A BOATING TRAGEDY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19558, 10 February 1927, Page 13

A BOATING TRAGEDY.

TWO MEN LOSE LIVES.

SEAS CAPSIZE A BOAT-

HEROIC EFFORTS AT RESCUE.

[from our own correspondent.] SYDNEY. Feb. 4.

A boating tragedy involving the drowning of two men and heroic attempts at rescue by surfers occurred this week near Woy Woy, about 20 miles north of Sydney Three men, residents of Sydney suburbs, were spending a holiday at Woy Woy, a popular resort, and decided on Monday to go by rowing boat to a surfing beach. The boat was overturned and after clinging to it for hours, two of the men, Edward Morris and Edward Gibbs, were drowned, the third, James Morris, being saved in remarkable circumstances. The three men were in the open water of Broken Bay when heavy seas, whipped up by a strong southerly, capsized their boat. Their plight was quickly noticed and two launches were sent out to help them. So great was the sea that the occupants' of the launches never caught a glimpse of the overturned boat, and were themselves in danger of being capsized. Both were forced to return. Meanwhile, the boat, with the three men clinging to its keel, had drifted and a crowd of people had gathered on Ocean Beach. When it was seen that no help could be given by the launches, Horace Green, aged 16 years, a member of the Ocean Beach Surf Club, donned the lifebelt. The boat was then 250 yds. from the shore. The men on the boat were seen to wave their hands and, in spite of the heavy seas, Green reached a point 150 yds. from the shore. He was then forced to return to land and another attempt by him also failed.

In the meantime the boat had drifted toward another point, whither the lifeline was taken by motor-car. A visitor from Sydney, William Egan, put on' the belt, dived oft the rocks and swam toward the boat. He reached the boat about 250 yds. from the shore, and intended to make a line fast so that it could be pulled ashore. Before he could carry out his purpose, two of the men, almost demented and nearly drowned, made a grab at him. In the tussle Egan's belt and costume wci'e torn from him and he was forced to let one man go. This man disappeared and has not since been seen.

Horace Green, noticing Egan's plight, again plungsd into the water and gallantly swam to the boat. He recovered the belt and swam with it to Egan. Holding the belt, the latter was able to return to Gibbs, who was quickly hauled ashore. Although Gibbs was alive when rescued, he was unconscious when lifted out of the water and resuscitation methods failed to revive him. Egan came ashore from his gruelling work quite naked. Green, who, in the meantime, had stayed with the third man on the upturned boat, managed, whije holding him in his position, to work the boat toward the beach, and eventually reached close enough in-shore for further help to be rendered. Another surfer swam out with a belt and Morfis was hauled ashore. Green shortly afterwards reached land.