A NARROW ESCAPE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1371, 4 November 1884, Page 2

A NARROW ESCAPE.

The Timaru Herald of this mornin says:—A strong southerly gale sprang up very suddenly yesterday morning, and between ten and eleven o’clock, coupled with a peculiar lack of consideration on the part of the master of a vessel coming in, it was the cause of a boat accident in the roadstead, by which a couple of men were given a most unpleasant quarter of an hour and ran soma risk of a worse evil than the drenching and benumbing they received. The brigantine Seagull was coming in from the southward, and Capt. Storm, the pilot, put off with a crew of four men in the pilot boat to fetch her in. He had with him J. Thompson, C. Moore, 1. J. Bradley and K Duncan. The boat met the Seagull about half a mile from shore, somewhat to the south of the line of Breakwater. The brigan'ine was going udder a full head of canvas, making eight to ton knots under the strong breeze, and the mas or did not, as he ought to have done, back his sails or do anything to stop his way in order to take the piiot on board. The boat got alongside and a rope was thrown to them Captain Storm managed to get on board immediately the boat touched the Seagull. His crew were to remain in the boat and be towed in. The line given them, however, was too short, or was not passed aft smartly enough, and they found themselves riding abreast of the Seagull's quarter. Going at the rate they were the men could no, keep the boa* off; she yawed, her bow passed under the vessel's counter, and a sea coming up at that instant the boat was “ sat upon ” and capsized. Duncan managed to catch hold of some rigging and hauled himself on board before the crash came. Bradley was looking out for the capsize, md like a cat got on the outside <>f the boat, ran along the keel and sprang at the vessel, reached it, and hauled himself on board without getting wet above hisknees. The other two, Thompson and Moore, clung to the boat, which was let go, and managed to haug on to the keel till they were rescued by a boat from shore. Fhey were very smartly picked up. Gleorge ' unnaway, who behaved so well ju “ the 14th of May,” and some others were standing near the watermen’s steps it the time of the accident, watching the vessel, and, seeing the accident, within a : ew seconds they were pulling for the sapsized men in Bradley’s boat, which lappened to be lying at the steps with sverything in place, and within a quarter if an hour or twenty minutes they had he two men in the boat. The Harbor daster jvas on the wharf at the time, and te sent off ihe Ganymede’s dingy, with a rew, but Sunnaway was off first. The acond Harbor Board’s boat was als lowred from the davits, and the manager of tie Landing Service and some of is men went off in her and fetched i the capsized boat. The two men ho were rescued desire us to acknowidge their indebtedness to Sunnaway >r his promptitude in putting off to their

assistance. Thompson’s hands w-re pretty I well numbed when picked up, and he i doubted if he could have held on much I long -r. A strong wind was blowing, and I binding spray was continually flying over I them. The men who went out with Sunnaway were James, Henry and B. Newton, IT. Clarkson and W. Norrie. 'Naturally a good deal of excitement was occasioned on the wharf, and when only i two men were seen coming back in the rescuing boat it was feared that one or more had been lost, as none were seen to get on board the brigantine. Sunnaway and some others had only just returned from sending help {to a fisherman named Lucas, who had been out to the south of the breakwater and was rapidly drifting northward ; and after the accident above described he assisted to tow up another fishing boat tha* had drifted down to the beach at the Waimataitai lagoon.