AN ANTI-CLIMAX

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 15, 18 January 1936, Page 10

AN ANTI-CLIMAX

EXCITEMENT AT BRIGHTON Y, SUPPOSED DISTRESS SIGNALS £ Per Press Association. J CHKISICHURCH. Jan. 17. Because flashes from an electric Lorch were mistaken last evening for distress signals off the pier, Brighton worked Hadf up to an unprecedented state of excitement, aud to day comes an auti-ciimax. Il started when Captain C. G. Carey, master of the scow Ngahau, solicitous fur the welfaie Ox his caigo of 3ll(J sheep, sent members of his crew, armed with torcucs, to see that, they were safe. Lively imaginations on the beach mi«*t<?uk the flasues of the torches for distress sig tials, all hough a distic.-n rocket explodes at a height of 500 feet. Au alarm was raised and Rescue JI from .Sumner, the only lifeboat i i New Zea land, was dispatched. 1 iie lite brigade charged down to the beach and the lire bell was exercised with stirpra. ing vigour, wtiile in the meantime somec-ne operated on tire burf Club’s alarm bell. The result was that Bflghton’.* population was quickly concentrated in the vicinity of the pier, waiting for tilings to ha open. While ail this was going on. the Ngahau, never in danger, niteed her ' way along the coast, crossed the Waimakariri bar and safely berthed at Kaiapoi. •‘Damn nonsense, ’’ said Captain Carey, this morning, commenting on the iepor< that distress rignals had been given, “and as for Morse signals sent irom the shore we never saw them. We had other busincrs to see to.” “The Ngahau,” he said, “left Kaiapoi at tr.i yesterday morning and arrived at Little Pigeon Bay at 12.30 p.m. »she ioaued her cargo of sheep for the freezing works and sailed at 7.30 pm. When she struck»a nor • ' we.-xt gale about 9.30 off Brighton, and j • for a while could make no progress. ; and standing in clone to the pier to i avoid the high seas, the vessel missed ; stays several times, which, would acI count for the light being obscured from ; the shore at intervals. At 11 o’clock | the wind moderated, and good pro i gress was made up the coast, to the bar. I which was crossed at one o'clock this morning. ”