TWO MEN DROWNED

Chronicle (Levin), 14 November 1949, Page 7

TWO MEN DROWNED

Press Associationj

Fishing Excursion Ends In Tragedy

( Per

NEW PLYMOUTH, Nov. 13. In oue of the most tragic drowning aceidents tha.t have occurred off the "Taranaki coast for severaf. years, two;men lost their. lives and' a''''wQman: had a narrow eseape from drowning after spendlng about three hours in the water after a small dinghy in which they were riding, capsized about a miie and- a half ofl Urenui late Saturday afternoon. The victims were : W1LL1AM FREDERiCK JOHiNS, aged 40 years, of Kelly Road, Huirangi. ROY MACE| aged about 53 years, of Kelly Road, Huirangi. The inen were brothers-in-law and both were married. Their bodies had not been located by tonight. The wornan involved ih the fatalif was Mrs. D. N. Dey, of Kaimata. After courageously risking her life to save the two men, Mrs. Dey, when finding that her eflorts had been in vain, made for the shore. She arrived sopie distance *vorth of Urenui be'ach in an exhausted condition.

The trio were on a fishing excursion when the capsize accident occurred about 11 miles from shore, as they were trying to lift the anchor. Neither Mace nor Johns was a strong swimmer and this made their plight more difficult. When they succeeded in righting the dinghy, Mrs. Dey swam for a baling tin that had been thrown out. She retrieved the tin and had just returned to the dinghy when it again overturned. . The water had become . quite choppy and finding that they were making no headway to right the dinghy, Mrs. Dey and Johns decided tu swim for shore. Mace reniained lying on the overturned dinghy and they hoped to return \vith»assistance: Johns took an oar but it was not long before he lost this. He later called to Mrs. Dey that he would n ot go 011, She went to his assistance, hoping that she might get him to the dinghy with Mace but when she next looked she saw • • -Mace "in the water. Both men soon afterwards d'isappeared. Mrs. Dey then made for shore and during her long swim was carried towards steep cliffs. She attraeted the attention of fishermen and had to be helped alopg, knee deep in water, to an opening in the cliffs. Apart from exhaustion she suffered no ill-effeots froin her arduous swim.