A SHOOTING PARTY

Southland Times, Issue 17642, 4 May 1914, Page 6

A SHOOTING PARTY

STRANDED AT SANDY POINT. AN UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE. Two young men, Messrs A. ,r. Koaney, a Post Office employee, and G. Indcr, of the Magistrate's Court staff, left .Invercargill jetty at 5 o'clock on Friday morning to put in a few hours duck shooting towards the mouth of the estuary. but did not return till mid-day on Saturday. During that time they passed through an experience which they are not likely to forget. According to the adventurers they left at 5 o'clock on Friday morning,-with the intention of returning before 3 1 o'clock. .They reached Sandy Point after about an liour and a-lialf's rowing and moored the boat, wiiere they thought It would be available when 'they wished to return. Having finished their shooting they returned to the boat only to find to their dismay that it was high and dry on the sand, and that they were unable to launch.it. They waited till the tide turned, hut again misfortune overtook them as. owing to the rough weather and the consequent jobble on the water, they could not croos tlie moutli of the New River. There was nothing left for them to do but to row close to the shore and eventually cross tlie river to Otatara, and walk to town during the night. Although they found it hard work rowing everything appeared to bo going satisfactorily, when one of the rowlocks broke. It was now dark so they landed on the Sandy Point side where communication with Invercargill was impossible. Had they known it a little further up the river there was a fiaxmill and some of the workers’ huts, where they could have spent the night in comfort. Failing this they were fortunate happening upon an old broken-down hut, which was unoccupied.. They made the best of tbe unpleasant circumstances in which they were placed and started a fire and tried as best they could to dry their clothing, which long ere this was wet through. They also repaired the rowlock. They passed the night with little comfort, and caught the first tide on Saturday morning. Misfortunes never come singly, and unable to make the channel the boat had to be abandoned at Kushy Point. In order to resell Invergill as soon as possible they walked round the back beach and across the bridge from Otatara, arriving back at the time stated. Naturally, the young men's relatives and friends had become alarmed at their long absence, and efforts were put in hand to organise search-parties. Mr A. Pascoe piloted a launch down the river at r> a.m. on Saturday morning, and came across tlie missing men’s boat safely anchored. not far from the moutli of tlie estuary. He also went ashore and made enquiries at the fiaxmill. but tlie employees had not seen or heard anything of the men. The police had made preparations for searching, and a further launch was almost on the point of setting out, when word reached them that the wanderers had returned.