NIGHT ON ROCKS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 859, 31 December 1929, Page 16

NIGHT ON ROCKS

ORDEAL FOR MAN AND WOMAN LAUNCH AND GEAR LOST From. Our Oion Correspondent WHANGAREI, Monday. About 8.30 p.m. on Sunday evening a 26-foot launch owned by Mr. E. Sheehan. railway employee, Whangarei, struck a rock near the entrance to Whangarei Harbour and sunk in 20 fathoms of water in a few minutes. Mr. Sheehan and a woman companion managed to get into the dinghy, but I a. huge sea swamped it and precipitated both into the water. Both set out to swim to the Frenchman Rock, at the ; entrance of the harbour, and reached it in an exhausted condition. I With the strong current running be- ' between the rock and the mainland, they deemed it safer to remain on the rock and, clad in flimsy clothing, > both unfortunates remained** here dur- [ ing the night, with no means of malt- . ing a fire or signalling to passing i boats. This morning the dinghy was rei covered by Sheehan and hailed out, and the passage was made to the mainland. From their landing place they had to walk to Urquhart’s Bay over a path strewn with jagged rocks, and arrived in time to catch the launch leaving for Whangarei. Their hands and feet were terribly lacerated by sharp stones. On the launch they were able to borrow clothing and received food, | and are now none the worse for their trying experience. Mr. Sheehan and his companion lost all their clothing and valuables. The boat was not in- | sured and the depth of water makes salvage almost impracticable.