DROWNING TRAGEDY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1326, 2 January 1912, Page 5

DROWNING TRAGEDY.

A SAILOR'S DEATH,

SAD INCIDENT AT A REGATTA. IBy Teleeraph-Frew Association.! Christchurch, January 1. A drowning tragedy took place at Lyttclton to-day during the progress of the regatta. A crew of six had been, engaged from the s.s. Morayshire by the Regatta Committee to act as a. Darktown crew. Tho crew consisted of JI. Kellan, fireman; James Kennv, storekeeper; W. Rowlands, A.8.; '.7. Lake, A.B.;R. Warein, ordinary > seaman; and — O'Connor, ordiuary seaman. Their antics had amused the-crowd all day. At about li o'clock, just after the explosion, they were floating along within ii feet of No. 2 Wharf, watched by a crowd of many hundreds. Suddenly'O'Connor espied a hat floating in the water. He wanted to divo in for it, but Kellan said: "Don't go iu the water.' You can't swim, and we can pick it up from the bow of the boat." O'Connor, however, replied that he could.swim all right, and that tho act would amuse the crowd. He accordingly jumped overboard. Ho'hnd not gono far when Kellan saw him showing signs of distress. Kellan shouted out to Rowlands: "This man s going down. Hang on to him till I get my boots off." Rowlands jumped overboard to O'Connor's assistance, and someone threw an oar to the strusrgling man.

By the time Kellan was ready, Rowlands was also in trouble, and when Kellan caught hold of O'Connor, who was now in a very bad way, having been under the water for some minutes, Rowlands caught Kellan round the neck, pulling the three of them under. Kellan did the only possible thing he could. Ho shook both men off and then clutched hold of O'Connor again. Bv this timo Kellan was beginning to feel tho eflcets of his immersion in the water; ci;amp making itself manifest. Tho boat, with the other three men. had in tho meanwhile drifted away, and having but ono oar left, was unable to do anything. All the while the crowd on the whart, thinking it was but a good joke, and not realising that comedy had turned to tragedy laughed heartily. fortunately, just at this tiuio tho crews of tivo raving boats realised the seriousness of tho situation, and came up just ill timo to save Kellan and O'Connor, but Rowlands had disappeared. Kellan very nuickly recovered, but O'Connor was in a bad way. having been under water for seven minutes. If it had not been for the strenuous ef!lTt?, oI M e ? A A W -, n ; Stevens, a member of the Cnristchurch Kaihvav Ambulanco Division, V. Rhind and R. 11. Veitch, O'Connor must lmvo succumbed. Finally however, after about three-quarters of an hour's effort, he milled round. He was taken to tlin British Ifotel. It was steted that despite the utmost search no doctor could be found in the Port. In tho meantime Mr. W. Woods, secretary to tho Regatta Committee,.'secured the servicps of a motor boat, and two, police constables, after hours of dragging,' recovered the body of Rowlands, at 7 p.m., close off the end of No. 2 Wharf. Tho body was taken to the Lytlolton morgue. It is staled that Rowlands was a good swimmer, but cramp, as also did lvellan. O'Connor, is a poor swimmer. Tho men had been in and out of the wnlor all day. and that apparently accounts for their easily getting cramp. ,

Chelmsford Guardians, unable to grant funds lo a labourer for fake teeth, made 11."."whip round" in the room, wlieii I'll lis, to collected,