FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7392, 19 August 1889, Page 5

FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT.

THEEE LIVES LOST, ~ ;; [PRESS ASSOCIATION T3BLEGBAM.] . ■ WELLINGTON, August 18. * A. sad fatal boat accident happened at the heads last night, by which Chief Pilot T. E. Siinnis, and Herbert Cox and Eobert Tait, two of the pilot crew, lost their Uvea. It appears that shortly after dusk the ship Pleione, i rom Fort Chalmers to Wellington, arrived off the heads, and signalled for a pilot. Simms, with a crew of four, comprising the two drowned and John Henderson, and James Dass, at once pat off. A stiff southerly/was blowing, with a short choppy sea, and this beinjj dead ahead little progress was made. Shortly after seven o'clock, the steamer Herald, outward bound to Greymouth, hove in sight and took the Pilot boat in tow. All went well until abreast of the outer rock off Barrett's reef, when the boat yawed and capsised. As soon as the boat capsised she was released, as the tow lide was not made fast. All the men managed to get on to the bottom, and shortly afterwards the boat righted herself. For the second time the crew reached the boat, which is a lifeboat. Immediately the accident occurred Captain Jones returned with the Herald, and after considerable difficulty the boat, witt ; £he whole of the crew, was got alongside. Lines were passed over the side, and although caught by all, only Henderson and Daas appeared to hare sufficient strength to hang on. The other three, either from exhaustion or becoming numb released their grip and were washed away. Strict search was made, but none of them were seen again. The Herald continued the search for the boat, but was unable to find it, and returned to town with the survivors. Later in the evening the Koranui found the boat abreast of the pilot station and brought it into the harbor, from examination it was seen that the steer oar grummet is broken, and if that was done before the accident it would of course leave the boat at the mercy of the waves, but it is supposed to have occurred after the capeize. Sintms leaves a wife and six or seven children. Cox is a married man without family. Tait is a single man, and a native of the Shetland Islands. Pilot Simma was formerly harbor pilot, and only recently succeeded Pilot Holmes at the Heads. Captain Holliday, Harbor Master, proceeded to the scene of the accident in the steamer Mana this morning, and made a minute search for the bodies, but no trace was found.