THE PARIKINO DROWNING ACCIDENT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12161, 1 March 1909, Page 7

THE PARIKINO DROWNING ACCIDENT.

THE INQUEST.

At iho Com -(.house on Saturd ly morning Mr W. Ken-, S.M. an. Cor ;,ur, held aji- i:.quest into the eircumsiai.oos on.acted With tho dtafh o. George Uibbo. :s>, w-K) was drowned in the r.ver at PariJiina.xm Friday. Sor^t. Bourke conducted the inquiry.

Sydney Earl Rlanchford, steward on tho Waimarie, said deceased was cook of that steamer. The boat left Wanganui at 7 a.m. on Friday for Parikino, reaching there at 10.10 a.m. The vessel waited there for the down Pipiriki steamer, which was to connect with the Waimarie. -About 2 p.m. witness, deceased and two others—James Titi and James Kaiparo—wont for a swim in the river, arid all four swam across the river, which was about 3 chains wide at the point. The party rested on the river bank. Three of the narty started to swim back, deceased following when they got about half-way across. Witness ; .aud. the other two, when in shallow water remained splashing in the water: Deceased was all right when -'returning- across the river, but witness and the ethers heard him cry out, when half way across, "Jimmy, I'm gone." Dsceased's head then fell towards his chest and ho sunk immediately, and did not rise again. . Titi got a canoe at once and the throe got into it and pulled out to where the body was last seen. Kaiparo almost immediately saw the body lying on the bottom of the river, tho water being clear, and about 10ft deep. All three made several attempts to dive for the body, but were unsuccessful, and then, from the canoe managed to raise it up with a pole and got it aboard the canoe. Tlie body was put ashore at once, &nd for 45 minutes a party of eight, in relays of four, tried artificial respiration, "but without success, no sign whatove- of resuscitation boincr evident. The bndy was not under water for more than 6 or 7 minutes. The body was put aboard the down steamer and brought to Wanganui. James Titi, a deck hand on the Waimarie, ' corroborated the previous witness's evidence. , Witness had known Gibbons for about 18 months, and he could swim well.

Sergeant Bour.ko identified the body as that of Geo. Gibbons, whom he had known for about 12 months. There were no marks of violence on the body, which showed the appearance of having been drowned.

The Coroner decided that debased met his death by accidental drowning.

The body will be taken to Oamaru totTav for'Thterment.