BATHING FATALITY AT MOERAKI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2761, 13 February 1907, Page 34

BATHING FATALITY AT MOERAKI.

SHOCKING OCCURRENCE AT PORT MOERAKI. DEATH OF MR W. H. HUTCHESON, C.E. A deplorable bathing accident, which was unfortunately attended by fatal consequences, occurred at Port Moeraki on the sth, the victim being Mr William Henry Hutcheson, the well-known civil engineer and surveyor, of Dunedin. Mr Hutcheson's wife and family, consisting of two sons, had been spending a holiday at Port Moeraki for som.e weeks pa3t, and the deceased gentleman joined tnejn as often as his business engagements permitted of his doing so. From the particulars which have come to hand it appears that Mr Hutcheson was enjoying a bathe in company with one of his sons on the morning of the sth, his wife and mother watching them from the shore meanwhile. The deceoased, who was in about 3ft of water, suddenlyexclaimed to his eon: "Get ashore quickly. I have been bitten." Mr Hutcheson struggled ashore as quickly as possible, whereupon a saddening sight was revealed, the flesh on his right leg being stripped to the bone, as a result of his having been bitten by a shark. The menster must have been an extremely voracious creature, otherwise it would probably not have ventured into such shallow water. Mr Hutcheson lived for a very brief space of time after he got ashore, his death being apparently due to shock and loss of blood. As soon as the accident happened a telegram was despatched to Dunedin requesting that medical assistance should be sent immediately. A special train was at once procured, and by it Dr Stanley Batchelor left for the scene of the accident. When the train arrived at Waikouaiti, however, news was received to the effect that Mr Hutcheson had succumbed to his injuries, and as it was useless to proceed any further Dr Batehelor returned to Dunedin. Mr Hutcheson, who was well known in his profession, carried on business in Princes street and resided in Elm row. He was 55 years of age. Much sympathy will be felt for his relatives, who have been bereaved so suddenly and under such extremely painful circumstances. It is stated that sharks are numerous along the coast at the present time. An inquest on Mr Hutcheson's body will be held, probably to-day. A WARNING TO SEA BATHERS. Further particulars regarding the shocking bathing fatality which resulted in the death of Mr William Henry Hutchecon, civil engineer and surveyor, of Dxinedin, go to show that Mr Hutcheson, with hifl wife and two boys and his mother, went down to the beach from their residence on Hillgrove road at about; 10.30 a.m. on the stb. The spot selected by the party for bathing and wading in the water was about 300 yards north of the old Moeraki baths, which havo not been used for some years. The locality forme a little bighfc of sand in the shingly beach, and adjoins the long stretch of sandy beach which starts at Hillgrove road and extends to Hampden. The little sandy bight slopes gradually into the sea, and while the ladies and Mr Hutcheson'e youngest 6on (three andj a-half j-eaT3 «?lcl) w-ero amusing tli-Gxrs&elves wading in the surf inshore, Mr Hutcheson and his son Douglas, a very intelligent boy of between 12 and 13 years, and a good swimmer, went for a swim further out, probably about 60 or 70 yards from the chore. Mr Hutcheson, who wa3 a strong swimmer, returned after a few minutes towards the shore, accompanied by his son, and when shallow water was reached he stood up in the water, which reached to hia chest, and his son then climbed on to hia shoulders and dived twice into the water. The boy came back a third time for a dive, and wa3 just preparing for it when he felt hia father's body suddenly give way just as though he had slipped down, and the boy -was thrown forward on his face into the sea. COMMOTION IN THE WATER. On recovering himself the boy noticed some commotion in the water, which became discoloured, and he obeerved his father's bod£ beneath the surface mixed

on him by the act, Dr Ogston, Health Officer, has drawn up the following schedule of proportional contributions for. consideration Jj v the conference of local bodies to be held in the Town Hall on February 21. The figures have been arrived at on the basis of population, modified by the character of the population, the distance from the centre and relative accessibility — factors recently -recognised by the magistrate at Invercargill as offering a basis for a fair and reasonable rating in the Southland district. It will bo ob£erved that the summation of the percentage contributions is £99 19s 11 15-16 d— only one-sixteenth of a penny below the total on which the contributions are based :

