Risked Life to Save Ship’s Cat

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 807, 30 October 1929, Page 1

Risked Life to Save Ship’s Cat

ENGINEER’S BRAVERY “POLLY” WAS GRATEFUL Swimming out to his ship in the face of a furious, wind-lashed sea, the Norwegian engineer of the auxiliary scow Rahiri, which was driven ashore on Chamberlain’s Island on Thursday morning last, brought the crew’s cat back to safety at the risk of his life. In the past many instances have occurred showing the love of the sailor-man for his pets. Most of these concerned the men who sailed in the old wind-jammers, and this brave incident at Chamberlain’s Island shows tliat affection still exists, even though it should be on a little vessel of only 35 tons. When the engineer, Mr. Charles Jacobsen, found that “Polly,” the cat, liad been left on the stranded scow, he immediately decided to swim out for her. The master of the Rahiri, Captain

R. Chisholm, warned him of the danger. The violent wind that had driven the ship ashore was still lashing the sea to fury. * “You will get killed, Charlie,” he said, but Mr. Jacobsen, undeterred, stripped his

clothes off, handed them to Captain Chisholm, and plunged into the boiling surf. When lie reached the Rahiri he found a piteous Polly mewing plaintively in the cabin. Holding her on one shoulder, he swam back to the beach, using only one arm, and proudly handed his precious burden to his ship-mates. Polly was safe and sound again, but a life had been risked in the act and another page added to the annals which tell of the unassuming braveries that result from the simple creed of the sailor.