A PLUCKY ACT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2362, 19 January 1915, Page 6

A PLUCKY ACT

. a ■ AND A MISSING-RAPT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) irweroargill, January 18. » In last Tuesday's issue of the "South;land Times"'there appeared a local describing a plucky incident that had been noted at Rivorton the previous day, when two little girls were playing on a raft at the tourist camp, on M'Callum's Parade, near, Howell's Point. The wind was blowing off shore, and the raft gradually drifted to sea. A boy. about 14 years of age perceived the panic with which the girls had been seized, swam out to them when the raft was several hundred yards from the shore,, and pacified them until help arrived in the shape of a launch, which came on the scene in response to an urgent telephone message. The boy and girls were taken aboard the launch, and the raft was' left to the mercy of the ocean. The sequel of the story duly came to light on Saturday last, when a man discovered a'raft that had, been washed ashore at the back of Bluff Hill and speculation at the Bluff was rife as to whether it belonged to the missing trawler Endeavour. The wireless authorities at Awarua were communicated with and a, fruitless endeavour was made to connect with the Macqnarie'lsland radio station. The description which has been supplied to this raft, however, places it beyond doubt that it is identical with the one that got loose at Riverton, ' and it had evidently drifted to where it was located by the Bluff residents. From two different sources, each of them reliable, information was • reoeived last evening . that this was the case. Riverton residents will no doubt confirm, this verdict from the following description of the derelict discovered at Bluff. It measures 10ft. 6in. by 6ft. Sin., and is built on crossbeams of 2 by H Oregon pine, painted a chocolate colour, the decking comprising thin.red pine scantling. Eighteen empty benzoline tins comprise part of Jhe structure and these • are lashed with rope wire and straps ; of galvanised iron Four roughly cut wooden wheels which have seen little - or no use have been placed underneath . to act as runners. The two informants , who communicated with the "Times" . ( last niglit, had seen the raft at Riverton and were quite positive that it , answered the above description to a , nicety. . .