of people, and there was a constant srtream of in terested spectators on the wharf. The Omana has now developed a heavy list to port, and while she is actually in no worse position than when she firs*t became stranded, it appeared to onlookers yesterday thaf*she was in a more precarious position than before. Apparently there has been shoaling mound her, but to what extent it is impossible to say. Although now held firmly, the removal of some of her cargo of 1,100,000 feet of timber should give her a buoyancy that will enable her to float off the gravel bank.