LAKE TRAGEDY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23886, 14 August 1939, Page 2

LAKE TRAGEDY

YOUTH FOUND DROWNED COMPANION STILL MISSING (From Our Own Correspondent) SYDNEY. Aug. 3. : A mysterious.boating or swimming tragedy in Lake Illawarra a large Sow expanse of water about 60 miles south of Sydney, the drowning of Alan- Walker Bell aged 17, and. it is believed, of Lewis Gordon Kitchen, aged 16. Bell and Kitchen had been missing for four davs when the former's body was found Kitchen e 15 Bell's'bodv was without any clothing and was found tangled in weeds in two feet of water about two miles from the mainland. Colin Laytpn made the discovery from a boat as he was rowing oast an island on his return from a fishing excursion on the lake He and a companion saw a hand protruding from the water and on going closer saw the body below the surface The police were Duzzled to know why the boy's body was so far from the mainland. The vouths could not have secured a boat in the vicinity Tidal movements in Lake Illawarra are considerable, and the body could have moved with currents, even if Bell had been drowned near the shore of the As the weather was very cold, the nolice consider it was unlikely that the boys would have been swimming. They think thev may have been fishing from the bank, and the younger boy. Kitchen mav have fallen in fully clothed. It would have been natural for Bell to take off his clothing before eoine to his assistance. A oost-mortem examination of Bell s body was made, and the doctor found that death appeared to have been due to drowning. In his opinion, the bod.v had been in the water for about 10 hours to two days, but the maximum period, he said could not be taken as definite. Police have searched for the last four days without success for Kitchen's body The lake abounds in clear water channels cutting through dense banks of weed. The channels have been searched, but it is believed the body has been caught in the weeds, and a fair time will be needed to locate it.