LIGHTERS AGROUND.

Northern Advocate, 29 August 1919, Page 6

LIGHTERS AGROUND.

EXCITING SCENE'S AT RIViER ENTRANCE.

OTHER TUGS SHELTER BEHIND LINER. A mishap which .might have been fraught with unueh mure serious consequences occurred at. Gisborne last Thursday afternoon, when the Tiroa, with the largest of the G.S.F.iM. Co.'s lighters, the iMatatua, in tow, grounded just inside the harbolir entrance, and stuck fast for over three and ahalf hours.

During the afternoon the two steam tugs. Tiroa and Karoro, with four or five barges, were engaged in lightering operation to the liner Eon Napier and tihe Rakanoa. At 4 p.m.

a sudden south-westerly squall sprang up, and the lighters alongside the vessels had to eea.** work-

ing. The Tiroa, with' the Matatua in tow, loaded with coal from the Rakanoa, then made for the entrance, a task rendered difficult in view both of the state of the river and the stiffness of the breeze. Just inside the entrance the Tiroa grounded, the barge swinging alongside, next to and touching the groyne, in which position the vessels remained until 8.30 pjm.

Waves were then beginning to break over the breakwater, and shortly afterwards the Karoro was seen with a barge in tow coming in from tihe Port Napier, but on Observing the state of things in the river, she returned, and miade the best of her way back to the liner. Matters became furtttier complicated, 'when the Port Napier signalled that she was dragging her anchors, and would have to move further into the bay, and in order to help with the two barges still tied alongside her, the Hipi was shortly after sent out from t(he wharf. The liner was then enabled to put out to sea some little distance, when the tugs and lighters still out in the bay and unable to enter the river, made fa s-t to her, and i-emain-ed so until the Karoro cleared at about 8.30 p.m.

Fortunately, after a couple of hours, the gale subsided .someWhat, and the danger attendant upon the possible breaking away of the tugs from the larger vessel iwas averted. Had they done so, serious consequences were inevitable, as they woulJ have been unable to enter the harbour.

The lot of the men who remained on the lighters was a most uneviable one, as the majority went without tea and had a cold wait of three to four hours. Eventually .all the tugs and lighters came into the wharf at about 9 p.m.