St. Peter Port, Guernsey, and St.

Helier, Jersey.—At 4.30 on the morning of the 10th of February, 1956, a wire- less distress message was received at the St. Peter Port signal station from the M.V. Conlea, of London, which had a crew of seven and was bound for St. Malo laden with pitch. The vessel stated that her engine room was flooded and that she was fifteen miles west of La Corbie're. A few seconds later she wirelessed again that her position was serious and that she was making for Jersey very slowly. This information was passed to the St.

Peter Port life-boat station, and at 5.29 the life-boat Euphrosyne Kendal put out.

At 4.55 the distress signal had been received at St. Helier from the Niton radio station, and at 5.30 the St.

Helier life-boat Elizabeth Rippon also put to sea. The sea was rough, a gale was blowing from the north-east, and there were squalls of heavy snow. It was high water. Both life-boats made a search, in which an aircraft and other vessels also took part, and the St.

Peter Port life-boat came up with the M.V. Winchester at 7.51. The Conlea had sunk. Of the vessel's crew of seven, six men had been rescued by the Winchester. The Winchester wire- lessed the life-boat that the seventh man, who was the Conled's chief engineer, was in the sea and drifting away. Both life-boats searched for him, but when the St. Peter Port life- boat found him, he was dead. The life-boat picked up his body and took it to St. Peter Port, arriving at eleven o'clock. The St. Helier life-boat reached her station at 10.55.—St. Peter Port: rewards to the crew, £16 55.; reward to the helper on shore, 17s.; St. Helier: rewards to the crew, £16 5s.; reward to the helper on shore, 12s..