THE PORT BOWEN

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4817, 31 July 1939, Page 4

THE PORT BOWEN

SALVAGE GEAR IN TE KUITI.

BEING RUSHED TO WANGANUI.

Much interest Was displayed in the 40 tons of salvage gear, which was in Te Kuiti overnight. The gear was

being rushed from the Awatea, in Auckland, to Wanganui, and is to be used in the endeavour to drag the Port Bowen off the sand at the beach where she is stranded.

Chief point of interest was the huge kedge anchor, 15 feet long, which it is expected will be very useful in dragging the vessel off the sand. Other gear included winches, wire rope, suction pumps and smaller anchors. Ten trucks were required to transport it, and they spent the

night in- the yard of the property of the Te Kuiti Petrol Service, Ltd.,

leaving at 6.30 this morning for Wanganui.

Salvage Efforts.

A large steam hauler weighing 20

tons has arrived in Wanganui from a King Country sawmill and will be taken from a railway truck at Castlecliff to the beach opposite where the Port Bowen is stranded and will be used there for hauling purposes. With signs of the weather moderating after a week of rough seas, efforts are now being concentrated on getting the steamer off the beach, where she has been aground since July 19. The vessel remains undamaged close inshore, but until the seas are calm and soundings have been taken nothing can be done.

Two more portable boilers have also been brought from Wellington to be transferred to the Port Bowen. These will be set up as a precautionary measure in case the- power on the steamer should fail.

With these boilers it will be possible to keep the refrigerators going and preserve the valuable cargo of meat and butter, the latter alone being valued at about £70,000.