ROCKETS AT SEA

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2212, 27 July 1914, Page 4

ROCKETS AT SEA

ALARMING REPORTS. (By Tolojrepli.-ir6.is Annotation.) Auckland, July 25. A from Parengarenga states that last night a rockot was seen 1 between Coal Point and the North Cape, and that a rockot .was also seen at Tekapua an hour earlier. The steamers Rakanoa and Karori, passing the locality at 10 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. respectively, state that they saw no signs of signals.

The Chief Postmaster at Auckland advised the Acting-Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department (Mr. F. V. Waters), on Saturday morning as follows:—'JTho Postmaster at Parengai renga wires: From my residence at Parengarenga saw powerful rocket go up 7.50 last night. (Friday), apparently somewhere on coast in line between Wharekau'Point and North Cape. The postmaster at Tehapua rang me up this morning (Saturday), and said his daughter saw another one an hour later, same direction." .

When the news was received in Wellington on Saturday morning it was at first thought that the rockets might have been sent-up by some vessel in distress. As the day passed, however, without any further intelligence.being received this theory was not considered feasible. Several steamers use rockets as a means of signalling one to the other when passing at night, and it is thought that tnis is probably what has happened. .

Tho Government Meteorological Department states that there was heavy thunder in the vicinity of Russell at fi p.m. on Friday, and an electrical disturbance might possibly have been taken for distress 'signals. •