DOUBLE DROWNING

Northern Advocate, 8 April 1935, Page 4

DOUBLE DROWNING

MAORI SISTERS TRAGEDY AT RUAWAI ' FALL FROM WHARF STEPS. VAIN SEARCH FOR BODIES. [Special to "Northern Advocate”l DARGAVILLE, This Day. For the second time within a week a double. drowning accident has occurred in the Dargaville district. It happened in the Northern Wairoa River yesterday afternoon, the victims being two Maori children: EMIRI EDWARDS, aged 10 years, v daughter of Mr and Mrs John Edwards, of the Maori settlement, Naumai. PIRITI EDWARDS, aged 6 years, her sister. . ; Both children .were playing with others near/the Njumai wharf, a short distance from .the settlement, when they- happened to go on to the steps of the structure shortly after 4 o’clock. They fell, from the %teps into the water at . the same timq,' as far as those in the vicinity could ascertain. .

There was a strong outward, tide running at the time, and the children were thrown against the. piles of thV wharf, where they clung for some minutes while other h children sought assistance. An 11-year-old girl, whose name has. * not yet been established, made a plucky' attempt to rescue, the victims,' but' they were swept away before she could reach them, and disappeared. An intensive search was ..carried out, and Dr. R. Roberts and Constable T. /McCall, of .Ruawai, travelled eight or nine • miles up river to the scene of the tragedy. The search was Continued until late last evening, but no trace of the victims has been reported.* 1

The previous double tragedy occurred at Karaka Gorge,. some six miles north of -Tangowahipe, on Sunday morning, . March 31, the victims being H. ./ T.. Mooney,. farmer, aged 66,* and Mr H. O. Burrow, carrier, aged 51, both of Tangowahine, They lost their .lives withiin ! full view of their wives. _ • — iANCTHER EPISODE ' TWO MEN AT CHATHAMS *■ ' \ SURFBOAT SWAMPED LITTLE HOPE .ENTERTAINED [Per Press WELLINGTON, This Day. Two men, Mr Daymond and Dr. Re- - riti, whoj are believed to have been : drowned at Waitangi, Chatham Islands, during a gale, on Saturday morning, according to a radio message received by the Director-General of the Post apd Telegraph : Department ’ from the superintendent of the Chatham' radio station. ' During a heavy southerly gale, in the Waitangi roadstead a surfboat-belong-ing to the Chatham Islands stock owners was blown across the bay into heavy breaking seas. Unsuccessful efforts' to rescue the men was made by launch. f . ■ It is feared that the surfboat was ' swamped, as-parts of it were washed* < ashore. Little hope is entertained for the safety of the two, men.