BOAT CAUGHT IN A RIP

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 23, 28 January 1936, Page 11

BOAT CAUGHT IN A RIP

';; FIVE PEOPLE DROWNED

GIRL SAVES TWO CHILDREN

l? MANUKAU HARBOUR MISHAP

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, January 27.

~ r ; Five people were drowned in a re boating tragedy at Weymouth, on the ■» upper reaches of Manukau Harbour, ' three miles from Manurewa, this afternoon. Two children who were

>- clinging to a flat-bottom boat in which •*v a party of seven had been crossing ".'■ the channel were saved by a 16-year- ;.' old girl, Mary Recce, of Weymouth, I] c who heard their screams for help and t,■ rowed out against wind and tide. •• :'-" The victims were:— tv,'- Edwin Studd, aged 54, farmer, of a-,- Sykes Avenue, Weymouth. '-'• Mrs. Vera Studd, his wife, aged 38. Martin Day, aged 41, single, a ','.' labourer, of Brown's Road, Homai, ,",'. Mrs. Studd's brother. William George Stewart, aged 2(5, «•. married, a labourer, of Russell Road, r- Manurewa, a brother-in-law of Mrs. ■, . Studd. He is survived by his widow o. and two young children.

Allan Turner, aged seven, son of Mr. and Mrs. Turner, Point Chevalier.

Those who were saved were Ronald Turner, aged nine, brother of Allan Turner; Keith Pollock, aged 12, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. Pollock, of Hunua.

Swift tragedy overtook the boat, heavily laden with its seven occupants and a quantity of firewood, when it encountered a rip caused by the wind and tide. As far as is known, there were no witnesses of the fatal capsize, and the two children who survived were too dazed to give a coherent account of what had occurred.

One said that a wave suddenly overturned the boat, throwing the occupants into the water, to be swept away by the spring tide, which was running out fast down the narrow channel.

An expedition to Wattle Farm, about half a mile from Sykes Avenue, where Mr. and Mrs. Studd lived, was undertaken by the seven people early in the afternoon. They were seen crossing the channel, when it was noticed that the boat appeared very heavily laden. It was the party's intention to gather a load of manuka at Wattle Farm, and a considerable quantity was found drifting near the boat after the tragedy.

BATTLE WITH WIND AND TIDE.

Screams, carried by the south-west wind for nearly a mile, were heard by a neighbour of Mr. and Mrs. Studd, Mrs. Recce, who was in the orchard at her home about 3.30 in the afternoon. She called one of her daughters, Mary Recce, who was in the house, and they both ran to the beach. Fearing that the party they had seen earlier on the way to Wattle Farm'had encountered trouble on the return trip, a 16ft boat was launched by Mrs. Recce and her daughter, and the girl alone commenced a battle with wind and tide to reach the smaller boat, which was drifting almost submerged in the middle of the channel. Two boys could be seen clinging to the bottom of the boat. "It took me all my time to catch up with the overturned boat, so fast was it-drifting,"'Mary-Recce said lat.^r. "I" pulled out about half a mile. It was very rough, with a strong wind, but I managed to get my boat alongside theirs and pulled the two boys to safety. They were almost exhausted and sank down in the bottom of thej boat. There was no sign of the others, only two hats and two paddles." The boys were paralysed with fright when rescued by Mary Recce. One, said that he tried to hold on to his Uncle Bill (Mr. Stewart) but was forced to let him go, and he sank. The boys were brought ashore and' cared for by neighbours. Three of the bodies were found later, when the tide had dropped, and the search was continued until late at night for the remaining two.