SEVEN DEAD.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 303, 22 December 1926, Page 16

SEVEN DEAD.

WEEK-END'S HEAVY TOLL. ON LAND AND IN WATER. lIEUOIC SURFMEX'S STRUGGLE. (From Our Corri?=pondr-nt.l SYDNEY, December 10. I'a recent Tears there have been few week-ends where ?o many deaths have (v-curred through violence in New South Walp? as was the case in the period just ]>a?=ed. No fewer than six persons lost their lives as the result of accident? or purlin? tragedies, while, in addition, there were many injured. In a head-on cra?h between their motor cycle and a motor car on the Prince"? Highway, Henry Phonfield (38) and Gregory Stanford "(30), both tram driver?, returning from duty, were fatally injured. The cycle was ridden by tile former, and Stanford was riding pillion behind him. Early on Sunday morning, while one of two cars approaching the cycle was attempting to pass the other, the cycle and passing car met. Both cyclists were thrown many yards away by the impact, which set the cycle afire. The two tram drivers both received fractures of the skull, and linpered but a few hours after the accident. Children Drowned. Edward Castles (9) and Harold Castles (6), playing in a waterhole at Waterloo on Sunday afternoon, got out of their depth and were drowned. Though the waterhole is in private property, and swimming in it is discouraged, the brothers went irr on Sunday afternoon. The elder slipped when he was standing in about 2ft of water, went over the ledge and down. As he came up the younger-made a valiant attempt to pull him out, but was himself pulled into the deep water in the effort, and drowned too. Himself exhausted after heroic attempts to save the life of a mate, -who had been caught in the undertow at Newcastle Beach, Frederick Hill, of Ladcombe, was drowned. With two friends, Hill was swimming in the dangerous 6urf on Sunday. One of his companions was soon in trouble, and was being swept out to sea when Hill and the other man swam to his assistance. In a few moments they, too, found themselves in danger of drowning, as they were rapidly swept towards the rocks at one end of the beach. The man Hill set out to save, and his other mate, were able to struggle within reach of a man fishing on the rocks, but Hill, exhausted by his rescue efforts, was drawn into the swirling waters, and disappeared. . Surfmen took tremendous risks in diving for him from the rocks, without success. But later in the afternoon other eurfers, from the surf boat, located the body under- a ledge of fockj and brought it ashore. ( Shark Spoils Rescue. • Of the many brave deeds of- surfmen, few show so much grit and perseverance as an episode at North. Narrabeen Beach on Sunday, when a party of clubmen desisted in their efforts to find the body of a surfer, who had disappeared, only when a shark made for one of their number. On Sunday, the North Narrabeen beach was patrolled in approved style all day, and at 5.25 p.m., the permanent man took down the flags and left the beach. The patrols had finished half an hour before. :At 5.35 p.m., William Dawe and a companion named Brothers, decided to have a 6\vim and take the risk. They were in the surf about 30yds out—a heavy sea was running on Sunday—when a sudden undertow caught both of them, and they were coon in difficulties. Two members of the surf-club were on the beach still, though dressed in their blazers and cream trousers. Without hesitation, though there was no assistance in sight, they plunged into the rescue fully clothed, kicking their trousers off as they swam out, one using the belt on the end of the life-line. They reached the men in difficulties, and Brothers was brought in without trouble. But Dawe clutched hie rescurer by the throat, and to save himself, the latter had to let go. When Brothers was landed on the beach, one of the surfmen went out again for Dawe, his companion working the reel and ringing the warning bell at the same time. The warning wae heard by members of the patrol who had just fin hed duty and were having tea near the beach. They, too, rushed to the rescue, shedding their clothes as they ran. Five men comprised the party which 6et out to search for Dawe. They swam through the breakers until about 500 yds out, where they spread and commenced a systematic search, without success, for Dawe had disappeared. Tired out, they returned to the beach for a rest, then plunged in again, only to fail again in their search. As they returned to the beach a second time, one of the crowd collected by that j time thought he saw Dawe's body in the surf further along the beach. Though on the verge of exhaustion themselves, the five surfmen plunged in again, and were swimming out through the surf,' watching for the body as they went, when a shark ewam right under one of them and made a dash for hie. companion. ,_At the instant alarm the. whole party commenced to kick; and splash, apparently frightening the shark for sufficient time to enable them to start for the shore. Exhaustion forgotten for the time, they made all haste for the beach, and arrived there on the point of collapse. Dawe's body was washed ashore at a beach some miles down the coast next day. Bus Capsizes. When the brakes failed on a bus halfway down the steep road to National Park, one of the famous holiday resorte, on Sunday morning, the big vehicle ran away, and eventually overturned near the Reet House, 10 persons being injured. It was a thrilling episode. The road to the Eest House descends at a steep angle, and winds in and out, some of the curves being most acute. The driver of the bus stuck to the wheel when he knew the brakes had,failed, and attempted to keep the bus on the road until the bottom of the hill was reached, where he knew the vehicle woultfpull up on the level. But, though most of the turns were managed without mishap, the last curve proved" to be too much for the heavy vehicle, which by that time had gathered tremendous speed, and it turned over. There were 25 passengers, and 10 were seriously injured when they were thown on top of one another as "the bus went over on its side and crashed through a fence. Four were admitted to the hospital, the others being treated by the ambulance men. Completing the dreadful record of the day was an accident at Gremorne, as the result of whlbh Allen Etherington, 11-, was knocked down- and run -over by a motor hue, the, wheel cruehing hie head. Death, was instantaneous. ;