MAROONED IN FLOOD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21117, 26 February 1932, Page 11

MAROONED IN FLOOD.

MEN RESCUED BY BOAT.

NIGHT IN SLAUGHTER-HOUSE. ELDERLY CRIPPLE'S ESCAPE. Owing to the rising waters in the Kakanui River, south of Oamaru, three men were marooned in a slaughter house near Maheno, spending Saturday night in very uncomfortable circumstances, from which they were rescued early on Sunday morning. On Friday, Mr. Walter Simpson, an elderly cripple, who lives in a small hut in the bed of the river near the Maheno Bridge, was visited by two men carrying their swags, Messrs. John Jones and Hugh Mulcahy. On account of the quicklyrising waters on Saturday morning, reaching as high as the window-sill, these two men would not leave the old man, and Mulcahy carried him to a slaughter-house about 200 yards from the hut. Shortly afterwards the water rose to about four feet in the building, and the men were seen to exhibit signs of distress, which were noticed by Mr. J. Barron, of Maheno, who communicated immediately with the Oamaru police. Sergeant Hall got in touch with some members of the Oamaru Boating Club, and the club's boat was taken out to the Kakanui by lorry and carried about a mile to the best point of vantage with a view to rescuing the marooned men. In tho meantime Mr. Barron brought to the scene a roll of Manila rope. A Dangerous Task.

From Clark's mill to Maheno the flats presented a scene of rushing flood-waters that swept away fences and made the task of tho rescuers a very heavy one. Between tho road and the slaughter-house was an expanse of surging water -about half-a-mile wide, and the attempt to get the boat into the heavy rip, where the depth of water was at least 12 feet, was futile as well as dangerous. The force of the current carried the boat into a fence, causing it to be half-filled with water. After considerable time had been spent in exploring the possibilities of crossing tho flood tho attempt was abandoned with night coming on, and the boat was brought back to dry land. Tlie opinion was expressed that the men in the slaughter-house would be safe, if uncomfortable for the night, and as it was impossible to do anything further that night, the police party returned to town. As was subsequently shown, this was the wisest plan, for the men placed a ladder across the high rafters, and, sitting on this above the flood level, kept their vigil throughout the long hours of the night. Fortunately, they had a small quantity of food with them to stave off the pangs of hunger. Two Trips in Boat.

On Saturday night the police organised a rescue party from town, and a number of residents provided cars. Shortly after daybreak on Sunday preparations were in full swing to remove the three men from their unpleasant predicament. A heavier boat belonging to the Oamaru Harbour Board was requisitioned and taken out by lorry. When the rescuers arrived at the "scene the flood-waters had receded to an appreciable extent during the night, and Messrs. J. Stevenson and E. F. Armstrong successfully piloted the lighter boat over the rapids and brought the old man Simpson to safety. A second trip was made by Messrs. Stevenson and Stronach, when Messrs. Jones and Mulcahy were also brought back to land. The St. John Ambulance was in waiting, and the old man, who was suffering from exposure, was sent to the Oamaru Hospital. Messrs. Jones and Mulcahy appeared to be little the worse for their ordeal.