BOAT ACCIDENT, IN WELLINGTON HARBOUR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8633, 24 October 1889, Page 2

BOAT ACCIDENT, IN WELLINGTON HARBOUR.

TWO BIEN DROWNED. (Peb TJwted Pbess Association.) Welunoton, October 23,

A sad < boating accident happened in the harbour last night, in which two men named Gunn »nd. James Stewart lost their lives. It appears that the men named engaged an open boat, and, - accompanied ,by a young woman named Spackman, went for a sail. All went well . until about 7.30 p.m., when they were returning from Petoue. A sudden squall then capsized the boat, which was a 14-footer, with a centre-board. The boat at this time was off Rocky Point, near Ngahauranga, and cries of distress were distinctly heard at Ngahauranga and Kaiwarra, and several boats went off. A constable was also despatched from, town, but no trace could be found. Later in the evening the Petone Navals, when leaving Wellington for Petone after being inspected by Major-general Edwards, heard of the accident, and on arriving home decided to launch their cutter and make a search of the harbour. They left their shed at a quarter past 11, and searched the harbour until about 12.30 a.m., when they were rewarded by finding the boat bottom up with Miss Spackman clinging to the. keel. She was at once placed on board the cutter, and all haste made for Ngahaurßngs, where the young lady was taken to the hotel, and, although very exhausted, soon recovered, She states that the boat capsized about 7.30, and all. three occupants managed to get on to the bottom of it; but the men soon lost their hold and disappeared. Gunn is believed to be ex-boatswaiu of the steamer lonic, and Stewart is a painter. Too Petone Navals deseive every credit for their life saving. The errant boat was recovered at Point Halswell this morning.

In the course of an interview this morning Miss Sarah Spacfcman (aged 19), the survivor of last night's boat accident, states that they left Petone before 7 o'clock, and at about 7.40 the boat capsized, owing, she believes, to it jibing in a squall. All three occupants got safely on the boat, she helping Stewart, who was a. rather delicate man. They cried lustily for help, but saw none of the boats sent out to rescue them. After half an hour Stewart's strength gave out, and he fell back JDto the water, and was never seen again, Gunn, who was a strong, powerful young man, showed signs of exhaustion afier being an hour on tho boat, and fell across the bottom, with his head almost touching the water. Miss Spackman pulled him up and said :" Be a man; hang on like me." He, however, was too far gone, and a few minutes later fell off, and Miss Spackman saw him floating alongside the overturned craft for some time, but could do nothing to help him. For three hours after this Miss Spackman, who was straddle across the boat, was by herself, and apparently with little hope of being rescued, and was fast drifting towards the heads. At last the Petone Naval cutter came near, and she called " Shall I throw you the painter." Tho men called to her to cling to the boat and they would come alongside, which they did, and took her ashore. Miss Spackman feels very little effeots from her exposure. John Gunn was a single man, about 24 years of age, and James Stewart was a widower with three children and with friends at Cambridge (Auckland).

In an article on rlectnc power the North Otago Times eays that the day of small things, in the thane of beginning to work the Temuka hemp mills with motive power transmitted by electricity, is iniloert a day of high significance to many people now living inlßw Zealand. Our contemporary further says that a town like Uamaru. with its nearness to a river like the Waitaki, must, in quite a special degree be in the "swim" of tlie i<ev.- era of industrial prosperity promised by the general adoption of electricity as a motive power.