A HARBOUR MYSTERY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15097, 13 September 1912, Page 7

A HARBOUR MYSTERY.

-MAN FOUND IN DINGHY.

\ ; WET, - cold AND dazed.

fELLS REMARKABLE STORY.

! AS ANYONE DROWNED!

'TRIES of help coming from, tho beach at the foot of " Campbell's Point., Parnell, ' tout eight, o'clock last night, attracted : the attention of some men in tho vicinity. ' jinking tho appeal for assistance was tho ' fir a fc intimation of some tragedy by the : seaside, one of the men proceeded along the foreshore in the direction of Camphell's Point, while his companion sought • . tho assistance of Constables Donovan and '■ "Magee, of Parnell. * : l search of the foreshore was made, ■- *, a d'nchv in which a man was lying ' £. found wedged between two reefs •'The ma" wet through, fazed and ' excitable, and his explanation of what had occurred was given in a varying, disjointed ° - nner ' He eaid his name was Mark - Seed, and he lived with his wife in Leslie -U'" Avenue. Kingsland. Ho said that he had ■ visited Ellerslio during the day, and while walking back to the city ho met a stranger on tho road. As they were both coins'the samo Way they walked together SSid conversed. Now there occurs a blank /• n Deed's memory, for lie told the police : that he remembered nothing of what subV - sequently took place until ho found himself seated alongside his friend in a dinghy out in the harbour. The next ecene, ho ' says, was tho capsize of tho dinghy, and • both men were thrown into tho water. Deed succeeded in regaining the craft and paddled the boat ashore, where ho col- ' lapsed," and had only sufficient strength to call for help. After the dinghy capsized Deed never saw his companion. . , V Having told his story. Deed was con- ' ' vee d to the district hospital, where ho • was found to be suit: ring from exposure. 'He ■ V-'repeated his story to the hospital officials, - • but his -explanation was of an erratic ' • nature, and he did not appear to be very clear as to' his movements during the after- / v - noon. After Deed had been attended to and :: :■ had recovered from the shock of the occurrence he made another statement, which : varied somewhat from his original version of the mishap. " I left my home in J<r Kingsland and spent some time in the • city," he said. " I met one or two others; who they were I do not know, but I just entered into thoir companionship. After staying in the city for a while, we went- • ; out to Ellerslie, and what happened for "some time after that I don't remember. ■ All I know is that to-night I found myself out in the harbour in a, dinghy with one or two'othersl don't remember exactly how manyand we were capsized. I man- ' ■ aged to get into the boat again and paddled:- the dinghy ashore. What became of my companions I . don't know. I ' ; never saw them - again. They were either drowned or. got ashore quicker than I did." Then Deed turned over and went to sleep. The police do not place much reliance on .-Deed's story, but the occurrence is shrouded in mystery. While Deed states that he lives in Kingsland, a letter was found in his coat addressed : "Mr. Mark Deed, farmer, Waiuku.'' The fact, too, ' that two oars were in the dinghy would ' seem to dispel the statement" that the little ; craft capsized. The, dinghy, . which, was * owned by Mr. W. H. Hut-ton, was at > anchor some distance from the shore, and ■ it is difficult to understand ' how Deed— I . his' companions—-reached the boat. - ' "It is a curious story," said one of the • ; constables. " But even if Deed was alone :.f it is. hard to : say how he reached the V 'dinghy and what prompted him to go out : - to sea in tho craft." ; s'i ■A' search of the foreshore in the neigh- .; bourhood of the ' spot where Deed -was , ; found' was made last night, but no trace was found of the men who were said to • - ' have accompanied him.