PUNT ADRIFT

Hokitika Guardian, 5 September 1929, Page 8

PUNT ADRIFT

NEARLY ON ROCKS

GALE AT AVELLTNGTON

WELLINGTON, Sept. 2

The Harbour Board’s pile-driving punt, with a party of men aboard, broke away this morning and was driven by tho gale across tile harbour from Thorndon to Oriental Bay. The position was one fraught with great danger to the crew. Such a craft with its high derrick, which _lifts the monkey, is not tho safest of places in a sen. such as was running in the harbour to-day—a sea such as is experienced rarely. With the full force of tho northerly gale striking it, the punt was slowly driven across to Oriental Bay, and there were breathless moments when the apparently top-heavy craft heeled hard over, as she often did. The alarm was given quickly, and the tug Toia, the Janie Seddon, and the Harbour Board’s oil launch were sent out afifccr the drifting punt. Battling against wind and wave, the rescue boats manoeuvred about in endeavouring to get a line to her. By midday, over two hours from the time she broke away, the punt was only a few chains from, the rocks opposite the Oriental Bay tram terminus. whore she was attached to a l.uov, but gradually drifting inshore. The Janie Seddon was sent hack to tho wharves, but tho r loici and the Arahina continued manoeuvring about the .punt, while a land party with lines waited on the esplanade in ease they were wanted. Pitched and tossed, the two craft passed and repassed the punt, hut at 12.30 o’clock had not succeeded in getting a line aboard.

Tho crews of all three vessels were having a most unpleasant time, with the giile lashing tho crests of the waves to driving spray. Several attempts were made to fire lines irom the Toia to the punt, but without success, as the heavy seas made the aiming of the gun- difficult. Soon af!ter 1 o’clock Captain Campbell, who was in charge of the Toia, anchoied her some distance from the punt, and, attaching a line to a 'buoy, let it drift with the wind. When the line was made fast on the punt, the powerful Toia had no difficulty in towing her . hack to her berth at the Thorndon breastworks.

Although ' the punt was very close to the shore, her shallow draught saved her from hitting the rocks, which, had they been struck, would undoubtedly have done much danu age to the hull. J.u the meantime scores of cars had pulled up td watch the operations, the people apparently not worrying about being ’drenched as the waves broke on the wall.'