"MAN OVERBOARD."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1047, 9 February 1911, Page 5

"MAN OVERBOARD."

:L:i. >.TWO ; BEiVE RESCUERS:, j.; r .(B7*f«lcirrarh-Speclnl.CorrcsDondtnt.l '■''''■" Jn''•''' '' ; Auckland/ February' 8., jf; <t'The '"Herald", publishes a graphic ac§r count of a desperato.rescue f ,at Watipu I : Bay, Manukan Heads, on Sunday last. ~' "ho s.s.Putiki was engaged loading tim■i; ber some little distance, out, when a i man named M'Leod;., a resident of One- ■;! hunga, who was working a stack eftim- .;.. Mt oa the wharf, slipped and fell into i the watcr, r striking .a .projection as ha . feu. 'As MTiCod, who .was a good swim- : raer, did not make any attempt to v got :• whore, it was at onco conjectured that he. was injured, and the cry of "Mai "•■' ?J er °S' ar d" being raised, the engineer of : the Putiki promptly jumped in to the j ' rescue. Ae ; a heavy sea was running at ■■: tho time, and as th'o bay is inhabited i: by octopi, some of them of a-speci- '■■;., ally.largo siio, tho. task was not without i danger,' but the roscucr bravely struck 'to his. task,' and, securing M'Leod, held :; him up'in tho water until.a rope was thrown, from the steamer. ' Tho rone •came iii due course, ,but, unfortunately. when gru«pud by. tho; engineer, it came •way from tho steamer. By this time '; the engineer was ( thoroughly exhausted, and was obliged to'let M'Leod go, being himself rescued with difficulty. ■ When the • ; cry. "A man overboard" ..was ' raised; a '.young . man named Cowan, who had J" been working, down the hold of the OPu•tiki, all-night, heard it,-and rapidly.ascepded the ladder. On reaching the deck he., inquired where the man was, and was informed that- M'Leod "had sunk about the'mouth of the eavo some 20ft. °J-3Mt...oway. Though' Cowan was aw.uo that the waters were infested .with' big octopi, and that the cave was probably their .stronghold, ho jumped into the water fully dressed, and. reachiwr the cave, dived in ordor to try and find the missing man. He foiled, however, to.doso, and upon risiriar to the- surfaco for air noticed somo bubbles rising from beneath the steamer's stern. Hs dived jMhw spot and succeeded in bringing M'Jrtod to the surface. Hopes being low- •/ .ere'd, M'Leod and. his pliiekv rescuer were ' s«ori got .on 4 board. the latter being little ' (ho i worse for his adventure. MXedd. it. was feared, would not survive, but those on board, after keeping up artificial respiration..for. two hours, were rewarded by his showing signs of life, and lie eventually recovered • consciousness. He then explained that when ho fell in ho was • ' tnmnorarilv stunned by striking n proieclfon. Steps are being taken to see i \Ht th- hereto'conduct of both the engineer of tho I'nliki and Cowan is brought .under tho notice, of the Royal Ilnmane Society.