ABANDONED!

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17155, 4 October 1926, Page 10

ABANDONED!

THE WRECKED'OPUA TEGS RETURN TO POET (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. The Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department has received the following telegram from the Postmaster at Marliti.borough:— "Tora reports, that two tugs arrived from Wellington and. returned. The Opua is abandoned. The crew is ashore at Tora. The wind at.present i. ; north-easf, with a light moderate swell and misty." Tora, where the Opua. is ashore, is a rather treacherous inlet about twelve miles north-cast of Palliser Day lighthouse and is just south of the Oterei river. There are u number of sandy spits in the bay and, to the north. there is a very rugged piece of coastline; Out, to sea, there are a number of dangerous rocks, which would render the locality particularly treacherous in foggy weather, such as obtained on this occasion. This is not the first time the Opua has been ashore. On November 18, .1924, the vessel ran aground five miles east of Farewell Eight. She was sighted by Captain Vickcrman, of the steamer Tituki, hut the Opua did not require assistance. The ship, later, floated off at high tide and proceeded to Grcymouth, having suffered no structural damage. HULL TORN ON ROCKS VESSEL SETTLING DOWN MASTER-TON, last night. Advice was received from Tora station to-day that the Opua had settled, down' and that her hull had been torn by pounding on the rocks. This afternoon the vessel had Jive feet of water in the engine-room and the opinion is expressed that if the weather becomes at all rough she will quickly go to pieces as she is in a very exposed locality. When it was realised on Saturday evening that there was little hope of the vessel being refloated, the captain and others were brought ashore. : The entire company were provided for by Mr. Eric Riddiford, and the crew were to-day conveyed to Wellington.