NARROW ESCAPE OF A BOAT'S CREW.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 340, 6 February 1889, Page 5

NARROW ESCAPE OF A BOAT'S CREW.

This Sydney naval forces went out for a cruise in the Wolverene the other day, bub failed to make any very brilliant exhibition of theiv proficiency. The " Daisy Telegraph " remarks that to say their woik was "deficient would be to "convey but a faint idea of the manner in which the crew acquitted themselves." Following is one of the incidents which occurred :—: — "When the Wolverene was abreast of the pilot boat at Watson's Bay an accident, happily unattended by loss of life, occurred. One of the men had been directed to take his stand at one of the lifebuoys and to let flip the nut supporting it *\hen he had received the order to do so. The buoy was to represent a man overboard, and one of the boats' ciews, by way of drill, was, when the alarm had been given, to proceed to the rescue. But instead of following his instructions, the man so stationed let go the buoy and thus caused what had been planned by the officer to be somewhat prematurely interfered with. However, a ciew was ordered to man the starboard cutler, and as soon as the members of it had been fairly seated, the order was given to lower. The next moment the man in charge of the foremost fall let it slip through his hands, which were severely cut in consequence, and the crait with its occupants fell almost perpendioulaily into the water, leaving one member of the crew dangling in mid air from one of the ropes attached to the davits. As soon as the boat struck the water it disappeared for the moment, and then bounded to the sin face well nigh full of water and, Pbrango to say, with the whole of her cicw seated in her. How they managed to retain their places in the craft is simply miraculous. One man was struck on the head by a swinging block in the fall and received ail ugly scalp wound two inches long. When the accident occurred a second cutter was ordered to their assistance. In the meantime the men regained the ship's side without much difficulty, and proceeded by means of buckets to clear the boat of water, while Captain Hixon and other officets made an inspection of the JSTeptuno and the torpedo boats. Shortly afterwards the Wolverene went a few miles outside the Heads, and the men wore engaged in fire dull, the Neptune and torpedo boats ie-' turning up the harbour The Wolverene, on boaid of which were 250 men, returned to anchorage soon after 7 p.m."