WRECKAGE FOUND

Hokitika Guardian, 8 July 1925, Page 4

WRECKAGE FOUND

CAREFUL SEARCH OF BEACH. WELLINGTON - , July 4. The xv reck age found late yesterday on the boa eh near Tapanui Station is believed to he a part of the Cyrena’s hatches ami a fisherman's boat. All the xx n'ckage has been in the water at least a mouth. The report that portions of a boat mil pari of a ship's hatch were found on the beach near I’apanui Station reached the .Marine Department yesterday afternoon, too late for a visit to lie made to the spot, xxhich lies at the foot of a precipitous rocky coast, ami investigations xvere deferred till this morning, when Captain Keane left hv mo-tor-ear for the coast. Tart of the stern-sheets of a lisherman’s boat, two or three hits ol wood, mice gaudily painted, as is the fashion with Italian fishermen, was the lirsl find oil the hoacli. aloi:<x which at intervals were tarry planks xvhich might have formed part of a beat, but the stern pieces had been in the xx'ater lor a long time, ami the boat was not one Mil'll as would he used by a ship.

A mile, or more further round the beach, past Tapanui Rock, was lying part of a ship’s hatch, made ol .some pine other than Oregon, which is used hv all vessels trading on the coast. It measured PIT ltiin x Dt Ain, and din thick, and was painted black, as is ihe custom only on the larger vessels running in blue xx liter. It was marked at the bottom left-hand and upper righthand cornet's with a circle crossed b\ a bar. cut in the wood, and marked at one end “E.V. ill.” Immediately nhove this were limed lour round holes. This i-. linin' only on boats with Lascar or Chinese crows, so as not to confine them xxilh the European numbers xvlicn bundling hatch cover;;, and this, the size of the plank, and the fact that incrustal ion of barnacles shows il has been is float for about a month, inclines .seamen to think that the hatch cover is from the Cyremt. xxhich xxenl a-hoie at Wanganui. Captain Keane and his parly (the constable from .fuhnsonville and Air Giver, who found ami led the party to tin* interesting driftwood) bail an interesting climb ih mil tin; clilf-hko coast in the. rain, and made a careful search of Hie beach in the vicinity, but though Hi,.re were plenty of things in the piled-up drift wood that might 'have come off a ship in the I nog ago. none of them suggested even recent arrival. The en-lodian of the beach at Titalii I’.av rang up to-day to say that txxo boats reported as lying on the have been there for months. A reporter who motored out to the scene gained a good idea oi the difficulties which deterred Captain Keane Ironi attempting the search in the dark.