THE SUMNER DROWNING FATALITY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11551, 6 April 1903, Page 2

THE SUMNER DROWNING FATALITY.

RECOVERY OF SPRING'S BODY. STRONG VERDICT OF THE CORONER'S JURY.

By telephone on Saturday a"teir»r\on Con-st-able Rowe, stajtiorted at New Brighton, informed headquarters that the body of George Clarence Spring, -who was drowned whdL''t attempting to negotiate the Stunner bar in .tin oil laiuneh on March 15th. had been recovered by a, stable boy named John James Tudshope. The body was unrecognisable, and was only identified by a gold medal, presented to Spring on tha occasion when he rode a Raleigh bicycle down the Madras ■street: railway bridge, on October 19th, 1900. | Tlie medal was attached to a gold chain, which was found in big waistcoat pockett. The body was removed to the morgue-. THE INQUEST. An inquest into the circumstances whereby Spring le«t hia life was held yesterday afternoon at the morgue beiore Mr R. Beetham, district coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr John Gill was chose« foreman. Mr Cusridy appeared for the relatives of the demised. W. G. Spring, brother of the deceased, stated that he could not. identify the body, but identified a chain and medal as the property of his brother. Joseph Day, pilot nt Sumner, staied t.l*at he remembered Sunday, March 15th, end had seen two men go over the bar about 9 a.m. m an oil launch. There was a fairly rough sea on. It increased- during the day, and at, 5.30 o'clock the sea, was running very high. As the launch had not returned then he thought, they had re"niaired in Lyttelton, and went home to tea. Whilst at tea he lieardl the foghorn, and the volunteer crew started immediately for the lifeboat, but they arrived a few seconds too late, as it had left with, a crew of rive men. In the meantime the launch had capsized. Witness immediately launched tho dinghy, and followed behind. The lifeboat sucoeexlied' in picking up one of the men. The bar signals were not hoist>ed, as he did not think they were necessary. The bar was dangerous, but if he had had the signals up ho would have taken them down at that time of night owing to tho weather. To Sergeant Crawford: It was not usual to put up the signala unless some vessel was in sight. To Mr Cassidy: He had looked to we if tho launch was in wight before he left for tea at 5.30, but had not seen it. He had specially looked) for it. If others said they saw it at that time they must be correct, but it would only take a few minutes for the launch to come from the point with tho amd wind behind her. At the Cave Rock there were duplicate keys of tlie lifeboat house), and with thee© the house had been opened, and the boat taken out before witness reached the rock. He considered the boat was in a condition to be taken out rapidly, but when people were in a lnury, n* they were cm this occasion, they lost time by not knowing exactly how to do things. Three men could have got tlie boat out in a few seconds. Any delay was due to the inexperience of the crew, and partly to the boat having a, canvas covering over it. Wallace Kemp Franklin, Opawa, staled that he had gone out in the launch with Spring. They went to Little Port Cooper, where they stayed till a little after noon. From tl«.»nc« they went towards the lighthouse, wliere they stayed till four o'clock, waiting for the tide, Spring saying that that would be the best time to .get the bar. They gob about 200 yards out from the lighthouse, when a wave biokc on the boat, temporarily stopping the engines. Witness had told Spring that they had better return to Lyttelton, but foe had replied that it would be all right, and addtd that the last time when out with the launch, when he had gone back to Lyttelton, he found the waves just as high as at Sumr.er. The engine -was started again, and the launch stood out for about a quarter of a mile, the idea being to get the wind behind them, and have a straight run to Sumner. It took about three-quarters of an hour to cover this quarter of a- mile. When they turned tho launch they mado pretty good way. When off the Sumner heads witness suggested to Spring that they should land at the baths, but Spring decided to go cm, saying thaib if the bar was dangerous Pilot Day would have the .signals up, adding that the pilot was always at the Rock on Sunday afternoons. Wits-ess asked ...pring if he knew the signal?, but pot no answer, Spring being engaged looking ahead. He asked witness if Jtie saw a clear space where there was no surf. Tlicy stood on for about five minutes, and did not think they were on the bar, as the waves were breaking further out than usual. When about half a mile from the beacon, Spring remarked that ithere. were no signals, that it would" be all riglit, and he would risk it. After it hat a wave broke about the centre of tho launch, sei>ding it clean under the water. Spring , was leaning astern at the time, and was washed into the middle of tho boat. He asked witness to bail out the boat, but. he was then up to his neck in water, and had no chance of doing so. He told Spring to take off his coat whilst he (witness) was taking off his own boots. Spring was in, the act of getting his coat off when he was washed off the boat. Witness

