BOATING ACCIDENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2181, 19 December 1895, Page 46

BOATING ACCIDENT.

TWO PERSONS DROWNED. Another of those boating accidents which aie unfortunately of frequent occurrence. ha.;>i'ened iv the upper hktbour on Sunday, with the result that two lives were loßt. William Stronach, Arthur John Forsytb, aud - Herbert Forsyth were out on the bay ea'ling in an open boat when, about 12 30 p.m., at which time they were oppos'te Ravensbourue, a sudden squall from the n nth-west caught it and cauteJ it to cap-ize, the three occupants bting thrown into tbe water. The occiurenoe was witnessed by two wharf labourers, nami d respectively Edward James Dawson and James Morrisou, who were sailing in the yacht Pearl, which was also opposite Ravensbourne, on the Peninsula* side of the harbour, and they directed their course with all possible spaed to t>ie scene of the accident, but before they reached it St'onaoh and Arthur Forsyth bad sunk. The litter bad, after the boat heeled over, stinted to swim to the slun'e, »»nd was near it, when, for some reason or other — presumably with the object of assisting h's little brother — he turned to swim back towards the spot where tho accident happered, but his strength appsr-ritly failed him a"d he sank.

When D&vraon and Morrison reached ihe scens the former jumped out and rescued . Herberß . Forsyth, who is a boy of! nine yean of age. They took him with all convenient despatch to hia parents' residenoe in Loith street, where ha was attended to by Dr Clow. The boy was stlffering a good do»l from the shook he had received, and is now progressing as faTourably as could be expected, especially when it is considered that, upon the top of a somewhat prolonged immersion in the water, he was exposed to the heavy thunderstorm which passed over Dunedin between 12.30 and 1 p.m. The police were communicated with as aeon as possible, and instructions were sent to Constable Hi«ginn, at Ravensbourne, to have a senroh made for the bodies of the drowned young men. William Stronach, the elder of the two victims of the accident, was 20 yoara of age, and was tb« ion of Mr William Slronach, cleric, of Grange street. He was employed in Meaara A. J. Wynn and Hope's factory. Arthur John Forsyth w»i 16 years of age and a son of Mr Job. a Forsytb, a painter, who, as above stated, resides in Leith street. The bodies were ra» covered oa Monday morning.