FATAL ACCIDENT AT CROIXELLES HARBOUR. CAPSIZING OF A YACHT AND LOSS OF FOUR LIVES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 839, 30 August 1864, Page 4

FATAL ACCIDENT AT CROIXELLES HARBOUR. CAPSIZING OF A YACHT AND LOSS OF FOUR LIVES.

Mr Arthur Elmsiey, settler at Honorua, French Pass, has arrived at Nelson from the Croixelles, with the painful intelligence of the capsizing of a yacht in a sudden sq.ial], and the loss of four lives. Two of the unfortunate drowned, Mrs Hayes and the young man named Collins, were members of the Buckingham Family, who last year gave entertainments in different ports of Otago, and the only survivor of the catastrophe is lha well-known Captain Hayes, who last visited JPort Otago in the barque Cincinnati. The following are the particulars, as given in the Nelson Colonist: — "Mr Wm. H. Hayes, master of the bi'igantine Black Diamond, which was lying in the Croixelles, borrowed Mr Askew's yacht on Friday last, to proceed to Mr Askew's station. He went, accompanied by his wife, aged only 20; an infant child, 13 months old; a servant girl, aged 15; and his wife's brother, whose name, we understand, wasSGollins, and whose age was 23. IMPORTANT SALE OF

They were all seated in the stern of the little vessel. When about a mile and a half from t^e shore one oi those sudden fquiils to which the locality is liable .-truck the boat, causing the boom to sprinsc suddenly up to the mast head, and capsizing the vessel, which went down by the stern. Th maid was drowned by the boat's side, aud sank rapidly; the captain's brother-in-law swam sew-ird. toward* oue of the numerous islands which stud the C oixelles Harbour. Captain Hayes, who is a large, powerful man, and a splendid swimmer, struck our. shorewards, supporting himsslf on two oars, ani holding- up his wife with one hand, and his child by the ether. In this way he swam for the shore, but very slowly and lab'orious'y, being impeded by the oars, which, bsintr under water, impeded his progress V. ry soon the poor baby died, which the captain perceiving, he kisaed the body and dropped it, giving his whole attention to his wife, aud encouraging her to cling to him. He emieavored to support her on his shoulder, and after struggling on /or some time lonaer, he fell her lo=e hold, but he still held up her head by the hair, but soon after oti turning round found that she too was de;d. This was after they had been, the captain supposes, about an hoar siud " half in the water. He Jet go the body and regained one oi the oars, which had siippsd from his grasp, and after some farther painful exdrtioifc. he got to the rocks. After landing he believes he must have become insensible, arid same indistinct remembrance of climbing a hill, and then falling down; but he mast have got up a am. for ho was ?een from the dick of a vessel to throw up his hands, and a boat, not knowing who it was, wts sent off to him and took him on hoar i greatly exhausted and much bruised all over his body, his muse'es swollen ana painful. He waa so weak by the exertion and exposure that he was unable to speak until next mor.hig. The body ot ihe child was picked up on the Boulder Bank on Friday night and taken on board the vessel, but; none cf the other three bodies had been found when Mr Elmsley left. . . , it . One additional sad fact in connection wif.a this mournful occurrence is thfi circumstance that the deceased young maa Coilins, was the only i-upport of five younger brothers and sifters in Canterbury.