TRAGEDY FEARED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18203, 26 September 1933, Page 5

TRAGEDY FEARED

FISHING BOAT MISSING FOUR MEN ABOARD COOK STRAIT STORM 7y WRECK AG E WASHED ASHORE (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. Grave fears are entertained for the safety of three men and a youth who •comprised the crew of a fishing launch, the Sautina, which was caught in the sudden 'storm that arose in Cook Strait yesterday, and subsequently was disabled. An extensive search was made yesterday without success, and was resumed at. daybreak to-day, when a party left to search the coast in the vicinity oi Pericarrow lighthouse. Other parties left in launches for Island Bay. The crew of the missing vessel comprised : Vinceseo .Costa, 50, 24. Trent street, Island Bay. . Paolo Panozzo, 42, 11 Trent street. Island Bay, Generara Amitrano, 48, 18 Reef street. Island Bay. Ronald Frank Alley, 15, 18 Reef street. Island Bay. Seven launches left Island Buy about 4 o’clock in the morning for their daily fishing. When the blow commenced they put back, with the exception oi the Santina and another launch which stood by to see if she could ho of assistance. The latter, however, was not powerful enough to take the Santina in tow. and came in to seek the assistance of the Toia.

The launches were unable to get into Island Bay owing to the severity of the storm, arid except for one which went to Balena Bay, they made for the boat harbor, where they arrived at 9 o’clock, about the time the Toia left the wharves. At 10 o’clock the trawler Futurist was passing in the vicinity of Baring Head, but saw nothing of the Santina. The trawler was about four miles off the point and visibility was poor owing to the big sea running and passing showers of rain. The Santina, a motor launch about 52ft. long, and driven by a 16 h.p. Standard engine, is owned by Mr. V. Costa, Trent street, Island Bay, who is among those on board. After the Toia returned to port at 1.10 p.m. without seeing anything of the Santina, it was decided to make a search by air, and about 2.20 p.m. Flight-Lieutenant G. B. Bolt, accompanied by Mr. K. Anderson, left the Rongotai aerodrome in one of the Wellington Aero Club’s Gipsy Moth machines to look for. the launch. Flight-Lieutenant Bolt returned at 3.15 p.m., and reported that he had searched the coast up to where the Wairarapa lake enters Palliser Bay, and had • seen nothing of the launch. The search conducted on sea, land, and air, failed to locate the launch. Grave fears for the safety of the crew were entertained when pieces of wreckage believed to be part of the missing Santina were washed up at Breaker Bay during the afternoon.