FATAL PICNIC EXCURSION

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 88, 23 March 1931, Page 5

FATAL PICNIC EXCURSION

THE FOXTON TRAGEDY HOW IT OCCURRED ATTEMTS AT RESCUE Press Association.—Copyright. FOXTON, This Day. The picnic excursion which ended so disastrously set out from Foxton on Sunday morning. After proceeding 12 miles the party spent some time biackberrying in a swamp but decided to cross over to the sandy beach to light a fire for lunch. The launch was travelling at full speed when it struck a submerged snag, ripping the bottom out. All seated in the stern were precipitated into 12 feet of water, 20 yards from the shore. In addition to those drowned there were on the launch Mr. and Mrs. Neville and three children, a youth, Manly Symes, and the two Henrickscn girls, all of Foxton. Symes rescued the two girls, Neville seized his wife and Cyril Henricksen, but fouled the rope. The wife became unconscious and lost her grip on the boy, who disappeared. Neville regained the launch, which remained half submerged on .the snag, and resuscitated his wife. Neither Henricksen nor his wife could swim. Hakaraia (not Hapi) a strong swimmer, had almost Regained the bank with his son when he was overcome by a seizure, and sank with the boy. The remainder of the children swam ashore. All of the bodies except that of Mrs. Henricksen were recovered. BODY RECOVERED ' - The body of Mrs. Hendricksen, a victim of Sunday’s drowning fatality, was recovered this morning. All are now accounted for.

Further particulars of the tragedy will be found on page seven.)