PERILOUS VOYAGE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 323, 9 October 1908, Page 7

PERILOUS VOYAGE.

SURVEYORS' ADVENTURE. LIVINC ON SHELLFISH. THROUGH THE BEEF BARRELS. A party of Wellington men went through adventures and dangers recently on D'Urvillo Island, off tho Nelson coast, which they will probably remember for tho rest of their lives. Messrs. J. L. Middleton, C. Baker, J.' L. Morrison, H. Morrison, and E. Wagnor were the adventurers. After completing some survey operations on the island, they returned to Grevillo Harbour, whero they had left their boat, to,- find tho rudder missing. Tho shores of the harbour form a desolate locality, covered almost entirely with bush. Tho boat, which was leaking, so that it required to bo bailed out every twd hours, was taken into tho innor harbour, and thoro anchored, tho party sleeping on board the oraft that night It was hopeless to proceed further in the boat, and it was decided that three of the men should sot out on foot to i.the nearest settler's house, which they estimated to be about eight miles distant, with the object of borrowing an oil launch, with which they might tow off their disabled vessel. , Dogged by Misfortunes. At 7 a.m. the next day Messrs. Middleton, H. Morrison, ;and Wagner started for the settler's, house, leaving Messrs. Baker ,' and J. L. Morrison' in charge of the boat till .. their .•return. - The party Tiad trudged for about 2j hours over the rough country when Mr. Middleton sprained his ankle, and it, was hopeless to tnink of his completing tho . journey. Fortunately there was a bushman's hut ; near by, which the party reached about. N half-past. ten. There Mr. Middleton was left, , and the other two pursued'their arduous; way to the settler's house, which they •reached . about three o'clock. But their misfortunes had only begun with the disabled and anlde. The weather now .became extremely rough, and though the . two men were successful m borrowing an oil launch, six days passed before the heavy winds - and "seas would allow them to set forth to the relief of their comrades, who had been left with hardly any food. They were on the worst part, of the rough D'Urvillo coast, and tho weather was still wild, •■ but having the advantage of the tide, they ' soon picked up the launch, which they had left. .'■The. experiences of tho two men left in charge were then, learned, and'did not make a cheerful story. 1 A little more than half a ,two-pound loaf was all the civilised food which 'they had seen for six days. During that, time they had subsisted, almost entirely, upon pipis and mussels, in tho manner of primitive man. Fortunately, there was abundance of fresh water. One of tho men'' had just been, taken off by a passing . boat when the relief party arrived, but the other reported that despite their privations, they were both in good heart and condition. A Perilous Tow. ' The party then decided to tow the disabled launch to Waikawa Bay, where it was hoped to find a safer anchorage. Under favourable conditions they should have made this'journey in 1J hours at most, but when they started, at 5.30 p.m., the wind was blowing violently, the sea was rolling high,and' darkness was fast ooming on. The owner of the boat, however, was anxious to get'his disabled craft into a more sheltered harbour before these conditions became worse, and, not without some misgivings, the party resolved to face the sea and wind. None of them knew the rocky coast, and soon it was so dark that they, could not see a yard beforo their faces. Two of them were in the borrowed launch,-and the other two were in the towed vessel, which they barely warded off the constant rocks by a vigilant use of oars. gone far; before one member of the foremost . crew sincerely regretted their adventure. Ho : mentioned, that a certain beacon light, which : should have -served them for a guide, was riot distinguishable through the, darkness. "Yes, there it is," his companion cried, and was about to turn the boat in a direction ' which would have hurled it upon the rugged coast,' when the two noticed that the supposed beacon was a lonely star. Twice the oil engine broke down, and it appeared that the craft would be left helpless to the fury of winds and waves, but, fortunately, tho trouble was repaired in time. Going through the "beef barrels," a narrow lano of: outstanding and partially submerged rocks, "i the two crafts escaped capsizo as though by miracle. Once, when a huge wave broke overboard, a member of one crew said to his companion: "I thought wo. would be lost that time.". "I should not care if we had, been," replied his companion. He was very wet, and cold, and hopeless, and often'one boat was hidden from the other by. the intervening hills of sea. jßut about 2 a.m., after our eight hours' constant buffeting, the launches made the "port pleasant" of Waikawa Bay, where they were soon anchored in smooth water, with ■ their crews sleeping peacefully after all their troubles. A sprained ankle and one or two colds recall-their adventures to the party, who otherwise aro suffering no ill effects. ■