STRANDED IN RIVER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21996, 4 July 1933, Page 8

STRANDED IN RIVER

YOUNG MAN’S VIGIL EIGHT HOURS ON SPIT RESCUERS’ SPLENDID WORK (Special to Daily Times.) OAMARU, July 3. A thrilling story of quiet heroism and endurance is told of an episode that occurred on Sunday night at the Waitaki River opposite the Ferry road when the rescue was brought about of a young man named M. J. Hilton, aged 19 years, from the parlous position of being stranded on a small shingle spit dividing the main river. A non-swimmer, young Hilton had escaped the peril of drowning in the icy-cold waters of the Waitaki, and had endured with fortitude the bitter cold of the night without food or warmth for about eight hours before he was pulled across the rushing torrent and furnished with food and dry clothes through the hospitality of Mr and Mrs Devlin. With the odds against them, and after meeting with many failures, the rescuers battled along gamely in the bitterly cold water and biting wind until they at last were rewarded with success, and saved young Hilton from what appeared to be almost certain death from cold and exposure. THROWN INTO RIVER ' Hilton, Alan Macdonald, and another young man named Gray, had been rabbiting on the islands in the Waitaki in the vicinity of the Ferry road, and were returning home on horseback acres# the river, when the horses went into a deep hole, precipitating the riders into the river. Hilton and Macdonald were double-banking on one horse, and Macdonald, like Gray, stuck to the horses and reached safety on the North Otago side of the river. The saddle girth, however, either slipped or broke, and Hilton was swept down stream with the saddle and a bundle of about 60 rabbit skins and a small adze. His companions state that he disappeared from sight for about 300 yards, and, as he related afterwards to the Daily Times representative, he was swept down by the rushing water some hundreds of yards and was washed on to a shingle spit “ when he was just about gone.” The time was about 4.30 p.m., just growing dusk, and Hilton’s cries were heard by settlers in thp locality, and with the assistance of his companions Hilton was located just about dark.

Owing to the wide expanse of the river on the North Otago side it was found impossible to attempt to rescue him from this bank, and a’ telephone message was sent from Mr Dalgleish’a homestead to the Oamaru police, and when Sergeant Hall learned of the young man’s plight he at once organised a rescue party from Oamaru, which left immediately for the scene, driven out in Mr R. O’Meara’s car, the members of the party including Sergeant Hall, Constable Tretheway, and Mesrfrfe R, O’Meara, E. Solomon, S. C. Ridley, and B, C. M'Donald, all of Oamaru. RESCUE' PARTY’S EFFORTS On reaching, Ferry road it was found that the settlers on the other bank were directing rescue operations from that quarter, fires and lanterns indicating the locality in which Hilton had been found, and" the party at once travelled around via Glenavy, securing the assistance and co-operation of Constable Berry and- his eons. On arrival after a walk of a couple of miles over the river bed, it was found that Mr Jack Hyland and Mr W. Develin had gone across on hacks over the several branches of the river to the main stream, and had endeavoured to cross on horseback, but the strength of the current swept the horses down stream. When it was realised that this was impossible they had thrown matches, tied in a handkerchief with a stone, over the intervening 40 yards of swift current to Hilton, who had made a small fire from driftwood and secured a little warmth. These young men had taken binder twine and a rope with them, and battled away for a long time in an endeavour to get a rope over to Hilton, who at that stage reported that his arms were becoming numb with the cold, and that he was freezing. Their attempts, unfortunately, were unsuccessful, as the rushing water carried the twine downstream before Hilton could secure it, Hilton rushed into the water waist deep on many occasions in an endeavour to secure the life line, button the only occasion on which he se®?ed it, the force of the current brolaß the line, and at 9.30 Messrs Hylaira and Devlin returned to the watchers on the bank, and reported that they had been unsuccessful By this time the supply of firewood on the spit had given out, and Hilton was compelled to keep his lopely vigil without the comfort of even a email fire to temper the cold of the biting south-west wind that blew down the river bed. The light of the moon assisted the rescuers in their operations, and, thanks to the courtesy of Mr G. T, Gillies, of Oamaru, and the Public Works Department, the party was equipped with searchlights. Some delay was caused through having to obtain fishing lines and sinkers, and a further attempt was made to get a rope across the. river, but without avail, as the force of the current broke the stout fishing tackle every time the Hue was sent across, and the rescuers had to return to the bank and report failure. It was thereupon decided to secure a boat from Glenavy, and willing hands were soon at work carrying the boat over the two miles of river bed to the road at Glenavy, where a truck was ready to transport it to the scene of operations. SAVED In the meantime, however, further efforts were made to send a lifeline over the river, and at 10.55 Mr Ridley and Mr Ron Haynes joined the small party working strenuously in the water and wind, away out in the river bed, in their efforts to save Hilton. Failure was again met with on several occasions, but at length, by using a stirrup iron as a weight, a line was got across, followed by plough lines and an inch rope, with a running noose, which Hilton secured under his arms, and gamely walking into the icy cold water of the Waitaki he took his second long plunge and was washed by the current and hauled across the intervening 40 yards of rushing water, where his rescuers, wading waist deep, secured him, brought him to dry land, and applied resuscitation effectively. It was at 0.45 a.m. that the rescuers signalled by electric torch to indicate that Hilton had been rescued, welcome news that brought a chefer from ■ the watchers on the bank.

After a brief stay by the blazing fire Hilton soon recovered to a certain extent, again, walking over the intervening couple of miles to Mr Devlin’s home, where Mrs Devlin supplied warm clothing and food. Hilton was soon recovered from his unenviable experience, and in his own words “ doing fine.” With the successful turn of events, the boat, which had been transported to Mr Devlins place, and the services of Dr Butler, who had come out at that late hour in the Oamaru ambulance with Messrs W. J, Davies and Bruce Steven, were not required. The highest praise has been expressed of the very gallant efforts of Messrs Hyland, Devlin, Ridley and Haynes, who, despite the frequent setbacks and the bitterly cold conditions, worked away undaunted until they were rewarded with success.