TRYING TO SAVE A SHEEP.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5354, 10 February 1916, Page 5

TRYING TO SAVE A SHEEP.

DROWNING OF T. K. MASON.

HIS SKtJLL FRACTURED. An inquest surrounding the circumstances of the death of Mi* Tom King Mason, a settler at Ruawhata (Maq(gaitaiinoika [Bjlotjkj, who l while returning from Woodville on Tuesday afternoon with a mob of sheep, was drowned while crossing the M'anawatu river, was held at the Dudley Arms Hotel, Mangatainoka, to-day. The ActingCoroner was Mr E. Ashby, J.P., and the jury comprised Mesrs John Galvin (foreman), James Baird, Henry Brown, and Joseph Maphaim. A youth named Jesse Tanner, son of a Ruawhiata settler, said he accompanied deceased on Tuesday morning to Mr Peeble’s sheep yards od the Ormond Estate, where he remained for about an hour. He then assisted deceased to drive a small mob of sheep (21) to Ruawhata. When they got to the Manawatu river the intention was to take one sheep out into the middle of the rapid at the ford in order to try and drive the remaining sheep over. Witness had previously crossed the ford, about ten chains across, several times In crossing the ford from the Woodvdle side, the sheep would have to be taken up stream. The sheep taken in to the rapid came back to the others, and difficulty was then experienced in getting the mob into the river. They would only move to the edge of the water, so they were driven down below the ford altogether. One was drowned immediately on entering deep water, and two more on the opposite side also appeared to be drowning. • Deceased then asked witness to cross with the dray and assist the two sheep to land. He rescued the latter and then returned with the dray to deceased. Two of the sheep came back on the Woodville si’de and another one was caught in a snag in the river. Deceased said they would got the one off the snag and he got into the dray and drove towards it. witness going also. After going a short distance the horse went out of sight under the water. Witness called out to Mason to jump out, •and ho jumped out himself at the back of the dray . After witness 'jumped out lie asked deceased it he could swim, and the latter said ‘No.” Deceased did not reply when witness tirst asked him to jump out. but continued to urge the horse on until he was in difficulties himself. The last he saw of him was on the horse’s neck, and l he immediately disappeared under the j water. Witness saw three splashes | and nothing more. He then walked to Mr J. Hunter’s residence and informed .them of the occilrrence.

Constable May, of Mangatainoka. who reached the scene about 4 p.m. on Tuesday, said dragging operations were continued till dark, but the state of the river made them rather difficult. He returned to the locality with a proper drag on Wednesday morning, and after a few minutes the body was recovered. Ho then noticed a wound on the left side of the head, as the rosut probably of a kick from the horse, there being apparently a fracture of the skull.

Tip. jury returned a verdict of “Ac<*identally Drowned.’’ Tiie untinie death of Mr Mason caused a painful shock to the settlers on the Atangatainoka Block, by whom deceased was regarded as very industrious and straightforward in all his dealings. His age was 28 years, and he leaves a wife and family of two children, the eldest of which is five vears, and the other child reached three vears on the day of its father’s death.