ADRIFT ON THE FLOOD.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 194, 11 May 1908, Page 7

ADRIFT ON THE FLOOD.

BULLER FERRY PUNT BREAKS LOOSE. '■ COACH AND HORSES LOST ■ V,; overboard; ; PASSENGERS' EXCITING -ADVENTURE. (by TELEGRAPH.—MIESS: ASSOCIATION.) . V/estport, May 10. A sensational accident occurred on tho Buller . River this morning. -As the mail coach, which had been detained from yesterday owing to the flooded State of the river, >was crossing at Niiie Milo: tho Ferry gave way and the punt dipped at the head. The coach- and .five horses went - overboard, all the horses being quickly drowned. •. Tho punt continued l 'down stream at a rapid rate, and hitting a submerged stump liad a hole knocked in the bottom. : Driver ■ Polil jumped overboard, and tried to got a small boat, but failed, and was almost exhausted when tho passengers, got out a life-lino and pulled him back on to tho punt. The latter was now close in shore, and shortly afterwards several' passengers got ashore, Miss Vanco being nearly drowned as sho jumped rather lato. The punt wont on again, but again got oloso ashore and passengers landed. Continuing down Btremn tho punt crashed into a pier of the Buller bridge, and finally became stranded on the west training wall, a few hundred yards bo* low tho hridgo. ! ' Tho passengers wero tho Howard Vernon Company, comprising Mr. Howard Ver r noli,'Misses-D. Toyte, Iris Vance, M'Ken7,ie, Chatfield, Messrs. ' Roland Reos, John Howard, Mrs. Howard, and Mr. Josoph Mead, also Mossrs. Claude Grooby (punt man), Joseph Askew (assistant), and Nolan Pohl (driver,of tho coach). All speak in highly oulogistic terms of tho courageous conduct of tho driver., . [Nino Mile about,six miles by road up tho Buller Riror from Westport.] . MAILS AND LUGGAGE RECOVERED. Lator. Word is just to hand that tho mails (only coastal) and moßt of the luggago on tho coach in tho accident this < morning havo been recovered, and that the coach is in fivo foot of water, but undamaged.