BATHING FATALITY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13651, 7 February 1910, Page 7

BATHING FATALITY.

TWO YOUNG MEN DROWNED AT

NEW BRIGHTON,

A sad drowning fatality occurred at New Brighton yesterday morning, the victims being two sons of Mrs Lee, a widow, residing at Gresford street, St. ! Albans, who came to live in Christchurch on the death of her husband about three years ago, and who ia at present spending a holiday et New Brighton. The two lads, who were aged respectively 19 and 16 years, left the bouse in Hood street at eight o'clock for a bathe. As the house is only about 200 yards from the beach, the two lads went out with their bathing costumes on, each wearing a coat and hat fin addition. Their disappearance was not noticed by anyone, and the first suspicion* of anything untoward having happened arose through their coats, bats, and towels, which they had bung on the fence surrounding the marram grass enclosure ori the beach, remaining unclaimed. As the boys did not return to the house, other members of the family went down to the beach to ascertain the cause of tbe delay, and discovered the coats and hats still hanging on the fence. It was at finst thought that the lads might be sunning themselves on the sandhills, or visiting some camp in the vicinity, but a careful search faikd to discover them. Constable Brown, who is relieving Constable Rowe, was informed of the occurrence, and he patrolled the beach between tbe pier and the Sumner Estuary, with a party of horsemen, during the afternoon, without discovering the bodies. Constable Brown then arranged with a party of young men to drag with a trawling net in the vicinity where the accident is supposed to have happened, as the bodies might possibly be lodged in one of tbe numerous holes scoured out in the beach by the heavy tides and current. The party dragged for two hours, but without result. At tho time when tbe young men went down to bathe the tide was just commencing to run in, and those bathers who were in the water at that time and later, found they had to contend with a very strong current setting south, and an exceptionally strong backwash. It is thought that the accident may have been caused by one of the lads getting out of his depth iv one of the holes, and that on his brother going to his assistance, both Were drawn out to sea by the strong backwash, and were unable to get in again.

Up to a late hour last night the bodies of the unfortunate young men had not been recovered.

Later m tbe morning the strong current and backwash nearly occasioned another fatality. A young man bathing near tlie pier found himself being carried out by the backwash, and clutching hold of one of the pier piles called lustily for help. Several persons bathing near at once went to his assistance, and in a few minutes more some half a dozen of the would-be rescuers were in trouble also. Mr Sellars, the pier-keeper, and a dozen willing bands soon had three lifebuoys over, and pulled up three of the "bathers on to the pier, the others being rescued from thc shore, a largo number of bathers joining hands and forming a chain out into the breakers. A young man riding barebacked, who tried to swim bis horse to trie rescue, got into a big breaker, which turned both horse and rider over, the rider fortunately securing a hold of tbe horse's mane. For about twenty minutes tbe beach and pier presented a very exciting spectacle. 'Several of the bathers were badly cut against the mussels which encase the pier piles, but otherwise were none the worse for their experience.