A SEA MIRACLE.
WRECK IN FIJI. HOW THE PAT)RE ESCAPED. This is a story of what might well be termed "a miracle of the sea." There are many tares of wonderful escapes, of rescues when hope seemed dead, of almost incredible happenings by re.i and ocean depth, but the story of how j Father Soubreyan, of the Maris't Mission, | escaped a lingering death is grimly fas- j cinating, writes the Suva correspondent ! of the Auckland Star. The padre set j oft in the mission cutter St. Michael, j of about seven tons, from the island of Cieia, in the eastern part of Fiji, to roach the large island of Kadami, the scene of the amusing hut wholly untrue and fanciful adventures of the "Pea Green Pirates." On the night of Wednesday. October 13th, the engine refused to work. The little vessc' drifted on to the reef off Malawai and turned right over, smashing the mast and deck fittings into matchwood. Some of the crew swam to the dinghy, which had been swept clear, but Father Soubreyan and four natives were imprisoned inside the hull. Thinking these hopelessly dead, the dinghy tenants set out to save themselves, and they succeeded. There were only one or two boulders on the reef, but happily on to one of them the St. Michael partially turned. This left a hole like the cave in the ''Coral Island" story, and one by one the priest and his four natives managed to squeeze through and by diving come out into the open again. The men got out only with the greatest difficulty. The engineer Josefn proved a veritable hero.- Everyone eventually reached land losing all their clothing,' etc., and the Buli Vanuaso and people proved kind and hospitable hosts. The Rev. Father Gonnet proceeded to the wene last Wednesday in the auxiliary schooner, Ovalau, returning with his confrere and his native crew. Three of the latter had to be taken to the hospital, being hurt by ballast when the vessel turned turtle.
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Taranaki Daily News, 23 November 1920, Page 3
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335A SEA MIRACLE. Taranaki Daily News, 23 November 1920, Page 3
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