ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 408, 18 January 1909, Page 5

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

:.■■;. THE : PERIL OF SURF BATHING.; .:„ : 'FATALITY;NEAR DUNEDIN.;,';- ,',;•'■ .(BY ASSOCIATION.) ■ ■;-:-_; ■■■' ..;"••_.', Dunedih, January,!?.J'. A drowning accident occurred at .Brighton this morning, the victim l being AYilliahi/Jeffs, aged 19 years. . Deceased and three companions, named Alfred Clark, John Griffiths, and Herbert Perry; went in for. a dip at the usual bathing place.-Jeffs swam but some distance by himself,. and found the current : too strong- to. allow him' to get back; AVheh it was seen that'he was -in 'trouble, Perry'; swam to his assistance, and Jeffs said? "Try to save me, Horbert." Perry-got hpldof.de-. ceased three-times'; but'the current-was so; .strong,that he had to let goV Perry, just Managed/,to reach; shore in an. exhausted condition. There is a. rock about 200 yards from the ; 'scene of .the accident, but : it was impossible to reach it. The -body 'has not been, recovered. Deceased was a son -of James. Jeffs, livery stable proprietor,-, aid wellknpwn -in : racing 'circles; .: ■-. -..V i ■■■■-

SAD OCCURRENCE AT MASTERTON. WHAT A BOY FOfo .}. Xtf PARE LAEE. ~'■' (BY TELEGRAPH—SI'iicUL. CUItUESFONDENT.) . ■ Masterton, January 17. A young man named Isaac Robert; Leonard Carley,,aged 28 years, was' found drowned inPark Lake' about nine o'clock this morning. Tho body was discovered, by "a boy. who• was bathing in the ; lake, and, when brought to. 'the. surface'by tho police by means of draggingirons, a piece of rope was found around the neck, to which was attached a lump of shoeing steel 14ft. long. Deceased-had boon very despondent lately; and apparently had a love'trouble on his mind. JHe. spent part J of last evening in a local hotel, and, about, 10.30 o'clock, went to Maltby's restaurant,, and borrowed.some-writing paper; There he wroto a note, which was afterwards found in his pocket. . It was addressed to a local girl with whom he kept company, and, after ex-. pressing his love for her, which; ho. said, had 'broken his heart, asked;her forgiveness for his act. .-Then'it appears that lie visited the shop of his employer, E. Welch, blacksmith,' whero he. procured ; , tho' piece of iron. It is thoright that tho act took place, about mii night, and he must, have jumped off the divhiug board, as tho body. was. found, close to-the-end of it. Strango to say, there were agood many bathers in the lake early this morning, but'nono saw the body until .the: boy found it at the hour stated. Deceased belongs to a highly respectable family living in Masterton ; An inquest will be held tomorrow morning. .' :■';'[ ' * ' '■';■■ RECOVERING, \;V Tho hospital authorities advised last night that W. A. Milne, who was admitted to the institution a week ago in a precarious coiidition as the result of : a bullet wound behind the ear, is. now, getting on fairly well.