MAN OVERBOARD

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 34, 23 January 1911, Page 7

MAN OVERBOARD

Years ago. when sails were still used in tiie Navy, a bluejacket feii overboard from aloft, and readhed safety again in what was surely the shortest time on record, unless the record is held by the Auckland coastal skipper who was waslied overboard by a wave, and a few moments later de]xtsited on deck again by another wave. In the bluejacket’s case the vessel was heeling over to the wind until her deck was nearly level with tire water. The man fell from the foremast into the water, and, a rope or the shrouds of the mizen-mast as thcrship swept by, and hauled himself <hi deck. He was not in the least perturbed by his narrow escape—nav.il discipline was too strong. He saluted &n officer standing by, said. ‘■Conic- aboard again, snr,” in brisk business-like tones, and ran aloft to where he had been working when he fell. Che whole incident could not l:;:vo rx’-eu p:< ! d ten seconds. Somewhat similar was the mishap that betel a cadet on the training sh:p Port Jac-kson, outside Sydney harbor last week. The boy fell overboard as the vvs-'.el was doing seven knots teiore the wind, hut managed to grasp the crcss-jaek sheet as he fell. He was (iTcovered clinging to the sheet right und;>:“ the vessel's stern. The second cffi.-rij' had a line round himself in «n ip.-'tant, and went over to the boy’s a.s-sisfa-nce. He, however, was soon in difficulties, for the pace at which the vessel was moving made the work of holding the boy very difficult, so, while the vessel was being brought up into the wind, the chief officer went

cd by tihe third officer, behind the ship.’ It turned out that four was none too many, for the rescuers spoke afterwwrdii of, the difficulty of getting a line round the lad’s body with the Ship moving at such a rate. The captain. indeed, was surprised that the first res -uer nsanaged to hold on for so lend—five minutes elapsed before the vessel was luffed up— and the officer’s body bore, in the slrapo of bruises and blackened skin, evidence of the trying nature of his experience. Perhaps it ,is unique in the history of the merchant service that three officers should be overboard after a hand at the same time.