DOUBLE DROWNING

Evening Star, Issue 22383, 6 July 1936, Page 1

DOUBLE DROWNING

FISHING PARTY TOEGY

[Per United Press Association.] MASTERTON, July 5. The second double drowning in Lake Wairarapa within three weeks occurred yesterday afternoon, when tragedy overtook a fishing party of three men and a boy. The victims were:— Geoffrey William Bicknelt, aged about 35, a carpenter, of Feathersron. \ Thomas Latham, an ' elderly farmer, of Pirinoa. The other two members of the party, which had been netting flounders in a flat-bottomed boat, were Athol Charles Biokuell, of Fefitherston, a brother of one of the deceased, and his 15-year-old son, Garth. The accident occurred about 3 p.m. in Lake Onoke, directly’ in front of the Lake Ferry’ Hotel. Eye-witnesses state that the waters of the lake were slightly choppy, and a fairly strong north-westerly was blowing. The party was haying a heavy pull across the lake to the shore when one of the men appeared to miss his stroke, and the boat swamped and overturned.

Within five minutes of the accident Mr F. Brough, licensee of the Ferry Hotel, and two other men had rowed out to the scene of the accident and found Garth Bicknell and his father hanging on to the side of the unturned boat, but there was no sign of Geoffrey Bicknell or Latham, though they had been in the water only for a few minutes. Both the rescued persons were suffering severely from the cold.' The tragedy was heightened by the fact that Mrs Geoffrey Bicknell and two of her three young children were on the beach and watched the accident with horror-stricken eyes. The waters of the lake were too rough to-day to allow dragging operations to be carried out, and the bodies have not yet been recovered. As the accident occurred in the channel leading to the outlet of the lake, it is feared that the bodies may have been swept out to sea. A ' party led by Constable W. S. Brown, of Martin borough. which searched the beaches this morning, had a fortunate escape when their boat almost capsized. Mr Latham was a well-known settler, and is survived by his wife. Mr G. W. Bicknell is survived by his wife and three young children.

Chronic indigestion may be due to the simplest of causes, we are told. We heard of one man who was a martyr to dyspepsia for years and all because of a misprint in his wife’s cookery bock. The only way some people can keep the home going is to keep moving. It’s no joke being Ihe light of a woman’s life. She won’t allow you to go out.

Call. Location. Metr. Kcs. Watts. VPD, Suva ... 22.94 13.075 500 DJA, llerlin ... 31 38 9,560 — "LI’. Lvnehurst 31.34 9,580 1.000 VM3MK. Me!bourne 31.55 9,510 1,500 LIW59, Moscow '50.00 6.000 20,00i