BOAT ACCIDENT

Patea Mail, Volume LIII, 14 March 1932, Page 2

BOAT ACCIDENT

YOUNG MAN DROWNED CAPSIZE AT PATEA RIVER ENTRANCE. TWO COMPANIONS RESCUED. A distressing boating accident occurred at the entrance to the river shortly after (i p.m. yesterday, resulting in the death of a young man named Fred Willis, who, with two companions, Arthur Elliott and T. Carradus, had been spending the day in a flat-bottomed boat fishing off the port.

About ii p.m. the wind veered to the south. The sea began to increase, and two other boats, which had been fishing had some difficulty in getting back. About (i p.m. Willis’ party, having completed their fishing, started to return and had crossed the bar and reached a point about (30 yards inside the walls when, owing to their having hugged the western wall, a wave after hitting the wall rebounded and swamped the boat. - Elliott immediately jumped out, and after swimming a few strokes found he could touch bottom, and scrambled up the pell mell blocks on to the breakwater. The other two clung to the boat, which was then upturned and was being carried out to sea by the current. A big sea coming in washed the two men off the boat, and Willis was carried out to

Mr. L. T. Adams, who was fishing on the wall and witnessed the accident, threw a fishing line to Willis, and ho managed to seize hold of it and was being brought to the breakwater when a heavy sea caused it to break. Mr. Adams twice threw the line to Willis but each time it broke and the spectators were horrified to see Willis disappear.

In the meantime, Mr. Walters, another eye-witness of the accident, threw a line to Carradus and endeavoured to drag him to the pell moll •blocks, which were from 10 to 15 yards away, but the outgoing current proved too strong. A lifebuoy was handed to Mr. Walters, and he gave this to Carradus, and an effort was then made to take him round the end of the wall and oh to its western side. Twice the line broke, but' Mr. Walters doubled it and this managed to hold until a small rope was brought, and with the aid of this the double line and the lifebuoy, Carradus was brought round the end of the wall holding the fishing line with his teeth and was eventually helped out in an exhausted condition. He was taken to Mr. L. T. Adams’ cottage, where he soon recovered.

The boat, after leaving the current, remained stationary about 50 yards from the end of the western wall, and was brought ashore by Messrs. B. Currie and P. Oakley, members of the local Surf Club, who, after swimming through the breakers, found they could stand where the boat was being held by its anchor, which had fallen out as the boat capsized.

A large crowd, on hearing of the fatality, wore soon at hand, many patrol-, ling the beach for some hours looking tor the body of the unfortunate young man, but up to tbc time of going to press it had not been found. The deceased was a sou of Mr. E. M. Willis, of Patca, and 23 years of age. Boxing enthusiasts will remember him as a very promising exponent of the art.