ACCIDENTS AND TRAGEDIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 January 1938, Page 5

ACCIDENTS AND TRAGEDIES

FISHERMAN DROWNED

[PEK PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

AUCKLAND. January 1!'

One man was drowned and two others had a narrow escape from u similar fate when a dinghy in which they were fishing capsized about 200 yards off the sandspit at Devonpoit this afternoon. The victim was George Houseman, a labourer, of Owens road. Devonport, an elderly widower. The plight of Houseman and his two companions, James S. Miller tiud James Patterson, was first . seen by two young men, .Allan Harris and J. McKenzie, of Devonport, who were also fishing some distance away in a speed-boat. Quickly arriving at Jh p scene of the accident, they found Miller and Patterson clinging to the dinghy, supporting' with difficulty Houseman, who was unconscious. The three men were taken aboard the speed-boat, after which the dinghy ; overturned and sank almost immediately. Efforts at resuscitation were made on Houseman at the Devonport beach, bin without, success.

BABY DROWNED

WANGANUI. Janii.iiy 1!'

Helen Doreen Gray, the infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. Gray, n. Longacre, was drowned to-daj in J water trough near ihe homestead. The discovery was made by her mother, who found the body alter it had been in the water only a lew minutes. WOMAN Al I SSI NG (’ll RISTCT I U R(‘H. Jaiuiiiij i'T Miss Mate McLeod. who is u r.'-si-dent of Port Chalmers, was if ported missing io the Lyttelton police today. Miss McLeod, who is described us hr ing about 37 years old, arrived in Lviiclioii on Tuesday and booked a room ai the Mitre Hole!. However, (lie room was not occupied on Tuesday niglH and her luggage and effects wore stiil intact yesterday morning. Th.- police made a search of the iiin<T hail.oiir this afternoon, without avail MOTOR FATALITY. WELLINGTON. January 19. The opinion was expressed by the Coroner. Mr. E. Gilbertson. ;tl the inquest into tile death of Alison May Burch, who was killed in a motor accident on tin- night of December I*.', that excessive drinking was in no wax responsible. He found Hint death was caused through injuries she received while she was a passenger in a car driven by Derek Taylor. when ii i struck a telegraph post. I The evidence was that Taylor was driving back with Miss Burch from a dance at the ‘‘Brown Owl." near Upper Hutt, and that Ihe car left the road at a corner.

GASSED IX GAR (Recd. Jan. 20. 2 p.m.) SYDNEY, January 20. The body of a man subsequently identified as Thornley Wilfred Franks, aged twenty-nine, who arrived from New Zealand a few months ago. was found in a closed motor-car in the bush, near Manly. A hosepipe was attached to tlio exhaust, ami the other end of tlio hose was drawn through a partly opened window. The car engine was still running, and carbon monoxide fumes were being carric-il into (he car. but a doctor e.xpressed the opinion that the man had been dcait for some hours wlmii fouml. SUICIDE PREVT-INTFI) SYDNEY. January 2m The “Daily Telegraph” says: After a brief struggle, a man from New Zealand was saved last night from jumping’ over The Gap. 'f'lie man resisted the attempt to move h : m from a projecting fence, but the police succeeded in taking him to the police nation