ILL-FATED LAUNCH

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 50, 22 November 1930, Page 13

ILL-FATED LAUNCH

Triple Fishing Tragedy VERDICT AT INQUEST The launch Crescent, in which three lives were lost near Island Bay in a storm on the night of September 30, was. with its predecessor, ill-fated. The original Crescent was built at Oyster Bay and was used for whaling purposes, but was eventually burned. Another Crescent was built for the same purpose as previously, but it was cap/.' sizbd by a whale, which tipped it up from underneath. At another time it was damaged by a harpoon charge which/ exploded prematurely. It was then con- . ■ verted into a fishing launch and had been in use as such for only about 18 months before the tragedy in September. At the adjourned inquest yesterday in- * to the deaths of Magnus’ Hunter, aged 23, Arthur John Heberley, aged 23, and James Augustus Perano, aged 23, Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., the coroner, returned , a verdict in respect' of all three that they were drowned by the capsizing of the launch in the breakers, following the failure of the motor engine dno to the’ exhaustion of the ignition battery. The special permission of the AttorneyGeneral had to be obtained to hold the inquest on Perano, owing to the fact that only partial human remains and not the complete body were found in his case. ' '