Youth’s Fall From Ferry Described

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31728, 11 July 1968, Page 8

Youth’s Fall From Ferry Described

Ross Graham, Paterson, aged 19, died at sea between Lyttelton and Wellington on January 27 when he fell overboard from the ferry Wahine, the cause of death being unknown, the Coroner (Mr A. T. Bell) found yesterday when the inquest into Paterson’s death was concluded. The Coroner said he had obtained the authority of the Attorney General to hold the inquest as the body had not been found. Steven Collyer Martin, aged 18, a State Service employee, whose evidence was taken in Wellington, said he and Ross Paterson were friends and had been in the sixth form at Christchurch Boys’ High School together. On Saturday, January 27, he and Paterson travelled in the Wahine which sailed from Lyttelton about--8.15 p.m. They had obtained employment through the State Services Commission in Wellington.

They each had about five beers in the smoke room. They were standing talking by the rail outside the smoke room on the port side of the ship. Paterson had said something to the effect that he thought it was possible to climb down from B deck to C deck by climbing over the top rail, down the ofitside of the bottom rails and by putting his legs around a pipe on the lower deck, slide down on the inside and on to the deck. Witness said to him: "You probably could, but you would be mad to try.” Mr Martin said he was about 4ft away from Paterson and was looking at the sea. When he looked up he saw Paterson had climbed up on to the top rail and had one leg on either side of it Both hands were on the rail in front of him. “Suddenly his hands slipped off the rail on to the seaward side and he toppled over,” said Mr Martin. “I think it must have been shock as I did not do anything until 1 had seen him do almost a complete somersault, landing in the water on his back. When he hit the sea he would have been no more than 2ft from the side of the ship. “I ran about 15 yards down the deck and told a steward that someone was overboard but he did not believe me. He came back and asked two girls who were sitting playing a transistor radio. They said it was true,” said Mr Martin. "Ross Paterson and I were reasonably close friends. He lived with his parents at 1 Seamount Terrace, Mount Pleasant, Christchurch. He was always a very happy-go-lucky type of person and enjoyed life. He liked parties and was chairman of the Mount Pleasant Youth Club,” Mr Martin said. Witness said Paterson was not drunk and appeared perfectly normal. He thought it might have been the combination of the wet rail and the rolling of the ship which caused Paterson to lose his grip. Constable Gordon Alexander Lithgow said the police had made extensive inquiries for Paterson who had fallen overboard from the Wahine when it was about 10 miles

off Motunau Island about 10.45 p.m. on January 27. Immediately it was realised that there was a man overboard a life-buoy equipped with a light was thrown into the sea. The Wahine was turned about and the area searched without success. The Search and Rescue Organisation was brought into operation and a watch was kept by vessels at sea, aircraft and persons along the coast The life-buoy was washed ashore south of Kaikoura on January 30 Paterson’s body had not been recovered and no persons had reported seeing him alive since the night of January 27. Constable Lithgow said. Evidence of seeing Paterson fall overboard was given by Lynette Fay Scanlan, aged 17, a machinist.