Ship founders on Greymouth bar

The steamer Ngahere went ashore when departing over the Grey bar at 3pm to-day with a full cargo of timber and coal for Wellington.

The steamer Regulus preceded her out, and whistled to denote touching the bottom, but the tide was rising, and it was believed that there would be more water when the Ngahere sailed. It is stated that the bow touched first, then amidships, the bow swinging northwards. The south-westerly wind and the rollers pinned the ship to the North Tip-head right on the spot where the steamer Perth was lost a few years ago. The Ngahere’s crew of 23 had a trying time for over an hour while the seas were breaking across the vessel, shifting the deck cargo overboard and uncovering the hatches. By the aid of rockets, lines were got on board from the shore, and the 23 men were rescued at intervals of a few minutes, all  being landed before 5.30. The vessel settled in the sea, swinging as on a pivot amidships. She is considered to be practically a total loss. Nothing was saved by the crew.

The Ngahere is a steel screw steamer of 1090 tons, and was built by A. Rodger and Co, of Glasgow, in 1908. Her principal dimensions are length 225 feet, breadth 33ft 1in, depth 15ft 7in.

Landowner blames tenant

Before Mr H.W. Bundle SM, John Christie was charged with failing to clear noxious weeds from his property in North-East Valley. Inspector Fountain, who appeared for the department, said that there were quantities of elderberry, gorse, broom and blackberry on the place. The defendant had been warned previously, but had made no improvements. The defendant explained that he was gradually clearing the land, which had been leased to a Chinaman, who had left it in a deplorable state.  The case was adjourned for a month to enable the defendant to clear the land.

Celebrating hospital work

With the object of acquainting the public with the inner workings of hospital life and the conditions under which modern nurses live, the Otago Hospital Board decided upon the observance of National Hospital Day — an anniversary which originated in America in memory of Florence Nightingale, who, apart from her great work in the Crimea, was responsible for revolutionising nursing in civil hospitals.

Yesterday afternoon about 70 high school girls were taken to the hospital by Miss Morton, and were conducted over the building by Dr Falconer, who, in a few introductory remarks, pointed out that at the present day the nursing of sick persons was viewed from a preventive aspect rather than from a curative one, and stressed the importance of home nursing for minor cases. Nursing, he added, was a basic training for other professions as well as for matrimony. The girls were shown the X-ray department, and one of the party was screened, after which several X-ray plates were interpreted to the girls. The supply of radium was also an object of interest.

The open-air balcony and the schoolrooms for the children were then inspected, and the visitors were afterwards taken to the Nurses Home, where they were entertained at afternoon tea by the nurses. A number of selections by the nurses' jazz band were much appreciated.

As an appropriate portion of the observance of National Hospital Day, a new sun room was opened at the Benevolent Institution, Caversham, yesterday afternoon. In years gone by the inmates of this institution have had little chance of enjoying what warmth was given out by a winter's sun without experiencing the cold winds, and now, through the generosity of Mrs W.T. Talboys a sun room in which, though the outdoor atmosphere may be chilly, the heat of the sun makes conditions very agreeable, has been placed at their disposal.

— ODT, 13.5.1924  (Compiled by Peter Dowden)