up with some object which he could not distinguish. It is assumed that Mr Hutcheson. at this time was struggling to free himself from the shark, for after getting hia head above water he called to his son to swim for the shore, and struck out for the shore himself. The boy, who noticed a few moments afterwards that there was something wrong, went to his father's assistance, and the latter said, "Hold me up." This the boy endeavoured to do, and succeeded in making a little more progress towards tho beach, when Mr Hutcheson began to collapse, and Douglas called to his mother to come to their assistance. By this time Mrs Hutcheson observed that something had occurred, and with her youngest boy in her arms she rushed into tho water, and taking her husband's arm, he, with the assistance of the elder boy, was partly carried and partly dragged ashore. Assistance was then given by Mrs Hutcheeon, sen., and the beach was ultimately reached, not more than five minutes after Mr Hutcheson was attacked. The sea in the vicinity at tho time was crimson with blood. Before the shore waa reached it was discovered that Mr Hutcheson had been attacked by a shark, and that the calf of his right leg from the knee downwards had been completely torn away, leaving the remaining flesh torn and lacerated and the bone exposed. Mr Hutcheson, who was in a state of complete collapse from loss of blood and shock, expired almost immediately the beach wae reached. Mrs Hutcheson, for whom and her family the deepest sympathy is felt and expressed, states that when her husband reached the shore the blood h&d practically ceased to flow from the wound. Bhe immediately made, a tourniquet of one of the bathing towels, and. bound the injured leg firmly and lightly above the knee, but the blood had evidently been exhausted from the body before the shore was reached, and firet-aid , was of no avail. I Douglas Hutcheson states that after his father collapsed and fell down in the water he observed a grey object like a shark swimming away, and there is no doubt that while Mr Hutcheson was standing in the water a Dowerful shark seized him by the calf of the leg and dragged him beneath the surface. INFESTED WITH SHARKS. In Moeraki Bay the presence of sharks, according to tho fishermen, is a frequent occurrence, and it is stated that they are attracted to the locality by the offal which the fishermen throw from their boats. They are often caught on the hand lines, and measure from 3ft up to 10ft. The species which frequent the shallow parts of the bay are known to the fishermen as the "shovel-nosed" or ground shark variety; but another variety, locally known as the " whip-tail," also frequents the shores of the harbour. The large blue shark, tho fishermen state, rarely, if ever, comes close inshore, and it is conjectured that one of the two first-named kinds attacked Mr Hutcheson. As an indication of how far inshore come of the sharks will venture, it may be mentioned that when Mr G. Mondy (a brother-in-law of Mr Hutcheson), Mr W. Livingstone, and our reporter were on the beach yesterday morning one of the ground species, measuring between 3ft 6in and 4ft, was swimming about a few yards from the spot where Mr Hutdiesoa nv2L& attaolc«<3, e-n-cl tHe -water whero ho was seemed to be not m.ore than 6in or Bin deep. Too much praise cannot be given to the boy Douglas, who pluokily 6tood by hia father at a time of grave peril. Although he was instructed to ewim to the shore, he courageously turned back on the journey, and rendered such assistance as he could. Mr Huteheson also acted with considerable courage. Messrs Mowatt and Edrnonejton, well-known residents of Moeraki, a!6o deserve mention for the timely assis+ence which they rendered, and also Mr Chailis, who assisted with the bandaging. Mr Hutcheson for some time past has been employed by the Government on the survey of the duplication of the Mosgiel railway line, ami he has been frequently employed by Government in other important surveying work. He was a very popular man in his profession, from the ranks of which he will be greatly missed. For a number of years he hae been in practice a.s a civil engineer, and was born in Dunedin, where he studied his profession. The family of Mr Hutcheson have been spending a holiday at Moeraki for some

