CAUGHT IN WHIRLPOOL

Feilding Star, Volume 10, Issue 3996, 10 April 1933, Page 7

CAUGHT IN WHIRLPOOL

UXIDEXXIDIED YOUTiI he was ox horserace: FATALITY IX RIVER CFe» Pres 9 Association) Auckland, April 0 Through being caught in a whirlpool while crossing a liver on horse back a youth aged about 18 years, who has not been identified, but who is believed to be a farm hand, Jack Ellery, lost his life hy drowning in the Ng-unguru River this morning. The boy Ellery, whose parents live at Sandringham. Auckland, left the farm of Mr IF. M. Douglas, of Hcrahora, his employer, to go on an errand and was expected to return at about ~t o’clock. He had not appeared bv this evening. The scene of the fatality was the Ngunguru River at a fiord about two miles from the Ngunguru beach. The accident was witnessed bv Mr W. Robinson, a farmer of Tutakaka, who was walking along the riverbank at 11.20 this morning. He saw a youngman riding- a horse towards the fiord on the itorahora. side enter the water and get to within 15 yards of the other side, hut the horse and rider seemed to step into a whirlpool. which turned them around and around. The rider was unseated and disappeared. Mr Robinson jumped into a boat and rowed to the scene, hut was unable to see any trace of the young man. Dragging operations were carried out, and the body was recovered shortly after 1 p.m. near the scene of the fatality. An inquest will be opened at TVhangarei tomorrow morning.