The Fatal Boat Accident at Bay of Islands.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 202, 28 August 1886, Page 8

The Fatal Boat Accident at Bay of Islands.

Youthful Courage and Endurance.

We take from the "Northern Luminary* the following particulars of the recent boa. accident, by which three children lost tbelj lives :—The party consisted of Elizabeth A' Hansen (16 years), Samuel John Hansen (14 years), Charles Robert Hansen (13 years), Herbert Prs. Hansen (7 years), Floronce Leo Mountain (12 years), aid Maud Baker (10 years). They left Tenon., the residence of the Hansen's, on Friday, 20th inst,, at about 8 o'clock, in a pulling boat, for the purposeofvisilingadeadMaort child at Kaihiki, soma two miles distant. On the return trip they put up sail, despite » caution from one of the natives, and When within about a mile from' home, aW Poraenui, the boat gibed and capsized. This would be about 11 a.m. All remaiaM in the water clinging to the boat, which I<J on her side. After some time, one of the occupants, Charles R. Hansen, divested himsolf of his clothing, and made1 for the shore, but sank in the attfl-Pfc The other five held on to the wreck, wbicb was drifting towards the shore, till about 2 p.m., when they were rescued by Ml Geo Mountain and Mr John Hansen. After being taken ashore to Hansenl house, it waß fouad that they were allmort or less in an exhausted condition, "but especially two of them who had we» attended by AHes Hansen on the wreck. After tbe lapse ef about half an hoof, Herbert Francis Hansen and Florentt Leo Mountain both expired at the aaijj* time, notwithstanding all the efforts meat to bring them round. The remaining tan* children aro now in their usual beaua Mr G. Mountain (parent of one of «* deceased) who was working on Tapani, says he observed a boat in distress, Ml thought it was a fishing boat; afterward", he heard cries, and informed Mr Hansen! thoy then went out to the boat, whicn was about three quarters of a mile distant when approaching, Florence Mountain OT" hoard to Bay "Ob, are thoy comi-gt »™ they comiDg?' She spoke no more, an inquest was held on the 21st inst., at Iff puna, whon the jury gave the followingWl diet: " That the deceased Herbert Fra«C» Hanson and Floience Leo Mountain caß« by their death at Poraenui, Bay of Islam'" between I and 2 o'clock in the afternoon w Friday, the 20th August, 18S6, from exposure, owing to the accidental capsw^s of a boat in which they were at the tUMi and that the jury think that great cr9-«» due to Miss Elizabeth Hansen for hernerw conduct in keeping the deceased ando«nw children together at the time, and after m» catastrophe."