BOY DROWNED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22615, 31 December 1936, Page 8

BOY DROWNED

SURF CLAIMS VICTIM CAUGHT IN UNDERTOW RESCUE EFFORTS FAIL COMPANIONS REACH-SHORE [by telF/GHAI'H —press association] TE TCUITI, Wednesday Five bathers were caught in a strong undertow on the open beach off Marokopa to-day and Athol Gordon, aged 17, disappeared quickly and was drowned. The others, 0. Gordon, D. W. Robertson, M. Miln and L. Haylock, escaped with difficulty. Nono of them was a good swimmer in the surf. Mr. Howard Bell arrived on the beach as the tragedy occurred, and swam out, hut Athol Gordon had disappeared and Mr. 801 l could find no trace of liiin. At the tiino a large number of picnickers were at the JVlarokopa "Wharf shed, a mile and a-quartor from the scene of the tragedy. They were preparing to go to the coast when the alarm was given.

Mr. T. Partridge took a boat out, while a large party of others hurried to the spot, but their efforts to recover the body were unsuccessful. The body was found, after an extensive .search, at four o'clock this afternoon.

Owing to strong tide rips this coast is treacherous, and particularly so at tho ebb. The parents of deceased, Mr. and Mrs. G. Gordon, of Te Anga, are very well known, in the district.

FATALITY AT LAKE WANAKA YOUNG MAN LOSES HIS LIFE [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] INVEIRCARGILL, Wednesday Reginald Bernard, single, aged about 2,' i, who lived at 41 Wairoa Street, Dunedin, was drowned this afternoon while swimming in Lake Wanaka, Ihe body was recovered almost immediately, but attempts to induce respiration were unsuccessful. BODY IN HARBOUR DEVONPORT RESIDENT FALL AT FERRY BERTH POSSIBLE HEART ATTACK The body of Mr. James Clark, of 52 Wairoa Road, Devonport, was found floating in the harbour by the Devonport ferry wharf at the foot of Queen Street just after 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon. It appeared that Mr. Clark had fallen overboard from the ferry boat Ngoiro, which was not being used yesterday and was lying alongside the wharf between the usual Devonport ferry berth and the gates to the wharf. Mr. Clark was a very well-known resident of Devonport, having been a newsagent there for the last 36 years. Ho was married and had a grown-up family, and had been staying recently with one of his daughters. It was stated yesterday that it was a practice of Jlr. Clark to go aboard the Ngoiro to get some of his papers ready for delivery, and a bundle of them was found on the wharf after his body had been recovered by Sergeant G. Holt and Constable A. Webb. There was no gangway to the deck of the boat and apparently no one saw the accident, but it is believed that Mr. Clark had a heart attack when ho was standing near the side of the boat. It is thought that he was dead when he fell into the water.

An inquest will be opened this morning before the coroner, Mr. F. K. Hunt.