CHRISTMAS TRAGEDIES

Taranaki Daily News, 28 December 1929, Page 9

CHRISTMAS TRAGEDIES

HEAVY WEATHER AT SEA SERIOUS LOSS OF LIVES MANY MOTOR FATALITIES By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. Rec. 7 p.m. ' London, Dec. 26. Fierce gales on the British coast and in south and eastern Europe have wrought havoc with shipping. Thus far 32 deaths have been recorded, the majority of them in the Danish steamer Asland.

A Madrid report states that rockets from the coal-laden steamer Asland, from Ireland, apprised gendarmes at Bayona that the vessel was drifting uncontrolled towards the shore. Three boats put out, but the rollers prevented them from approaching the ship. Cries from the seamen in the darkness indicated that the vessel had struck. Subsequently corpses, which were much battered on the rocks, were washed ashore.

The Fleetwood lifeboat on Christmas Day rescued six men, the skeleton crew of the French steamer Tchad from Bordeaux to Morecambe. The Tchad had dragged the anchor and drifted on the Piling sands. Rockets were unavailing, so the crew soaked mattresses with paraffin and burned them, attracting the lifeboat crew, who launched their craft in the teeth of a gale, battled for an hour and threw ropes to the vessel, rescuing the crew There were many gallant rescues from distressed vessels at various points on the British coast.

There is also an unusually long list of Christmas tragedies, with more than

30 deaths, mostly due: to motoring smashes.

A startling accident occurred at Hove, when twelve persons were injured through the collapse of a scaffolding at a church overlooking the football ground. Many people had climbed on this to get a view of a match and the scaffold gave way, precipitating the spectators 40 feet amidst crashing timbers and masonry.