TOLL OF THE BEACH

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11830, 11 January 1933, Page 3

TOLL OF THE BEACH

DROWNED AT PLAY

NORTH AUCKLAND FATALITY

AI OfH EE’S XAR R 0 W ESC APE

AUCKLAND. January 7

A drowning fatality occurred in 'the Lower Matakana river yesterday afternoon, the victim being the five-year-old ■son of Mr. 1' rodorick Green, a well-known farmer of the district. Mrs. Green, who bad slipped into the river in trying to. save her child, was hersoll rescued by her husband just as sh ( > was losing consciousness and sinking,, and fd some hours after being taken from the wafer her condition was extremely grave. The little boy, James Green, and bis older brother, Allan Green, age l - 1 10, had been playing on the private landing belonging to their parents farm, and their mother was watching them from the bank. Suddenly the younger boy tripped and tell over the end into the deep water of the channel which swoops past the landing.

His mother fried to roach him before the current took him fmther into the channel, l'" ; her efforts she overbalanced and tell into the water.

In the meantime ihe other boy had raced to tell his lather, who was working at the house 100 yards away. Mr. Green was aide to catch bold of his wife just as she was sinking and he pulled her on to the wharf. By this time the little hoy had drifted 20 yards away.

A boat had been moored to the landing and in it Mr. Green reached the hoy in a few moments, hut he was then dead. Although Dr. R. \ - Shaw was summoned by telephone, and arrived to give artificial respiration within 20 minutes of the occurrence of the accident, his efforts wore in vain.

Mrs. Green had been ill for some months, r.md had barely recovered from a. nervous breakdown. At a late hour last evening her condition was still fairly serious.