DEATH OF MR. WHITCOMBE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1099, 23 May 1863, Page 4

DEATH OF MR. WHITCOMBE.

It is with great regret that we have this week to record the addition of one more to the number of valued and enterprising colonists who have fallen victims to our insatiate rivers; we allude to the death of Mr. Whitcombe, who, as most of our readers will by this time have learnt, has been drowned in the Teremakau. This gentleman, who for the last twelvemonths has been acting as Provincial Road Surveyor, left Christchurch a few weeks since with a small party of men to explore and survey a x*oad to" the West Coast by way of the Rakaia. Having reached the source of one of the branches of this river and crossed the mountain range, lie found a stream running to the north-east, which he determined to follow. Being short of provisions, he directed all his men except one to return to Christchurch, for the purpose of procuring the necessary supplies, and proceed with them by the Hurunui and Lake Sumner Road, to meet him on the West Coast. He and the one man left with him—a first-rate bushman, known as " Jacob the Swede"—then proceeded to cut their way through the bush to the coast, which they succeeded in reaching last week after suffering great hardship from exposure and want of food. They found themselves late in the evening on the south side of the Teremakau, and being nearly starved they determined to endeavour to cross the river in an old canoe which they found on the bank of the stream, knowing that tbey should find some Maories near the River Grey, a few miles further to the north. Unhappily they had not reached the middle of the river before the canoe filled, and being caught by the rapid current was upset and carried out to sea. Jacob managed to cling to the canoe, and during the night he was washed ashore and contrived to keep himself alive till morning by burying himself in the sand so as to be sheltered from the bitterly cold wind. The last time he saw Mr. Whitcombe alive, he was swimming towards the shore, but when the canoe got amongst the breakers he lost sight of him, and the next morning he found the body drifted ashore.

Having buried the body as well as lie could, Jacob proceeded in search of the Maories, and having met with them was assisted to Mr. Ilowitt's camp, near Lake Brunner. Mr. liowitt, who is engaged by the Public Works Department in making theTeremakau Road, found Jacob a horse and helped him on to Mr. Taylor's station, where he has remained in a state of great exhaustion. Mr. Taylor immediately despatched a messenger to Christchurch with the melancholy intelligence. Mr. Whitcombe's loss will be much felt, as lie was not only an accomplished surveyor, but also a thoroughly educated civil engineer, having studied under Brunei, and having, as all can testify who knew him a hearty zeal and love for his profession. ' Great as is the loss to the public at large, of so useful a servant as Mr. Whitcombe appeared destined to become, there are, we regret to say, others whose

calamity it is to have to mourn not only a friend and companion but a husband and a father, and whose grict' can be but little assuaged by the general sympathy they will meet with in their heavy bereavement.