THE FATALITY AT NAPIER.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVIX, Issue 3009, 22 December 1896, Page 2

THE FATALITY AT NAPIER.

Further Particulars. . Plucky Action of Mr Cooper's Friond). Mr Cooper, whoso tragic end was recorded yesterday, it appears from the Herald, wont jin tor a bathe in company with Dr Sweet and Mr Goudy about 8 o'clock in the morning. The former, being a powerful swimmer, naturally found himself quite at homo in the water, and swam, as ia his wont, a distance out, some 2) yards from the shore. There were a number of boys on tho beach (nearly opposite ‘the Marine Parade Hotel), whose attention was suddenly directed by a shark making towards Mr Cooper. Dr Sweet and Mr Goudy bad by this time reached the shore. The boys threw stones at tho shark aud shouted with a view to frightening it. Up to this neither Dr Sweet nor Mr Goudy had any idea of tho presence of the shark, but looking in the direction of Mr Cooper they saw to their great dismay that the monster was in close proximity to Cooper. Other bathers were swimming not far off, including Messrs F. W. Triggs and A. G. Saxby. Before anybody on shore knew what was transpiring tho shark had tackled Mr Cooper. Dr Sweet and Mr Goudy immediately Iwent to Cooper’s help, calling at the same time for some of tho others to accompany them. Mr Triggs (who had not yet loft the water) and Mr Saxby (who was by this time ashore), at once joined issue, and together they got hold of Cooper’s body, tho shark still being visible, swimming Close by. Whon Cooper was brought ashore there was etlll life in the body, but the unfortunate man presented a hideous sight. His right hand, up to the wrist, had been bitten clean off. His loft arm from the elbow was gone, and the remaining portion of the arm was all torn. The left shoulder seemed to have been very ba'dlybitfcoa. The left side, over the heart, revealed a terrible gtUh, and the loft loin was mostly bitten away, while there wore big scars on both knees. The right side, also, had been badly attacked, a considerable portion of tho floah being horribly bitten. Tho whole incident occupied but a couple of minutes. Tho unfortunate follow was swimming the over-arm stylo at the time, but it ia-more conjecture to say whore ho was first attacked. The fact that an arm and hand wore bitten off would semi to indicate that Cooper had fought the shark severely, and ho being auoh a strong swimmer the dirpuhistanOes naturally point to a struggle* though he never cried out, and nobody know that anything sorioUs had happened uiikil the water became reddened tfitll bldod. The deceased', it is seated, was to have l)ddn married shortly. The late Mr Cooper, being so widely known and such a general favourite, many beautiful wreaths were sent to tho hotel during the day, includiugone from tho Napier Swimming Club, Mr Moeller, and. the employees of the Masonic Hotel, where deceased stayed when in town. About a, month ago Mr Cooper took out a life policy for <£so ) in the Mutual Life of Australasia.

At the inquest, Dc Sweet deposed that he, in company^with deceased and Mr Goudy, wont to bathe in the sea nearly opposite the poltoo station, about 8 o’clock in the morning. Deceased was a powerful swimmer, and ho went out some 30 yards from the shore.. The first intimation that Witness gob of danger was the appearance of the dorsal fin and ta ! l of a shark in the vicinity of deceased. Witness then gave an alarm, and atone j Were thrown to keep off the shark, and somebody smb out a dog. Suddenly the sea was reddened with blood, and thereupon witness and others went in and succeeded in bringing the body to shore. -Deceased did not speak, .and died as soon as he was got ashore. Witness had made a jio and ho attributed death to the shock caused by the severity of the injdries Ho liad sustained. Deceased never spOko, Francis Triggs, commercial traveller, corroborated ’the, oyideilce of the previous witness. He added that deceased died, before they could got hint to the tent ou the beach.

The jury, after a few minutes’ deliberation, found that deceased died from injuries inflicted by a shark. . They also added a rider (which the coroner undertook to forward to the Minister of Justice) to the effect that they sympathised with the friends of deceased and that in their dpiaidn Hr Sweet, Messrs Goudy, Saxby add Triggs .were worthy of high commcndatidn for their plucky actioii.