FOUR MEN DROWNED.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 58, 23 October 1911, Page 4

FOUR MEN DROWNED.

BY CAPSIZING OF A SURF BOAT. IMPOTENT SPECTATORS. iPcr Pi ess Association J Wellington, October 23. Four lives were lost by a boat accident near Cape Turnagain, on the East Coast. The steamer Fanny was loading wool from the beach for the Wangaehu station, by means of a tender. While making a trip with sixteen bales, the tender’s engine stopped. The craft turned broaasTdo to tne waves, and was upset, all four men on board being drowned. Their names are:—A. L. Raff, 23; A. J. Johansen, 26; 0. Olsen, 26; J. Jorgensen, 23. Two of the men,clung to a bale of wool for some time till it became saturated and sank. The other two clung to the boat, but were washed off. The Fanny’s life-boat was lowered, but could not reach the men /n time. After cruising about without result, she went to Napier, and is to visit the scone of the accident again this morning, though there is no hope. All the men were single. Napier, October 23. As a result of the capsizing of a surf boat engaged in loading wool on the steamer Fanny from the, Whangaehu station at Capo Turnagain yesterday, four sailors, members of the ship’s crew, were drowned. According to a statement by Captain Shipley, master of the Fanny, the steamer was at anchor when the surf boat with d load cf wool capsized in coming off to the vessel, and sank, throwing the occupants into the sea. There were four men in the boat, and two of them were seen clinging to a bale of wool, which as soon as it became soaked, disappeared, together with the men. The two remaining members of the crew clung to the bow of the boat, which was stranded on the rocks in a vertical position. Shortly afterwards a sea broke over the boat, washing the men off. As soon as the mishap was seen a lifeboat was launched from the Fanny and pulled in the direction, of the catastrophe, but riohe bf the missing men were seen. When the surf boat turned turtle there were also some Alaoris in it, but they sprang into the sea and swam ashore. The four men drowned are all known to have been good swimmers. They were all single men, their names, ages, and nationality being.— A. L. Ross, 23, Scotland; L. Olsen, 26, Norway; J. Jorgensen, 23, Norway ; S; A. Johnsen, 26, Norway. The accident was witnessed from the shore by a number of people, but they wore unable to give assistance. The Fanny cruised about for some time in the hope of picking up some of the men, but without success. The Fanny then came to port. She returned this morning to search for the bodies.