TOKOMAIRIRO.

Otago Witness, Issue 846, 15 February 1868, Page 5

TOKOMAIRIRO.

A correspondent sends us a more detailed account than has yet been published, of the drowning of the young man, Edward Draper. Our correspondent -writes, " Early on Tuesday morning, Mr * Isaac "Wyber and Mr Edwin Draper mounted their horses, to see to the cattle and horses, depasturing in the paddock, adjoining Blessrs. Smith and Co.'s wool-scouring establisliment. The only access to the place was over a tongue of land, on each side of whifch is a lagoon. They got across in perfect safety ; and some three or five minutes after they commenced to return, when getting perhaps, a little too near the falling brink of the current, leading into the lower lagoon, they were both swept into the eddies of the lagoon, down the centre of which is a dividing tence, between Mr J anies Martin and Mr J. Smith's property. The horses were quite helpless while spinning around in the

eddies, arid they /twice sankC in. making an effort to gain land-in thV'd&eefcion of the current, the horses e^id^iitfy got foul of the fence above naaned^ and 1 botht aahk again. They rose arid' drifted down the lagoon with, the current, ' jhraper's horse evidently much exhausted.. " Wyber's succeeded in landing in the paddock ; but Draper's was unable to breast' the current, and the consequence was, both man and horse sunk. Draper made an effort to swim after rising to the surface ; but he soon sunk to rise no more. An attempt was made to get Mrs Forsyth and family out of the place by the route the horsemen took only a few minutes before the accident ; but after getting into the current with a hastily-constructed boat, it was found impossible, and they were obliged to return, and take up their abode in the wool warehouse, where the water was about 18 inches in depth."