LIFEBUOY FORGOTTEN

Taranaki Daily News, 18 February 1931, Page 5

LIFEBUOY FORGOTTEN

YOUNG FISHERMAN DROWNED,

i MATE SHARPLY CRITICISED.

“I find that Jack Shore was drowned on November 2, 1930, after falling from a fishing launch off Timaru harbour. George Nicholson, his mate, who was in charge of the boat, does not appear to have made the best efforts to rescue Shore, and it is regrettable that he did not throw the lifebuoy.” This was the verdict returned by the district coroner, Mr. C.'R. Orr Walker, at Timaru, at an inquest concerning the death of Jack Shore, aged 19 years, a fisherman, who fell from a launch while returning from the fishing grounds. The body has not' been recovered, and the inquest was held under the Coroner’s Amendment Act, 1930, which in such cases does not require the body to be produced.

Nicholson said that he was a fisherman employed by Neill Manning. He was 23 years of age. Shore had been employed on the same boat. When approaching Timaru harbour at 1.50 p.m., Shore, who had been engaged in cleaning and casing fish, went, over the side. Witness turned on hearing a cry, and immediately hauled in the nets, which he was attending to, and then put the boat astern. Witness saw Shore in the water about 100 yards away. Before he brought the launch back Shore had sunk, but could be seen beneath the surface of the water. Witness threw a rope, but this, was of no avail. Although he remained in the vicinity for an hour, witness did not again see any sign of Shore. ; Senior-Sergeant Mathieson (to wit’ ness): Can you swim? —Yes. Why did "you not immediately dive overboard instead of hauling in the nets? —It would have been madness to go over the side. I would have lost my life as well, and, besides, I was wearing heavy sea boots. Surely you could have dragged off your boots and jumped in after him ? — I would have lost the boat and my life as well. •

But Shore’s life was of more importance than the boat? —Witness did not reply. The Senior Well, why did you haul in the nets instead of immediately attempting to save Shore, who was . struggling' in the water? Witness: You chaps would have known all about it if you had been there. '

The Coroner: You must not speak like that. Just be a little more respectful. ■ There are : traditions of the sea, but, apparently, you do not know anything about them, or perhaps you are too young. The Senior-Sergeant: You say you can swim, so why did you not go after Shore?—The boat, was one hundred yards away before I reversed the engine, and, besides, my sea boots were too tight-fitting to take off in a hurry. The Coroner; Could you not have turned the boat more quickly than in going astern? —No. Was there a lifebuoy on the boat?— There was a lifebuoy and two lifebelts. Why did you not throw .the lifebuoy to Shore? —It didn’t occur to me.

What was the lifebuoy for ?—Witness did not reply. The Coroner: Are these launches not compelled to carry dinghies? A constable: That may be the law, but it is not carried out in Timaru. The coroner returned the verdict given above.