WARNING TO BATHERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15549, 5 March 1914, Page 8

WARNING TO BATHERS

SWIMMING AFTER MEALS.

THE MOTUIHI FATALITY. COMMENTS BY CORONER. "Public attention," said Mr. E- C. Cutten, S.\L, yesterday, "is being constantly drawn to the danger of bathing after meals, and it becomes my duty once more < to call the attention of swimmers to the danger of the practice." Mr. Cutten was investigating the drowning accident which , resulted in the death of a young sea- . man named Janes Doolan, off Motuihi Is- , land, on Monday afternoon. ; Evidenco of identification was given by Patrick Doolan, father of deceased. He be- . lieved his son to be a good swimmer, and i was not aware that he was subject to j cramp o-* seizures of any kind. The boy i was about 19 years of age. ! Win. Brown (captain of the cutter Lee), I

described how ..bout one o'clock Doolan, I who was working on the boat at the time, ; ' went into the water for a swim, the water ' being about 4ft deep. For a few minutes I he noticed Doolan was swimming about near the shore with a plank. On witness's return from his cabin, after a few minutes' , absence from the deck, he noticed the plank with which Doolan had been swimming was washed up on the beach, but there were no signs of the youth. He | therefore steered the cutter close in shore, j where he observed Doolan's body in about j 6ft of water, a distance of some 25ft from ( the shore. Just then Captain Caspar came : along and he assisted witness to recover j the body with grappling irons. Artificial respiration was resorted to without avail. Witness judged Doolan to be a good swim , mer, and knew of nothing to account for his collapse, unless it was a seizure with ' cramp. Prior to going into the water Doolan had dined. j Corroborative evidence was given by Captain Caspar. I In giving his verdict, to the effect that death was due to drowning whilst bath- ! ing, the coroner remarked : "There is no doubt about it that this voung man died as a result of going : nto the water immediately after making a heavy meal."