MISSING IN BOAT

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 84, 6 October 1938, Page 15

MISSING IN BOAT

AN ELDERLY MAN

SEARCH BY AIR AND SEA

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, October 5,

Grave fears are entertained for the safety of Mr. W. Sangster, aged 76, a retired farmer, of Hot Water Beach, who went fishing in an eight-foot dinghy yesterday morning and has not returned.

Widespread searches by an aeroplane from the Royal New Zealand Air Force Base at Hobsonville today, and by a launch equipped with a searchlight last night, have revealed no trace of Mr. Sangster.

A strong south-westez-ly wind was blowing when he left shore yesterday morning at 11 o'clock, and it is feared that the dinghy has been blown to sea, if it is still afloat. There were no provisions in the boat, as Mr. Sangster intended to be absent only a couple of hours.

Mr, Sangster was last seen at noon yesterday, when he was fishing a short distance froni the shore. When he did not return yesterday afternoon a search party was organised and went out in Mr. Harry Cordon's launch Marlin. The launch, which has a searchlight, cruised throughout the night, and returned to Whitianga at noon today. No trace of Mr. Sangster or his boat had been found.

In response to a request by telephone, one of the new Airspeed Oxford monoplanes was flown from Hobsonville by the ' officer commanding the base, Squadron-Leader Olson, who was accompanied by Flight-Lieutenant Nancarrow. The machine cruised off the coast for an hour this afternoon, and then returned to Hobsonville without landing. It was later reported by telephone that the search had been fruitless.

For the last year Mr. Sangster has been living with his nephew, Mr. P. Murray, at Hot Water Beach. He formerly lived at Aria, near Te Kuiti. All local shipping has been requested to keep a look-out for the dinghy.