A DROWNING FATALITY

Evening Star, Issue 15394, 19 January 1914, Page 5

A DROWNING FATALITY

AT ST. KILDA BEACH. The St. Kilda beach, which has been pretty free from accident, was the scene of a drowning fatnlity at about 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, when a man named Thomas Lowe, aged about 40 years, met his death in the surf. Tho fatality occurred outside the safety flags which have been, placed on the beach. Deceased went into tho water about 120 yards outside the flag nearest Lawyer Head, and had not been out long before lie was heard to call out for help. It was at once noticed that he was in difficulties. His head was underneath the water. The life-lino and reel wero got ready by Arthur Thomas and David Parsons, who were on the beach, but in the meantime Joseph Peroira, who had been sitting on tho beach talking to a frie,nd, divested himself of his clothing and pluckily swam out to the man and brought him ashore. Willing hands immediately tried restorative measures, which were kept up for an hour and a-half, when Dr Lindon, who had arrived some time previously, pronounced life to be extinct. Tho prompt action of Pereira is deserving of commendation. Ho modestly described what happened when soon by one of our staff this morning. " I w.as sitting on tho beach talking to a friend," he said. "I had been in for a bathe and had dressed myself. All at once I heard a shout from the man, I who was a long way out—ho must have been out as far as the last line of breakers. I immediately ran along the beach, pulling off my clothes as I went. I got my boots off, too, and then I swam out to the man, who was floating face downwards. - I got hold of him', and two big breakers coming over us, one after the other, I lost my hold. 1 made another grab at hi in, and caught him again. Then I brought him ashore and sang out to some people on the beach, as I was coming in, to send for a doctor. The reel came out to us, but by that time I had the man near the shore. My idea at first was just to keep him afloat and wait for tho reel." Peroira is an export swimmer, and holds a certificate and medallion from the Royal Life Saving Society. He is a member of the St. Kilda Life Saving Club. He did all that was possible to save the man's life. At tho time of the fatality there wore comparatively few in tho water. One man was swimming near deceased, but ho was on his wav back to the shore, and apparently did not know that anything was wrong. It is understood that deceased was able to swim, and this makes the causo of his death more inexplicable. It is a- dangerous practice for anyone, no matter how strong a swimmer he may be, to "take" the water outside the safety flags. Deceased was an employee at the Corporation Gasworks, and leaves a wife and a young family of six or seven children. The coroner will hold an inquest on the body to-morrow morning. Yesterday, strangely enough, was the anniversary of the unfortunate occurrence at St. Clair last year whereby two men lost their lives in the surf. The St. Clair Life Saving Club wero also called out yesterday at their end of the beach. Twice they had to go out to give assistance to persons in difficulties.