managed to get his coat off in the water, and ">oth settled down to swim. He heard the syren, and about fifteen or twenty minutes afterwards they got. another large war*. Witness went underneath it. but Spring tried to ride it That was the last witness saw of him. Within three or four minutes of last seeing Spring witness had been Teseued by the lifeboat. He accompanied the lifeboat in the search for SpTing, and was transferred to the dinghy when it go* tot trMtrrr, and was taken ashore in it.

To Mr Cassidy:Thcy had no drink on board and both were teetotallers. They had a bottle of coffee with them. Bcyr.nd the temporary stoppage of the engine they had no trouble with the bo;»t. He was almo_t sure that Spring knew tht> signals. E. E. Brooking stated that lie was the coxswain of the lifeboat. On hearing the foghorn he had gone to the Cave Eock. and finding no one there got the duplicate keys from the top of the rock and unlocked the shed. By this time three or four men had aweu-bled. They ail put on lifebelts and ran the boat right down straight, into the water, and started for the men they saw struggling in the water. They got Franklin <>n board, but could fee nothing «>f Spring. About half a minute before they picked up Franklin they had seen Spring. They continued to "search for him outside the breaker*.. After Pilot Day took chars,? of the boat, and Franklin had been transferred to the dinghy, they continued the search. The water was very rough, and was breaking a good way out. To the Coroner t They had no difficulty in gettins the boat out." Everything was ready, mid there was no more trouble thin usual in cutting her out. John James Tudehope, stable boy. New Brighton, gave evidence as to finding the body about two o'clock on Saturday, on the' New Brighton beach. Edward John Rowe, constable stationed at New Brighton, also gave evidence. The Coroner, in summing up. paid that the worst part of the business was that the signals were not up. It was for the jury to say how far that made the pi'o* Liaineable." The evidence showed tha.those on the launch had been looking out for the signals, and not seeing them they assumed that the bar was not dangerous. Pilot. Day's statement was that it was not customary to hoist live signals unless there was a vessel in sight. He, however, knew and admitted that the>bar was dangerous ; he also knew that the boat went out in the morning, but assumed that it had gone to Lyttelton when he saw no sign of it before leaving for his fea. If there was obvious and clear neglect of duty on the pilot's part, from which the death of the deceased resulted, they (the jury) would find the man guilty of manslaughter. Everything possible had been dene to save Spring, and evidently hb rescue had only been made impossible by a question of half ft minute. After a short retirement the foreman Stated that the jury had come, to the conclusion that when the bar is dangerous and whether a boat is in sight or not, the signals should be up. The Coroner t Do you hold Pilot Day responsible for the death? Do you return a verdict of manslaughter? Tlie jury was not prepared to answer these questions, and after a futther retirement brought in the following verdict:—" That "George Spring, on the 15th day of March, being in an oil launch, in which he was endeavouring to cross the bar at Sumner in a heavy sea, the launch capsized, and he was then and there drowned. The jury further say that the. capsizing of the launch and the death of George Spring were caused by the neglect of Pilot Joseph Day, inasmuch as he did not hoist the danger signals at tho flagstaff, which the jury say he ought to have cciic, and which it was his duty to do." The Coroner (addressing Pilot Day): " I will see what further steps tire to be taken in this matter. Ido not consider it necessary to take any steps at this moment.''