FRASERTOWN FATALITY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17472, 22 January 1931, Page 2

FRASERTOWN FATALITY

DEATH FROM DROWNING INQUEST ON VICTIMS (Herald Correspondent.) An inquest was held on Tuesday night ;it the residence of Mr. J. Young, touch ing the deaths of Carl Sydney Ertel, 23. :md his wife Helena ("Nellie") Ertel, 25. already briefly reported as having occurred at Frasertown on Monday afternoon. Mr. V. E. Winter, J.P., was coroner, and Sergeant Quayle conducted the proceedings. A. T. Cpckerill, carpenter, residing in Napier, identified the bodies. He last saw the deceased alive about Christmas time, when they visited him in Napier. Mrs. Ertel was his daughter, and she could swim a little. Eileen .Margaret Coyle, 12, stated that she lived with Mrs. Young, and on Monday afternoon slie was at Mrs. Ertel's place. Witness asked her if she was going for a swim, and she. did so. They went in below tli»: junction of the Wahoa and the Waiau rivers, both entering the water at the same time; it was shallow near tbe edge. They were in the water about a quarter of an hour, some distance out. Witness was swimming and Mrs. Ertel standing on her feet as she had previously told witness she could hot swim. As witness swam past her deceased caught hold of her hand, and she seemed to Le going out backwards, with her feet off the ground, and in doing so pulled witness under. Witness came up again and jerked her hand free and managed to reach the shore. Deceased s husband was on the top of the bank and witness called to him, asking' him to hurry up as deceased was going out. At fust he did not seem to realise that his wife was in danger, and when he did he ran down the bank and rushed into the water fully clot lied. He seemed to stumble in the water, fell, and got up again and drifted out a bit. Witness thought he called '"Help!" and then began to struggle. He went under, came up again, and then went down, and that was the last she saw of him. During this time Mrs. Ertel was floating out towards the centre of the river hitting the water with her hands. In a short time she also sank. Witness was not a good swimmer. She called out to Cibson Oldham, who was on the other side of the river in a canoe, and lie came over at once, but too late. There was no one else she could have called. She then took the two young children home and the boy Oldham rang for the police. The neighbors were informed and several Went to search for the bodies. The water at the spot was shallow a little way out and then it became deep suddenly. lan Single, Hi, stated that he went to bathe in the river and saw Mrs Ertel and the girl, Coyle, there in bathing costumes; they were accompanied by two young children of Mjrs Ertels'. He did not see Mr. Ertel at the time. Mrs Ertel and the girl entered the water about 20 yards away from him. In about 10 minutes he heard tiie girl, Coyle, call "Help!" and saw .Mrs. Ertel on her back kicking with her feet and working her arm? as if she were swimming. The girl, Coyle, was then standing in the water up to her knees. Mrs Ertel was about 12 yards out. He could not say if she was out of her depth. Just as the girl sang out he saw; Mr. Ertel on the top of the bank about fiO yards away. He eame down slowly at first, and then, seeing that his wife was in difficulties, nislied into the water fully clothed. When about four yards out he stumbled, and fell on his face, then recovered himself and went on another four yards. He then went under, but came up again for a short while, then went down and ho did not see him again. Mrs Ertel at this time was further out and her husband did not reach her. She was floating, but her struggles were getting slower and she went down in about half a minute after her husband. Witness could not swim as he was a cripple. Gibson Oldham was in a canoe about 100 yards away, and witness called him; ho cainc at once, but it was too late, so he went to ring up the police. In about five minutes Leslie Compton camo and some others and began a search for the bodies, witness being present when Mrs Ertels' body was found. Sergeant Quayle gave evidence as to the steps taken by hinn and Constable Bacon in the matter. A verdict that the causo of death was drowning was returned by the coroner, who tendered to the parents of the deceased, on behalf of himself and the police, as well as the Erasertown community, his deepest sympathy with them in the fatality. Mr. Cockerill, on behalf of himself and Mrs Coekerill, and also Mr. B. Ertel, who was also present, thanked tin' coroner for his kind remarks, also the neople of Frasertown and his late daughter's neighbors.