NO BOAT PICKED UP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19962, 2 June 1928, Page 10

NO BOAT PICKED UP.

REPORT FROM WAIPIATA. CAPTAIN'S CONTRADICTION. Advice was received by the Marine Department yesterday that the captain of the Waipiata had reported to the signalstation at East Cape that he had picked up a, boat belonging to the auxiliary schooner Huanui, nine miles from East Island. At first it was feared that an accident had happened to the schooner, but later in the day a message from Gisborne stated the Huanui was safe in that port, and had not lost a boat. Jhe Waipiata reached Auckland Irom Wellington yesterday afternoon, and Captain Elders, master of the vessel, stated he had not picked up a ship's boat and had not communicated any message to that effect to the East Cape. Captain Elders further stated that when the Waipiata was passing East Cape on Thursday evening the signalman on the East Cape morsed with a lamp, "What ship .' and "Are you all well V He was told it was the W 7 aipiata, and that all were well on board. Afterwards to give the signahnaa practice, the Waipiafa's officer signalled that the All Blacks had won their first match in Africa. As each sentence was morsed from the Waipiata s lamp the signalman on shore replied that it was read correctly. No signal of any kind referring to the Huanui or her boat was sent, and Captain Elders cannot understand how the mistake could have occurred.