ONCE UPON A TIME.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 August 1917, Page 3

ONCE UPON A TIME.

A TAI.E OF OLD-TIME HOKITIKA. Mr. R. A. Wright 31. P. is- quite an adept at tolling stories to small boys. He told a good ouo to tho boys of the now Salvation Homo at Island Bay on Thursday anent the value of obedience, says the Dominion. When he was a small - boy ho lived on the West Coast in Hokitika,, at which time all the' world was rushing there to got the gold that was in tho ground. In those days men without any skill at all could make a pound a day with a cradle which threw off the earth and" allowed the gold to sink to a false bottom. On one occasion a .shin arrived off the port crowded with men, who wore anxious to get .ashore to make their fortunes, but the weather was very rough and the signals told tlie captain trat the bar was unworkable.; The men, feeling they were wasting valuable time, pleaded with the captain to take tho vessel in but ho was determined to run no risks. They then asked ,to bo allowed to row nshoro in one of tho ship’s boats. At first the captain refused tho request but the men were so insistent that at last, after warning them of the danger and that lie took no responsibility for rash act, allowed them to lower tho boat. When the boat readied the broken water she capsized; ten men were drowned, and only two were saved. ’ The whole tragedy took place before the ! eves of hundreds of people who were ‘ watching on the shore. Of the two men saved one happened" to get his hand or finger foul of the boat’s rudder, and was thrown ashore with the. boat the other was saved by a dog. It was a fine, big, brave dog, which went into tho water and pulled out one of the men from a watery grave. As a reward for that act the Hokitika Council solemnly decided that the faithful animal need never again wear a collar, nor need his owner pay a dog license.