Woman Rescues Husband

Northern Advocate, 13 August 1935, Page 6

Woman Rescues Husband

RANGITOTO ACCIDENT t

DOOR USED AS STRETCHER I REMARKABLE INGENUITY SHOWN. GOT HIM TO HOSPITAL. . I [Special to “Nortnern Advocate ." 3 j AUCKLAND, This Day. Difficulties which would have daunted many men were overcome by Mrs Mary Holihan, of Rangitoto Island yesterday, in providing her husband, Mr R. A. Holihan, aged 39, with means to reach hospital after an accident. While her daughter was securing assistance she unscrewed a door for use as a stretcher, and later, with a companion, put out in a dinghy from the island to seek help. Mr Holihan, who is a cai’etaker oi the Harbour Board’s quarry on Rangitoto Island, was cutting some limbs from a pohutukawa tree near his house at about 11.30 a.m. yesterday morning, when he fell from 20 feet to the ground, injuring his back. He landed in a narrow space between two jagged rocks, a fall on either of which would probably have proved fatal. Almost Unconscious. Mrs Holihan was attracted by a cry from her husband and found him practically unconscious. She did not dare to move him into the house unaided, as she feared some bones were broken. She sent her ten-year-old daughter to seek other residents of the island and rendered what assistance she could to her husband. It was an hour and a half before help could be obtained, and meantime, Mrs Holihan had unscrewed a door to act as a stretcher. She had been in the habit until recently of making visits to Auckland in a 12ft dinghy, with an outboard motor and she recently acquired a 26ft launch for the purpose, so that the trip to the city would have presented no difficulty to her under normal cirWhen she attempted to start the engine of the vessel an irreplaceable part broke,, putting the engine out of commission. Put Out in Dinghy. > Undeterred by this disaster, Mrs Holihan and one of the men who had come to her assistance put out in a dinghy in the hope of intercepting a vessel passing between Rangitoto and Brown Island. A white cloth was waved to attract attention. After some time, the fishing launch Tiri was diverted from its course. The master agreed to take Mr Holihan on board, and he was taken to the launch from his house on the improvised stretcher.- Shortly after, the launch Nora was encountered coming from the city and it was decided to transfer the injured man to that vessel. This was accomplished in fairly sheltered water near St. Heliers and the launch proceeded to the city. Mr Holihan, who was in considerable pain v ever since his fall, was taken from the launch steps to the Auckland Hospital in a St. John Ambulance. He arrived there over six hours after the accident. His condition was considered last night to be not serious.