FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT AT KATIKATI.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IV, Issue 332, 13 November 1875, Page 2

FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT AT KATIKATI.

The melancholy intelligence was rf oeivod in town on Thursday afternoon, last that a boat belonging to Mr ilex- ’ andor Anderson, of the Katikati, hi boon found bottom upwards at % Island on the Katikati side of the mangroves, and that Andorsoa and two Katikati settlors, Arthur Siowat ( and John Murdoch, who were out hi her were supposed to bo drownad Immediately on receipt of tho Captain Forster, who, was in charge of the Armed Constabulurjf at this station, during tho absence d Major Eoberts at Ohinemutu, promptly despatched a boat manned by momoen of tho force for the scone of the ; ported disaster, in order to find ofc full particulars of the accident, and also to search for the poor fellows sail. to be drowned. Mounted Constat, Blake also proceeded overland to A* l ' derson’s house, -whore he found It® 3 r Murdoch, tho only survivor of ® • accident. As near as wo can ' the following are the particular 0 the accident:—Tho weather hecofflitf very rough on Monday dorson, Murdoch, and Stewart way from Tauranga to Katikati a* chored their boat in the clianne* the entrance to the river Eirituka * .. the waves washing into and tarily threatening to swamp b er * * ’ half-past nine the efforts made to K* , the boat afloat wore of no avail, tnoag, everything- had been thrown 05i . her, and she filled and capsized. , derson immediately disappeared) ./ . Murdoch and Stewart clung boat. As it was found that she not hoar the weight of the two of sitting on her, Murdoch dropp®- y the water holding 011 by a ro P®f r t . to the boat, allowing Stewart to on, which ho did by lying acr( ? . bottom of the boat and grasp© ■

gunwale. In this position Mimlooli and Stewart remained until about two in the morning, when a wave of extraordinary violence swept Murdoch clean over the boat to the other side, and also swept poor Stewart oh tho boat, as" Murdoch discovered when he was sufficiently recovered to look about him. Murdoch now managed by some means to right the boat and get into her, the boat drifting across the bay to the island on the other side,, where Murdoch remained on tho beach until two o’clock on Thursday afternoon, when ho was rescued by some one from Bowentown, who took him hack in a boat to Anderson’s house. The information of Murdoch’s whereabouts was conveyed to the Katikati Heads by some natives who were fortunately riding along the beach. A general feeling ot regret and sympathy lias been created by this accident." Alexander Anderson was an old settler in tho district; he having lived here off and on for about nine years, and during the last two years has been successfully cultivating a farm taken up by him at the Katikati, of which pi-.co he was one of the pioneer settlers. Ho was universally respected as an honest hard-working Bottler. Arthur Stewart was one of (ho lately arrived Katikati settlors; ho was the'father of a large family, and was making a good beginning towards cultivating his land. Wo do not know in what position his wife and lam ay may ho left, but feel sure that •they may depend on the hand of sympathy being hold out to them, not only by the friends with whom they came out from home, but also by the older residents in tho district. \\ o niidei stand on good authority that Arthiu blow ait had with him at tho time ho was drowned a largo sum in cash. Tho search party returned at nine o’clock last evening from tho scene of the late fatal boat accident, but had seen no signs of tho bodies of the unfortunate men Anderson and Stewart. They have succeeded in picking up tho rudder of the capsized boat, a bag of flour, and two bags of chalk