FATAL DREDGING ACCIDENT.

Lake County Press, Issue 982, 3 October 1901, Page 4

FATAL DREDGING ACCIDENT.

A distressing accident, whereby two men named Blatcli and Ferris were drowned, occurred at the Dunstan Lead dredge, Clyde, on Thursday last. The dredgemaster, in a letter to the directors, giving an account of the accident, states that the men, with Bringans (the dredgemaster’s brother) and Mathieson, were proceeding to the dredge for the 8 o’clock shift, when Ferris took the steer-oar out of the water to clear the line. As a result the boat gave a sheer, and water commenced to coma in over the side. The men, unfortunately, jumped o,h of the boat. Brigans and Mathieson reached the shore,but Blatcli and Ferrii were never seen again alive. Had all the men remained in the boat in all p> ob.ibdit V ail would have been save . I’tie dredgemaster states that he had a boat on the liver b lov\ i lie scene of the aeei.lent in about three minutes from the tune of its oeeu riug. ai d he win able to pick up a number of the articles in the boat. He made, a grab at one article b licving it to be the head of one of the men. but it unfortunutelv proved to be on !y it tuckets

bag. The dredgemaster adds that tinmanager and crew of the IVrseverand* dredge rendered all the help in their power. Blatch was a married man, his wife liv ing in M ornington, Dunedin. Ferris (aged 29) was a son of Mr James Ferris, Newborough, Oamaru. Llateh s body was found the following day, but Ferris’s body has not yet been recovered. At an inquest, on the body the jury returned a verdict of acciden tal death, no one to blame.