FATAL ACCIDENT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIII, Issue 9571, 14 December 1881, Page 2

FATAL ACCIDENT.

0 An accident by which a man named William Grace lost his life occurred on the river about 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon. It appears that he and his mate, Daniel Harris, had gone down the river during the day in a canoe. The afternoon was fine, but the wind came in occasional squalls, which rendered the management of a canoe under sail somewhat difficult. When they were returning up the river, and had got opposite Mr Hurley's house, on the river bank, one of these sudden squalls caught the sail and capsized the canoe in a twinkling, turning her bottom upwards. Harris clung to the canoe, and with difficulty managed to sustain himself above water. Grace, who was able to swim, struck out for the shore, but before he had proceeded far he sank, and did not rise again. The accident having been observed from the shore, Messrs McGonagle and Guilford put off in Mr G.W.Woon's boat, and rowed out to the overturned canoe. Though only seven or eight minutes had elapsed from the time of the accident they were none to soon to rescue Harris, as from his exertion to keep himself afloat he was very much exhausted, and could not have kept up much longer. They looked round for the other man, but no trace of him could be seen. An attempt was then made to drag for him with the kedge anchor belonging to the boat, but they were unsuccessful in recovering the body. They believe they caught it with the kedge once, but as the anchor had only two flukes it would not hold the clothing, and when the body was a few feet from the surface the tide floated it away again. Deceased was a single man, and between thirty-five and forty years of age. Together with Harris he lived in a whare a short distance up the river bank. From an examination of the canoe after the accident, it appears that, as is so frequently the case, gross carelessness was the cause of the mishap. The canoe was rigged with a big sail, the sheet of which was found to have been made fast. A canoe is at all times an awkward craft to navigate, and much care and experience is necessary to manage it -with safety. But when a sail is carried the risk of capsizing is increased tenfold. To make fast the sheet of that sail is simply flying in the face of Providence. Warnings of the danger of this practice have been given again and again, but it would seem that there are persons to whom experience cannot teach wisdom.