HEROIC RESCUER

Taranaki Daily News, 21 April 1930, Page 8

HEROIC RESCUER

YOUNG MAN GIVES LIFE FATHER AND HIS SONS LOST OVERWHELMED BY A WAVE HELPLESS WOMEN LOOK ON By Telegraph.—Press Association. Napier, April 19. While standing on the beach near Tangoio, on the sea side of an isolated rocky eminence, about midday to-day, a father and his two sons were caught _ by a wave, washed into .the ..surf and drowned, and a young man who went to their assistance also lost his life. The A; victims of the tragedy were':.— William James Trask, aged 54, foreman at McLeod and Gardiner’s saw- - ; mill, Puketitiri, residing at Hastings, v Robert Donald Trask, son of the former victim, aged 18, employed as a plumber in Hastings. Francis Gordon Trask, another son, aged 15, employed as a car painter in Hastings. Stanley Arthur Jones, shop assistant, aged 24, of Hastings, Mr. and Mrs. Trask, their two sons, one daughter and a cousin of the family were motoring from Hastings to Tangoio, and in the vicinity of the rock Mr. Trask stopped the car to show his sons the rock formation. There was a heavy sea pqunding the beach at the time. Mr. Trask and the two boys went down to the water’s edge, when a huge whve,.. said, to be 16ft. high, caught- the two boys before they could escape around the rock and dashed them over, washing them out to sea. > ' Mr. Trask was also knocked down, but recovered his balance, and noticing hie sons’ plight went out irito„the surf to their assistance, being caught in th© undertow and carried out- to sea. The tragedy was witnessed by Mrs. Trask, > Miss Trask and the cousin. The three ladies were powerless to do anything, but just at this- time three youths passed along the road on cycles, and, observing that something was wrong, ran down to the beach to make heroic attempts to save the three men in tho surf, which, however, were unavailing. The greatest credit for their behaviour in the crisis attaches to these youths:— John P. Johnston, aged 15, of Hastings. \ Arthur Garnham, aged 14, of Napier. Edward Gerald Scaife, aged 14, of Napier. One of the boys had a narrow escape ffrom sharing the fate of the others in the sea, but managed to regain the shore, where he collapsed. Meantime several ears had arrived, and in ons of these was the young man Stanley Arthur Jones, of Hastings, who with another, Vincent Smith, of Hastings, ran into the surf to try to rescue one of the victims, who was struggling hard 200 yards from the shore. The two other victims were drowned at this stage, and their bodies could be seen at intervals floating about a quarter of a mile out to sea. Jones’ companion succeeded in regaining the shore, but Jones was less fortunate and paid for his heroism with his own life, being caught in the undertow and drowned before the eyes of those on shore, who were at this time hurriedly making ropes by ripping rugs out of the cars into strips. Two of the bodies were recovered shortly after the tragedy, and although, artificial respiration was immediately resorted to the task of bringing them back to life was seen to be hopeless. One of the other two bodies Was recovered later in the afternoon.