time, and it was ft? intention to rettiTtf home last Saturday, but Mr Hutohesoik coming up, it wae resolved to stay a week longer, and this' week he intended' to puJt in with hi 6 family. THE INQUEST. An inquest was held on the body at thtf residence of Mr Mowatt, ■ at ' Moeraki, yesterday at 3 p.m., before Mr J. Findlay, acting-coroner, and a' jury, of whom M"r Mowatt was chosen foreman. Julianna Hutcheson; wife of the deceased, stated that with her husband and) two children and Mrs Hutcheson, sen., she went to wade in the water on the Moeraki Beach at about 10.30 on Tuesday morning. Her husband, who was 55 years of age, went in fo bathe, and was aecom* panied by his son, Douglas Hutcheson, who was 12£ years of age. Her husband and son went out some distance, and were swimming. Mr Hutcheson waa standing up to his chest in water, and hia son was climbing on to his shoulder, and diving therefrom into the water. HeP attention was called to something having occurred by observing Douglas and hia father swimming towards the shore and the boy calling out to her for help. The boy was assisting his father towards the shore, and with a younger child 3£ years of age in her arms she rushed towards them and assisted to pull Mr Hutcheson in to the beach. When very shallow water was reached Mr Huteheson collapsed, and) had to be dragged inshore. The sea w*S crimson with blood for several yards round, and when the beach was reached) she noticed that the calf of deceased* right leg had been torn away. Bleeding; had almost ceased when deceased was> brought to the shore, and witness, got at towel and bandaged the leg above th* knee. Deceased seemed to be unconscious* and she did not know whether he waa dead or not when the shore was reached^ He did not speak. Douglas Hutcheson stated that he was a son of the deceased, and vrent into tha sea' to bathe with him on the previous morning. They went out a good distance into the sea, and witness and his father then returned towards chore, and when shallower water was reached his father stood up and witness got on to his shoulders and dived twice therefrom. Witness then < got on to the shoulders again for the purpose of having a third dive, when he suddenly felt his father slip or collapse, . from under him, and he sank down, and witness was thrown forward on his faoa I into the water. When witness was able . to see. he discovered that his father wasI beneath the water and that the water was much discoloured. There seemed to be a mix up between his father and some object in the water. Witness felt some* j thing graze past his leg which might have I been a shark, or it might have been his I father's body. His father came to the; surface immediately, and told witness to swim to the shore. Witness 6aw a grey object in the water like a shark. His father swam towards the shore afterwards, and when in shallower water asked witness to . hold him up. He noticed the calf of his I father's leg torn away, and the water wa» j red with blood. With the assistance of I his mother and his grandmother his > father was brought to shore in an unj conscious condition, and witness at ones, ran to the residence of Mr Mowatt. about. 200 yards away, for assistance. The wit* I ness explained that he was too confused to notice precisely what occurred at the time, but after it was over he thought he distinguished a shark swimming about; in the vicinity where his father waa attacked. This was all the evidence tendered, and a verdict was returned that deceased met his death as the result of a bite from a shark while bathing at Moeraki Beach.

Actual Population. 36,075 4.150 5,439 18S7 4,379 1,514 2.580 695 722 701 1.515 1.284 1,682 1,186 2,120 4,119 1,802 6,982 4,679 6,177 2,479 92,167 Jvet Population charged for. 36,075 4,150 5,439 1,887 4,379 1514 2,580 529 542 630 1,370 902 1.179 831 1,905 3,092 1,032 6.235 3,510 4,325 2,255 84,454 Percentage of Contributions to Cost. £42 14 3 13-16 4 18 3 5-16 6 8 9 10-16 2 4 8 4-16 5 5 8 6-16 1 15 10 4-16 3 11 2-16 0 12 4 5-16 0 12 10 4-16 0 14 11 1 12 6 5-16 114 5-16 1 7 11 1-16 0 19 5 2-16 2 3 1 5-16 3 13 2 11-16 13 7 7-16 7 8 10 1-16 4 3 1 7-16 5 2 5 1-16 2 13 4 13-16 £99 19 11 15-16