DOUBLE CASE OF DROWNING AT THE THAMES.

Bruce Herald, Volume VI, Issue 399, 27 December 1871, Page 7

DOUBLE CASE OF DROWNING AT THE THAMES.

. . A damper: was cast upon the holiday proceedings at Pnrawai, Thames, on ThursdayV by the occurrence of one of the most shocking; accidents ever recorded in the district. Death and merry-making went hand-and—hand together. Even as the Volunteers, surrounded by a gailyidressed crowd, were marching into position on the Parawa review,. wore two unfortunates struggling for life in the Kauwaeranga river, nor 200 yards distant. The particulars of the accident aro as follotvs :—^A ■ boy named Joseph Quinn, about 13 years of age, one of a party ;t»f boys who were " Out for tbe.day,*' went into the river to bathe, at a spot a short distance below Bank's slaughter-yard. He conjcl not swim, and the river banks there being steeply shelyinff, and the wHler depp, he soon got out of his depth and sunk —^^to rise again, hov? ever, for he battled desperately with death, and came to the surface five times before he finully sank- It seems that his companions on the beach made no effort to save him beyond r«ising the alarm and running to the slaughter-house for a rope. The boy's i strnoyles were, however, noticed by a man in 'he. employ of Mr B«nks, named ' John Beaity^ and who ran to the river bank at once and, without, second thoughts, plunged in to save the lad. But shocking to relate, the man was also not able to swim, and, being clutched by the boy, he 1 lost his foothold ot the steep bank and was dragged into deep water, where, hs sank like a stone. Meanwhile the attention of 1 a surveyor, Mr Oarver, who lives close t(» the place, was attracted by what was going on, and he rushed to lend assistance ; and, the rope sent for Laving- by ths»t time arrived, he took one end of it -and with two Maoris waded into the river from the opposite bank, and almost immediately •met-, with the body of Beatty, who had not ; been und^r thevvafer longer than from .three to five' minuses. The boy's body w.is 1 afterwaids foundy^and both were removed to the shore, where Drs Groft and Leth-bricJ.^-e herein attendHnce and used such remedies as are considered most efficacious in such cases, but to no purpose. Both man and boy were dead. That the boy was too far gone to be reached by any remedy is not to be wondered at, seeing that he was immersed for fully a quatter of an hour. But the case of the man was different, for Mr Carver positively asserts that he was not under the watpr longer than a minute or two. After uttering a despairing- cry th;st he was g'oinu-. he sank as Mr Carver »nH tbe M.-ioi'is vushed int > the water, and the former touched the body with his foot just as the water reached his ■ chin. It is supposed that the poor fellov 'having run at top from where he ,w&s to the viver— ;i distance of 100 yards— must'have lost his wind, and when in the water become thoroughly sper.t and helpless. His death is to be deplored, as he leaves a widow and six children behind I Jii_m._... Hn bore an excellent character, and for a long 1 time was stockriiding- for Messrs Carey and Gillies, and afterwards for Mr Biickhnd. The bodies were stretched upon the green grass of the riv«r, and were- , there operated upon 4 for a time, as it was thought ihat the warm sunshine might be oondncive to the restoration of life. . But . as the crowd of holiday-seekers wa^ ' atracted to the spot ; the man. was removed to a small hut close by, .-whilst >the' boy was permitted to i*emain^ and was very - soon surounded by women and children, 1 1 w ho gazed horrOr-stricken at.x.he still cla"y f which had but a short time before been so . full of life and vigor.—' Southern Cross.' lltn Ult. ' _ '