Our Dunedin Letter.

Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3025, 6 January 1899, Page 7

Our Dunedin Letter.

~f (Fbom OtraOwN Cobbbbpoitdbnt.TßS^ Monday-morning — SAD DEOWNING FATALITY. The season has not passed wi (boat* Borne-* serious accidents, s an!l m reral of those have been attended wi th fatal results. One of the saddest of these is that wherein a promuing ycaog man lost his life whilsffTOttfin'i in the surf at Law^rt (Hfi&d3lScaftely |i year passes without a life being lost 'at the Ocean Beach, and the only wi under is that more, j^i<geni£Qo g)otj ooiar .there. rT Hundredth of, children mk k4a r plaj^ound^the6teanßkh' •r d of course during "the warm ; BBu r ner days they3^ fcJettDJe^ &tpftl® £nrf. Lf wyerV Head , jft ( a f ayor its< bathing, plpce, bat often as not it is a more jdsjngerons place to bathe at th«n the' open beacbo, | f^h^rejrer * are' rocks therewith a tendency *foi? "Hue* w?wes to make a Bcc>u.r, { r and^ the, backwash that is 1 makes r bathing, > £y -.l^atEer, '„ r<hp& prxidently undertaken,, attepdjß^ , with the utmost danger! ' lv ., y tbe y case, re-r fejrred to, the young man whp' jloat his life was. named jfj-oodall. r He- was 19 years of age and wan practically. t>£e sole support of his mother, who r; is -a widow, and the yoiiDger members of the family/; Oja i|latird*^in?srntpg<&^ in company with two other youngs fallows^went, into, bathe in the^open surf tfbouc'a 100 ?: "yards sooth of Lawyer's Head. Only one of the young fellows went into -bathe- withQoodall. The latter was suddenly) carried off ,bia feet and .swept into the heavy ,B.urfjby v thjej backlash, j . j Jf jy>r ; ;ja. few minutes he struggled and then uttering a ory threw up his arms and sank. lt : seems, doabtful/i if Goodall's cpmpanion made any attempt tv rescue him, but if he did so, it could not have been a very bold one, as anyone who ventured out of his depth in the eurf on this particular day would have had a very small chance ojf getting back, as owing to some disturbance probably not altogether local, the back- wash was exceptionally heavy. The body has not., yet been recovered/ although a persistent search has been made fo*-it,, EXTBAOBDKTABY ESCALADE OP FOFE YOUNa PEOPLE. Twp girls^ aged. 17, and two. boys of a younger age, -bad an extraordinary escapade on New Year's Day. It appears that the young people seemed tp be on terms of friendship for a little while past, and their young minds were filled with all Borts of romantic nonsense. On New Year's Eve they resolved to lose no further time, but to etait forthwith on a voyageof discovery, probably to seek out some pictnreeqae islet in the Southern Seas and live in the fanciful style adopted by the Swiss family. Family .Robinson far instance. With this lofty purpose in view they all emerged from their respective homes in a suireptitious and mysterious fashion, and each, laden with bulky packages, converged to a common centre at a remote spot, on the shores of the bay. Everything seemed most propitious for the success of their venture. The night was beautifully calm and clear. Across the bay thei twinkling myriad lights of the city, stretching away to the bill tops were reflected on the placid waters, and occanionally the whole scene was momentarily lighted hy a streak of fire terminating in a jewelled shower, reminded the litt.e band of the festive season which was being celebrated by the citiz ns. The hour having arrived, the two young ladstepped into a dingy, and handing the expectant yoUDg damsels aboard, together with their bundles, they silently rowed, to a fairly large cutter which was lying in the stream, and the outlines of whose masts and riggings were .silhouetted, againet .the misty gloom in delicate silvery tracery. The first care was to see that the maidens were safely: ensconced below. The two leaders of the band then set to, and with a hearty heave-ho, handed up the sails, and shipping the anchor the little craft wafted bj an , almQbt ; itoperc- pt ; ble zephyr, moved off intothe gloom. Daybreak came, and the owner of the boat tumbled out, and having shaken if? the effects of a New Year's celebration, scanned the horizon for bis gallant little craft. To his amazement she w*s go more to be seen- at her customary moorings. _ The old tar rubbed his eyes and scanned the horizon to discern traces of the storm that must have swept away the cutter during the night. But no, the morning was calm as the evening when he retired. Rushing back to his dwelling by the sea, he brought out hid telescopa and spanned the horizon, and at last discerned the cutter away down the bay— stranded on a mud bank. To iump into a dingy which was lying high and diy on the shore and to^ push .off; was but. the work of a moment, and ; the i hardy mariner was soon speeding down to the stranded craft. Nearing her he was dumbfounded to see a party of four on board, and to cut a long story short it was nob long before the quartet were in the loving care of the minions of the law. And what was the cargo with which the young adventurers proposed to start a new and romantic existence— a bag of flour and a stock of literature. The four are now reftored to the bosom of their familiep, gad the letter which one of the girls had left behind, and which set forth that the and her companions had de* cided to die together, /is framed and adorns the family mantelpiece. JOXTINGS A man 38 yew of age, a entire of

.. ,ficolland,~whcuhas^bfieD > .emplQy.ed.oii 7 tlie^b^cSl^HnisTStatibh fell over ;^ 3*b©C^fe#ll^nortly after midnighit on '-■ -T^esda>y^--B[e^WA^heard-to moan and splash Aboat and was eventually [ i fished "^^ He was bro^fg^t| to a r !< tfeighborrng hotel, aotf^lkir-^fiourl were spent in resuscitating him and F l^paTfently with success. He was then removed to the Hospital, bat i died' Shortly afterwards. Probably he j f 4ied>| 1 0Q$&f$%ktoM$® m mersion. The medical attendants noticed that - ire~^uffered. from a distressing conr ilum^ivej'^Qng^Q£ppie man had a recjßipt upon him tor money lodged in ' ' 13 Ba'nK^ He' was !un ' *Hfa&m'&® 3» fears^age. y. lOonunisfipaev jTuabridge h*s arrived ,in tpwji after making a tour ot iq- : ' r s^Wtf'of't^^ouhtrf Stations. — — s?he- Hon. John M'Kenzie gave a .^qlpnl^jto^jßjipyripJ to >.? Bis leaving €oEitleU(al4 ;Gou'utry, at the annual gathering, of the Gaelic i Soci&ty iti Tuesdif c nsght ;i ; ? Th6>ttoi4a&^af^tbe .Caledonian 1 Sdciety .^TJues&ly'was-'al record' one J f oi'«V f aeSpnd 'day% !i gath6ribg ' of the ■ society^ hi \* l: - ■■'-'■