PATEA.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 31, 26 August 1871, Page 16

PATEA.

[From our Own Correspondent.] August 14th, 1871. Our little town was roused from its wonted apathy on Saturday evening, by an accident which very nearly resulted in the loss of four lives. I sent you a short notice of the occurrence by telegram, but the details are of interest and so I take the opportunity of forwarding this by a private hand to Wanganui to catch the Thursday’s mail.

The rivers all along the coast have been for some weeks in a constant state of flood, but the heavy rains of Friday night made the Patea river rise, on Saturday afternoon to an unusual height, and it came down a surging torrent, bringing a great quantity of timber down with it.

At about 5 o’clock the Wellington mailman, accompanied by Mr Halcombe, came up to the ferry, and they were told that the only safe mode of crossing was by the boat, leaving their horses behind, as the fresh was too strong for the punt to work. Two ferrymen then got into the dingy, putting Mr Halcombe in the stern and the mailman and his sack right in the how. The men then shoved off, with the intention of pulling across about a couple of chains above the punt wire, which was kept by the force of the current either just above or just under the water most of the way across. It appears that Mr Halcombe, as soon as he saw what the men were about to attempt, warned them of the me>it&bk? capsize if they were carried down ta the wire, protested against crossing above the rope, and also pointed out that the boat was overweighted at the bows, and would not pull properly. But before the warning was well out of his mouth, the boat was in the current, the men immediately lost all control of her, the man in the bow pulled his oar over the rowlock, and the boat in a few moments was carried broadside on to the wire. Instantly the current laid hold of the boat and it turned bottom upwards under the rope, all four passengers getting hold of the rope as the boat capsized. Fortunately there was some one on the beach and the news of the accident quickly spread and half the town was soon collected ou the beach. All that met our view on coming to the livei bank w 7 as three heads close together in the middle of the stream, scarcely distinguishable sometimes as the thick water surged between them, but by tlieii position showing that their owners had hold of the wire rope. The head and shoulders of another person appeared some distance further off, lying quietly with his arms well over the rope, and having apparently some other invisible support. This turned out to. he Mr Halcombe. who had got his feet

on a small rope used to pull the punt ashore, and which was fastened to the wire. The three heads inch by inch approached the shore until they reached the point where the wire rose, and there they remained for some minutes until a line of wire was formed, and then they were one by one rescued from their perilous position, stiff and chilled, but otherwise not much the worse.

These three saved, all eyes were d : rected to MrHalcombe, who remained almost in the same position watching the proceedings, and moving his legs up and down in the water with mechanical regularity. The little rope had been carried away, having collected a mass of snags, and thus the wire rope became his only support For some minutes longer he continued in that position. Then finding the prospect of assistance at that point to be hopeless, he let himself quietly down the rope, and began to work himself by degrees along it through the stream. Where the rope hung lowest the water several times came over his face until a number of men on shore raised the rope a little and kept his head above water. Everyone held their breath in suspense as slowly and laboriously he worked himself along, until that part of the rope was reached which rose above the stream, and which, with the best intentions, was still kept up instead of being let down to the level of the water as he progressed. After several ineffectual attempts to move up the rope he laid himself, evidently exhausted, on the top of the water, while various plans were eagerly discussed to give him help; hut no communication with him by word of mouth was possible, as the rash of the water drowned all sounds besides.

At last, a man named • James Ryan, late of the Constabulary, spied an old canoe moored, and floating bottom upwards, a little way in the river. Fastening a rope round his waist, he swam out to this, and brought it ashore. Having turned the right side upwards, he got ou board, and passing himself along the wire rope till he reached Mr Halcombe, seized hold of his arm and tried to drag him along. But the crazy old canoe soon began to fill, and Ryan was obliged to replace Mr Halcombe’s arm on the rope, and to return to the shore to devise another and most ingenious plan, which was happily successful. He passed a rope through a hole in the bows of the canoe, and then returning along the wire, managed, with Mr Halcombe’s assistance, to fasten the rope round his body, when the line, pulled from the shore, brought the canoe, with both its inside and outside passengers, safe to land, amid hearty cheers from the crowd which had assembled.

Mr Halcombe was very stiff, and thoroughly exhausted, having been just half an hour hanging on the rope, but he managed to thank his preserver and those on shore for their help; after which he was taken to the house of Mr Hurst, close by, under whose hospitable treatment and Dr Walker’s prescriptions, he soon recovered from the effects of his involuntary bath.

It is impossible to speak too highly of Ryan’s conduct. To his assistance, rendered at imminent risk to himself, Mr Halcombe, under Providence, owes his life; though, at the same time, the presence of miiid and quiet endurance which Mr Halcombe himself exhibited, and which made assistance possible, called forth the admiration of all the spectators of the struggle for life. The Wellington mail hag floated down the river, and was picked up on Sunday near the heads, and a bag of Mr Halcombe’s was recovered on the beach near Whenuakura. Having nearly drowned an ex-Pro-vincial Treasurer, I hope the authorities will see the necessity of putting the ferries on these rivers under strict supervision and control, and of providing for their efficient maintenance. The ferryman himself was absent on this occasion acting as pilot at the heads, and was obliged to leave inefficient men to do the work, not having the means to keep a good and responsible man to supply his place. Mr Carrington should look to this, for in this case it is clear that the accident was occasioned solely by the ignorance of the persons left in charge.