SAD BOATING ACCIDENT.

Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1025, 16 March 1894, Page 6

SAD BOATING ACCIDENT.

THREE YOUNG PERSONS DROWNED AT INVERCARGILL.

A sad boating fatality occurred in the •Invercargill estuary on Monday afternoon about a mile from the jetty. A party of young people, consisting of Miss Bessie Bain and her sister, Grace (the daughters of Mr James Walker Bain of Invercargill) and Miss Mabel Stowe (only daughter of Mr William Walter Stowe, accountant of the Bank of New Zealand, Invercargill), Lionel Bews (son of Mr Bews, one time provincial engineer of Southland, and afterwards Invercargill corporation engineer), Peter Dalrymple and Charles Rout, left the jetty a little after 5 o'clock in a half-decked sailing boe-t, the Irene, with a centreboard, but noted as a safe craft, for a sail down the river. When about a mile away from the jetty Miss Stowe was steering, while Mr Bew3 was standing up doing something to the gear, from some cause or other not yet fully explained, the boat slowly tilted over, filled and sank. For a little time all were able to keep well out of the water by standing on the boat and holding on by the rigging, but, either through struggling to get wholly above water or because of the boat sinking gradually into -deeper water, they drifted away from her. Rout afterwards got back to her, and, it is said, enabled one or two of the girls to temporarily gain the same advantage. Shortly afterwards all save Rout were struggling in the water, Miss Grace Bain clinging to Dalrymple, and the other two girls to Bews, a strong and powerful

swimmer. The occupants of a fishing boat observed the accident when about half-a-mile away, and used every effort to reach the scene of the disaster. They reached there in time to get Dalrj mple, exhausted and almost done, into the boat, and jnst managed to seize Miss Grace Bain by her exceptionally long hair as she was about to sink, thereby saving her. Observing that Rout was all right for the time being on the boat, they made for the others, . but before they could be rescued they bad gone down. The bodies of the three — Bews, Miss Stowe, Miss Bain — could be seen a few feet below the surface, but they could nofc be got at. Rout was picked up and a start made for the jetty,from which the news spread like wildfire. Miss Grace Bain and Rout were taken to their homes, the young lady being in a lamentable, condition, while Dalrymple was accommodated at a house near the wharf. He rested there for » little while, and then bravely joined the willing band to search for the victims of the tragedy.

About 20 boats in all were round the sunken Irene by 7 o'clock, and the search went assiduously on until a little after 11, when fche last body was discovered. The wharf was crowded till a late hour by an anxious and sympathising throng, all eagerly awaiting news of the search.

The inquest was held yesterday, bufc we have nofc heard the result.

The sad accident has excited the greater interest and regret in Balclutha because one of the deceased, Miss Bessie Bain, spent a few months, three years ago, here with her aunt, Mrs Day, while one of her sisters, Miss Alison Baift, has resided here for sometime. Mr Dews' father was a settler in Warepa in the early days.