PARTY MAROONED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23113, 11 August 1938, Page 12

PARTY MAROONED

ALL DAY ON ISLAND BREECHES BUOY RESCUE RAPID RISE OF RIVER MANY BUIJjOOKS BROWNED [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WANGANUI, Wednesday Six public works men who were working on a metal deposit in the bed of tlio Rangitikei River at Vinegar Hill, seven miles from Hunterville, this morning wore marooned when the water rose rapidly about 9 a.m. and cut them off from the mainland. It was not until about 6 p.m. that the last of them was brought to safety through the medium of a. breeches buoy on a rope carried across the. torrent by means of the Wanganui Harbour Board's rocket apparatus. * Rocket Apparatus Secured Tlio men were engaged screening metal which was to be loaded on lorries. The portion of the river bed on which they were working is connected with the mainland when the water is at the normal level, but when the river floods it fills one channel which is normally dry and another portion of the stream also cuts across the "island" thus formed. When it was seen this morning that it was not possible for the men to make their way to safety, the Wanganui Harbour Board was communicated with and a rocket apparatus was taken out. Arriving at the scene shortly before 4 p.m. the Wanganui party established contact with the marooned workmen and a breeches buoy was operated, the men being hauled to safety singly. The sixth of the party reached the shore about 6 p.m. An Unsuccessful Attempt Earlier in the day those on the shore had managed to get a rope across the stream, but one man who attempted to escape from his predicament had to bo hauled back by his companions after he had got more than half-way across. Although the water had gone down about 3ft. by the time the breeches buoy commenced to operate, the level of the river was still very high. The marooned party counted the carcases of at least 15 bullocks which were washed down the stream.