BOATING FATALITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15823, 21 January 1915, Page 4

BOATING FATALITY.

DINGHY FILLS AND SINKS ..*

BOY DROWXED IX HARBOUR

COMPAXIOXS REACH SHOfigJ

LAD SAVES TWO COUSI^

A sap drowning ardent „ (urred _ Preston's Bear',,. Point ChovalJ er res' day morning, the victim being Pa T p* day morning, the victim being Rar P ton, 15 years of age. a «<-,„ r ,f Mr J ' Preston, grocer, of Dominion Road. ]*!! for the heroic ation of Jart p rarf a cousin, 11 year- of .-..-.-. two YonJ* 1 ' brothers of the deceased would probabH have met with a simiUr fate J ? Preston is * son of Mr. John grocer, of Nelson Street. '

I In company ,th his brothers. Go^ and James, aged nine yeuis and sera j years respectively, his roj„i n Jack ' Treston Laybournc. ncf-i 15. Ray P | ton set off in a dinghy at about »;,*, j o'clock from Prest >i.'.- i'.,j. h for Ji I shell bank on the opj.'~'tf side of a ; inlet in order to fish and • • !]<vt c v., : James and Gordon Prr-t i Wea ,~,.'', Jto swim. but me other i!,rw boys jdo so. There were two S: , i n t ' fce boat, Iwhi.h was in a leaking • 'Midition. | boys had a bucket w.th t-ni. and «ift tins they twice baled «.,ter out of .i craft. ftbs

Changing the Oars. After filling six sugar bajs with shells the boys started on the.r return joamer at about eleven o'clock. They reached"* spot some 600 yds from the shore. «-K two of the lads who were rowing attempted to chance oars. Th? dinghy lad a coasiderr.bie quantity of wat.-r in it a *, ft time, and in addition there was the v&vh, of the. bags of shells. As the oars «j„ being changed there was a sudden jirajjj of water over the side and the boat sant The tide was full at the time and th, depth of water in which the dinghy e si down was about 12ft.

Immediately they perceived that tit boat was sinking, all the boys jxmpti overboard. Young Laybournesucceeded ra swimming ashore, and also helped to sap. port himself with an oar. Ray Prestsa attempted to help his brothers, but. becoming exhausted, be went under, aDdvu not seen again. Whether he rose to ti» surface is not known, and, as all the bon jumped clear together, it is not thought that he was injured by strikinj the boat Two Boys Kept Afloat. Noticing that his cousins. Gordon anj James, were in difficulties. Jack Preston, who is a good swimmer, clasped the » maining oar. and throwing one arm orer this he pluckily clung to the two boys, and kept afloat with the other arm. :B« remained in this position for some fifteen to twenty minutes, when assistance readied him. The plight of the boys was observed from the beach by a cousin, Edgar Preston, son of Mr. Frank Preston, of Upper Pitt Street, and some other chfldraa, Edgar Preston hailed a passing dinghy, which was being rowed by a boy named Courtenay. The latter brought the dingiy to the shore, and Edgar Preston that •vent out to the assistance of his cousins, and pulled them into the boat. , Rescued in Unconscious Condition. *" Jack Preston's father, who was baflang near the scene of the fatality, was summoned. He immediately swam off to render ?id, but when he had got wftlin about liO yards of the boys Edgar Prestos reached them with the dinghy. Mr. Preston dived a number of times in an endeavour to recover th» body of Ray Preston, but without success The two boys Gordon and James PrestoD were in an unconscious condition when brought ashore. They were aires to their father's cottage on the beach aid. Drs. C. B. Rossiter and F. W. King woe summoned. Gordon Preston's cond&oa was more serious than that of his brother, hut persistent efforts at resuscitation revived both lads and by 4.50 p.m. they 1 had practically recovered. Recovery of the Body. ~ft Constable Reed, of Avondale, and Constable McGlone, of Mount Albert, *&* informed of the fatality, and, together with several residents of Point Chevalier, they conducted a search for the body. B was found shortly before 2 p.m. by Mr. T. W. Monthey, lying in about sft of water, the tide having ebbed considerably ', by then. The body was removed to tbe cottage of the deceaseds father. tS:

No inquest has yet been arranged as the police were unable to communkaU with the coroner last night. ~ *