TERRIBLE ORDEAL

Southland Times, Issue 19859, 3 May 1926, Page 7

TERRIBLE ORDEAL

LAUNCH ON FIRE JAMMED AGAINST LIVE WIRE CREW STUNNED BY SHOCK (Per United Press Association.) Tauranga, May 1. The temporary failure of the electric light last night shortly before eight o’clock caused householders some inconvenience, but those patiently waiting the light to re-appear little dreamt of the desperate plight of three men in a motor launch in a howling westerly gale jammed on a lee shore in the harbour against a live electric wire. A thirty-foot mullet boat was coming up the hafbour making for town when she found no headway could be made against the heavy westerly gale then raging and the occupants, Messrs L. Jury and R. Hayes, the owners, and T. Black, found the boat being gradually blown on to shore in the vicinity of Whareora. Two anchors were dropped and the engine kept . going, but without avail, and finally the launch went aground on the eastern shore near Whareora. Then came disaster swift and alarming. The mast struck the electric wires carrying the current along the beach to Mount Maunganui. Immediately the vessel was a mass of spark and appeared afire from stem to stern. Mr Jury, who was forward at. the time, was stunned and knocked overboard. Black, who was astern, was stunned and thrown across the iron fittings of the launch and was burned through his clothing. The current came into contact with his body. Hayes, who was in the cockpit, was also rendered unconscious. The launch then sheered off temporarily from the wires and Mr Black managed sufficiently to recover to scramble into'a 1 flat-bottomed dinghy. He dragged Hayes from the launch and then picked up Jury, who was still in the water. All three were still in a dazed condition and were blown on to the beach in the boat. Several mates were on the beach waiting, having noticed the commotion when the launch touched the wires, and helped the men ashore. The men were provided with dry clothing and came to town this morning. The launch finally got clear' of the wires and drifted down the harbour, and burnt until about 11.30. She is still afire. She was practically gutted, the owners estimating their loss at about £5OO.