BOY DISAPPEARS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22933, 11 January 1938, Page 10

BOY DISAPPEARS

MYSTEIiY AT HILFOBD APPARENT DROWNING SEEN VAIN SEARCH FOR BODY

Mystery surrounds the disappearance of a boy aged about 10 years while he was bathing at Milford Beach about 10.30 a.m. yesterday. Eye-witnesses saw the boy in difficulties, but he disappeared before help could reach him. A curious feature of the incident is that, in spite of wide inquiries, the police up to a late hour last night had received no notification of any children missing. A thorough search was made for the body, but no trace of it had been found up to 10 o'clock last night. There were two. eye-witnesses of the incident. One was an employee of the Takapuna Borough Council, Mr. Eric Booth, who was working on the promenade. Mr. Booth noticed the boy in difficulties and immediately rushed into the water. The boy had disappeared before ho could reach him. The other eye-yitness was Bruce Massey, a lad who was boating near the scene. Ho saw the boy swimming fairly strongly toward tho Takapuna end of the beach opposite tho Pirate Ship. Glancing at him a few seconds later he saw the boy throw up his arms. Massey did not see him again. Mr. Booth, who was only a few yards from the boy when ho disappeared, was assisted by several other men in a search. Tliey dived repeatedly but without success. The Takapuna police were summoned and Constables J. Howe and A. Moloney, assisted later by Constable J. W. Saunders, of Auckland, carried out a further search. A launch and several dinghies assisted, and tho beach was combed for a towel or clothes belonging to the missing boy. It was thought if the boy had been drowned that the body might bo caught irl the rocky reef, which was exposed at low tide last evening, but a thorough search of tho beach revealed no trace. Tho rocks toward Castor Bay also were thoroughly investigated and'the search was carried nearly, as far as Thome's Bay on tho southern ond of the beach.