REPORTED WRECK OFF EAST COAST

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 283, 24 August 1920, Page 4

REPORTED WRECK OFF EAST COAST

NO TRACE FOUND BT SEARCHINQ . VESSELS. Br T«leeraDh—Prom Association. ' . Auckland, 'August 23. Captain Norton, of the steamer Monowai, reports that Tie ptfssed the spot of. the reported wreck off Tolaga Bay between 1 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, when the weather was clear. He eaw no sign of a wreck or of any wreckage. At 2 p.m. ha was only two miles and ft half oft the 6horo, and must have B«n the wreck had there been one. Tho,wind at the time was S.S.W., which would have driven at any rate some wreckage out to. 6ea into the track of the Monowai. He. further pointed out that there were.no outlying dangers more than a. mile from land at that particular spot. He said that the.Kia Ora was forced to have Tolaga, Bay on Saturday owing to. the;, heavy weather, and he was of opinion that the people on shore who reported. tho wreck must actually have seen the. Kia Ora standing up and down the coast. • , . Auckland, August 23. The Arahura, which arrived at noon today from the Eaot Coast, saw no signs of the reported wreck. MISTAKE MAY HAVE BEEN MADE. By Tolecranh—Press Association. Gisborne, August 23. This morning's investigations by parties from Tolnaft Bay and the neighbouring stations disclose absolutely no trace of any wreckage on the coast, and ths opinion is firmly held by the local shipping authorities that a mistake. has a" 5011 ' . l '„ '. i. The Rototahi Station reports that the men who went to the beach early this morning have roturned without finding any trace of wreckage on tho beaches, or obtaining any sight of the vessel that was 'visible yeste"rday. ' Messrs. S M'Cr'ao and E. Williams, the two men who reported the supposed wreck, telephoned this afternoon expressing their positive opinion that the object they sighted was not a mirage, but a vessel in distress. It was also seen by Mr. Graham, manager of the Rototahi Station, and his son, through binoculars. The vessel appeared to be about five miles out, and the Arahura, on her way to Auckland, passed between rfhe derelict and the shore. The weather then became misty, and the wreck could not be discerned from the shore; but the haze afterwards lifted, and the vessel could be seen quite distinctly, lying in the trough, of tho waves, and very low in the water. Mr. M'Crae watched it for two hours, and Mr. Graham and his 6on till dusk. Mr. M'Crae said he was convinced it was not a sailing ship, but a large steamer of the meat-carrying type.

The following message was received by the Secretary of the Posit and Telegraph Department from Qishorno yesterday morning:—"Re mishap to steamer Poh«rua has now returned and reported can find no trace of wreck. The Tiroa, Mako, and Putiki are still searching. No wreckage on beaches. The police are oMhe opinion that no wreck lias occurred." • I Another message from Gisborne stated that according to the postmaster at .Tolaga Bay, a party which went out from the Rototahi Station on Sunday saw on a reef a big vessel with two masts, but with no signs of> a funnol. The vessel was about fivo miles off the land, and a heavy surf was breaking over hen The party went back to the shore in, the ovomne. ' It was then found that the vessel had. drifted about two miles further in. There was no light, or any sign of lifo aboard. Up till ten o'clock on Sunday night no wreckago had come ashore. The reported position nf the vessel was between Rototahi and Puatoe, about eight miles scuta of Tol&ga Bay and two miles north of Gable End Forelanft. 3 , Later it was was reported: Ao turthor information to'far as to the identity of the vessel, Men from station and party from Tolaga Bay gone out search beaches. Owing to. absence or telephone facilities on Sunday Grahams wore unable to report the incident earlier." >