DROWNING ACCIDENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19490, 20 November 1926, Page 12

DROWNING ACCIDENTS.

BOY LOSES HIS LIFE. CARRIED OUT TO SEA. ATTEMPT AT RESCUE FAILS. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] WAIUKU, Friday. A drowning accident occurred on the West Coast beach out from Waiuku yesterday afternoon, a hd. Robert Oswald Blake, 15 years of age. the only son of Mr. A. Blake, of Waiuku, losing his life. The evidence given at the inquest to-day before the coroner, Mr. A. M. Barriball, showed that the deceased cycled to the coast with two companions, Reginald R. Cox and James C. Harkness, through the Kariotah) gap, Cox and Harkness invit ing Blake to join them. Some hours were spent bathing and lying in the sun on the sand. After luncheon the party decided tp make for home and went into the water to wash the sand off before dressing. Suddenly all three found themselves out of their depth in a large hole. Harkness, who was the only swimmer, struggled back to the edge and assisted Cox out. In the meanwhile Blake was carried seaward and disappeared. Harkness sent Cox ashore to get the reins from a gig belonging to another party, and himself tried to locate Blake, who, however, was soon washed ashore apparently lifeless, Harkness started artificial respiration and left Cox to continue it while he went to the nearest house for help, the gig party being out of sight along the beach. When a doctor arrived he pronounced life to be extinct. A verdict of accidental drowning, no blame being attachable to anyone, was returned. BODY FOTOD IN A CREEK. ABOUT FOUR INCHES OF WATER. [by telegraph.™own correspondent.] TAUKAJSGA. Friday. A drowning accident occurred at Lower yesterday, resulting in the death of Mr. David Jack Scott, aged 34, a member of a well-known family in that district. Mr. Scott went to attend to a watering ram in the morning. He did not return, and later a brother went down to the ram and found deceased's body in the creek. An inquest was held at Kaimai to-day. Evidence was given that deceased bad been found face down in about 4in. of water. He was subject to fits and had evidently had a seizure while attending to the ram. A verdict of accidentally drowned was returned. '