DROWNING FATALITIES

Wairarapa Daily Times, 25 January 1932, Page 5

DROWNING FATALITIES

BOY LOSES LIFE. TE AWAMUTU, Saturday. The second drowning fatality within 24 hours occurred in the Public S\\ burning Baths this afternoon, Brian Harvey, 9, whose parents reside in Avenue Road, New Plymouth, being drowned in tragic circumstances. Together with his sister, 12 years, he left his aunt’s home at 3 o’clock for the baths, where there was an attendance of over 60 people. The two children separated. Brian being neither noticed nor missed till nearly 4 o’clock. A girl swimmer, Jean Fleming, reported that her foot touched something at the bottom of the baths. An investigation revealed the deceased about one third of the distance from the shallow end, in about 5 feet of water. Artifiical respiration was tried for over an hour but was of no avail. Nobody noticed the deceased enter the water nor heard any cries of distress. Doctors surmise that he must have been in the water at least a quarter of an hour before he was found.— (P.A.).

A PLUCKY GIRL. GIVES LIFE FOR SISTER. AVHAKATANE, Saturday. A drowning fatality occurred in the Whakatano River at 2 o’clock this afternoon. Irene Wilson, aged 16, in company with two younger sisters, went to bathe on her father’s farm. The father heard shouts and hastened to the river. He saw his daughters struggling in deep water. The father rescued one child. Irene, attempting to save the other eollapsed and was drowned. An inquest will be held to-morrow. —(P.A.)

DOUBLE DROWNING. HUSBAND AND WIFE. AUCKLAND, Sunday. A double drowning occurred in the Waiuku Channel this morning, when Mr. P. Mclntosh and Mrs. Lucy McIntosh were drowned. Their daughter, aged 8, was rescued in an unconscious condition, and revived after arduous work. Mr. and Mrs. Mclntosh were fishing from a rowing boat with their daughter some distance off the shore and those in neighbouring boats noticed their boat to be in a sinking condition and came to their assistance. All were unconscious when rescued and husband and wife died «oon after. Mr. and Mrs. Mclntosh were wellknown residents of Waiuku. They leave a family of five, of whom the rescued girl is the eldest.

WOMAN DROWNED. GAME’S TRAGIC END. While bathing near the wharf at Day’s Bay yesterday at midday, Mrs. Christina Hannah, tof 60 Rakau Road, Hataitai, was drowned. Mrs. Hannah was one of a party of bathers who, when playing a game near the wharf, got out of their depth. As one of them, Miss Cowan, could not swim, she was immediately in difficulties, and Mr. A. Gotlieb went to her rescue. In her struggles • Miss Cowan struck him on the head with her elbow, half stunning him, so that the attention of the others was occupied in their rescue. It was not until the party had returned to the shore that Mrs. Hannah’s absence was noticed. After an hour’s delay a search was made for Mrs. Hannah’s body, but no trace of it could be found. Mrs. Hannah, who was on holiday at Day’s Bay with her husband, was 30 years of age and a native of Lancashire. She arrived in New Zealand four years ago, A friend of deceased strongly stressed the need of a boat on the beach, for the tragedy showed what could happen right under the eyes of hundreds of people on the beach and in the water. It took an hour to get a boat, and so far as he knew there were no buoys, unless there were some on the wharf. It also showed the necessity for a surf club patrol such operated at Lyall Bay and Island Bay.