STORM TRAGEDY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 515, 26 April 1933, Page 3

STORM TRAGEDY

(Prcss Assn.-

yacht wrecked three of crew of four are believed dead ONE DIES FROM EXPOSURE

_By Telegraph — Copyright) .

Waipukurau, Tuesday. A 27 foot auxiliary yacht, MizDah en route to Wellington from Auckland, from v/hich port she sailed last Wednesday, was wrecked on the Porangahau coast early this morning, resulting in three men being presumahly dead, one from exposure, when making his way lnjand after being washed ashore, while the other two were evidently drowned. The vessel contained a crew of four, all young men in their early (wenties. The only survivor was C. Harris of 3It. Eden, Auckland. The names of the missing men are: J. Kellaway (captain), and Neville Naylor. The fourth member is believed to be Jack Harrell, but ihe names are not definitely conilrmed. It was the latter's body which was found this morning, about a mile inland. He had struggled to land nakc-d and fell down when exhausted, dying from exposure. The story told by the survivor is to ihe e.Tcet ihat early yesterday afternoon the \essel reached a poinr south of p.oangahau, when the southorly gule drove them north despite the anchor. Thty wero unable to hold their ecnnvLS and at two o'clock this nioming fotmd themselves in the darkncss al a point midway between the Porangahau River and Blackhead. The vos.-.ci eommenced to break up and they wero washed overboard. Harris ai'ur un effort to retain hold of various nieces of wreckage, gripped a lutter lox, with which he was washed a.-horo. He was more dead than alive, but gained warmili by vigorous rubbing with sand, aitei* which he made his way inland, running as fast as he could in ihe darkness until eventually he pieked up a telephone line which laought hira at five in the morning io Mr, Parker's home, at Tableland., Station, owned by Mr. Percy IIir.iL'i\ The house is three miles disiant from the shore. When seen this afternoon Mr. Harris showed marks of a terrible ordeal, and it will be necessary for him to ranain in bed several days. Iiigh seas have heen running on the coast since yesterday. The beach was sirewn with wreckage for several miles. Scarch parties have been out all day looking for the two missing men, of whoin there is no trace. The owiH-r of the vessel is Mr. T. McAuley, oi Wellington, who recently purchaseu the yacht from Mr. Lee, of Auckland, who is en route to England, and the crew were engaged to deliver the vessel to the new owner.