PERILOUS ADVENTURE ON A NORTH AUSTRALIAN RIVER.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 804, 9 June 1879, Page 2

PERILOUS ADVENTURE ON A NORTH AUSTRALIAN RIVER.

The Hon. the Colonial Secretary of Queensland has placed at the disposal of the Courier the report of Inspector Hurst. Port Douglas, with reference to the drowning at the Johnson River, on the 27th March, of the three men named J.H. Peterson, Thomas Summerfield, and Barney Ward. From the statement of the survivors, contained m the report, we learn that a party of five cedar-getters — the three men who have been drowned. James; Oorbett, and Heldius Edveridt Johnston —were, camped; about forty miles up from the mouth of the Johnson, and on the morning of March 27, started m a flat-bottom boat to proceed to a place called Deadman's damp, 25 miles down the river. , It was raining at the time, and there was a heavy fresh m the river, which had risen about 40 feet. On reaching a rapid about a mile from the oamp they had abandoned, the boat was carried by the very strong current against an island, and, coming m contact with a submerged tree stump, it was upset. Johnston dived to get clear of the boat and Bnag, and oame to the surface m the centre of the stream. On looking, he saw Summerfield and Oorbett swimming strongly behind him. Immediately afterwards he heard Summerfield call out, " Johnston ! Johnston !" and he shouted back to him to make for the shore. Me never saw Summerfield after that. ' He then swam after the boat, and with greet difficulty caught hold of the painter. The current was so strong that he was several " times pulled under water, but he still held on, and was carried about a quarter of a mile down the river, when, feeling exhausted, he let go, and succeeded m Bwimming ashore. After landing he walked up the river bank and cooeyed, and was answered by James Oorbett. He then went further up the river, still cooeying, and got an answer, but it was some time before he knew where it came from. At length he discovered Barney Ward on the lower end of the island where the boat capsized. He called out to him to swim over at once before the island was submerged, and Ward replied that he could not swim. Johnstone then got a vine, and fastened one end of it on the shore, and taking the other end m his mouth he tried three times to swim across to Ward, but was swept ashore each time. Finding he could not get the vine across, he swam over and commenced to make a raft of bananas and pieces of timber, using vines to fasten it together. After it was finished he tried it, but found it would hardly carry him. He said to Ward that he was the lighter man, and that it would carry him. Ward seemed very frightened, and said he was afraid to try it, but that" he thought' he could get over if Johnston would allow him to put his hands on his hips, and so swim across. Johnston agreed, but said he would first try with him m shallow water ; and m doing so Ward lost his presence of mind, caught a tight hold of him, and almost drowned him, and it was only after great struggling Johnston got away from him. Johnston then added another piece of timber to the raft,; and Ward got on it, and Johnston, having fastened him to it with a vine, commenced towing it to the shore. When within a few feet of the bank the vine broke, and,; the raft was swept down with the current. Johnston followed, and again succeeded m making i.he .vine fast to the raft. It broke again. He fastened it a third time ; but the raft had then. ' been: carried near another rapid, and Ward seeing the position, clutched at Johnston, who had to dive to escape him, and when he came to the service again the raft, with Ward on it, had gone. Johnston swam ashore, and following the river down about a quarter of a mile, and found Ward standing m a bush, m the river. He succeeded m getting him a little further to a tree lying Across the river, and partly submerged. Got auother strong vine, and Oorbett having come to their assistance, Ward tied the vine around him and knotted it, although cautioned by Johnston to only twist it. Ward got

along the tree to within ten feet of the the shore and jumped towards it, but fell m the river about five feet from the bank, the vine broke, and the poor fellcw was swept away with the rapid current, and was drowned. Corbett and Johnston then without .rations and Johnston naked, made through the bush for a camp 35 miles down the river, having only a sheath-knife to cut their way through the dense scrub. They only travelled two miles the first afternoon. The next morning they started at daylight, and it took them three days to cut their way through a belt of scrub and travel three miles. They camped two nights on the mountains, and on the fifth day they got to the bank of the river again, where it was fair travelling, and made a long Stage that day. They fcund some wild bananas, which, although not fit for food, they ate. On the sixth night they damped on a flat up to their waists m water, and the sixth day they were wading . and swimming until they reached high ground m the evening, at a place where Johnston had previously worked. He made a hut, and they camped there for the night, Corbett being ill with fever. On the seventh morning they started and travelled all day, reaching a place called the High! Wharf m the evening and camped. At noon that day they found a piece of pumpkin, which they ate. On the eight morning they were so much exhausted that they could not walk any further, but Mazzlin's camp was only three miles distant, and Johnston made a Bmall raft for each ; but it was neceßaarjr to lash the two together to make them support one man. He asked Corbett to start on it for the camp ; but he declined, and said he would remain until some one came for him, and m turn urged Johnston to go. . The latter did so, and reached Mazzlin's camp after two hours. When he got .there the men were breaking tip camp, and had already sent the most of their rations away. A boat was immediately sent for Corbett, who was brought to Mazzlin's m a very weak condition. Both men were treated as well as circumstances permitted at the camp, where they remained two days, and were then taken on by boat to Port Douglas. During their journey through the scrub their bodies were lacerated, and they bled profusely ; and, to add to their miseries, they were, m passing through the swamps, fastened on by leeches. These tortures, added to that of hunger, were endured by these brave fellows for eight days. The foregoing is taken from the simple statement of one of the surveyors— Johnston — whose conduct throughout the sad affair was self-sacrificing and heroic