BATHERS DROWNED.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1635, 30 December 1912, Page 6

BATHERS DROWNED.

' TWO LIVES LOST AT SUMNER. | , THE AUSTRALIAN SWIMMERS I 'ATTEMPT RESCUE. ! DANGEROUS CURRENT ON BEACH. ?. (By Telezraph.—Press.Association.) .'".,"■'-'•' Chrlstchurch) December 29. , : ~-.T.wo ..fatalities occurred at '■:■. Suniher yesterday. - There ; was a strong ■''■■ nor'-wester-blowing, which apparently had tho; effect ,of making, the beach dangerous, ; and strong swimmers found themselves in ; difficulties.- ■ ■:'-■.'-."' A man named George RichaTd Atkinson, : ci resident of Linwood, and 1 only about ,'"■' three'., month's but' "from England, went to ; Sumner; with his wife and threo children . this morning, and about rioon ho went for ; : - a swim .'near, the pier.- The-tide was run- !-■ ning out very fast, and the'.under-tow '. caught the swimmer. Others went to his aid, and it is said that h« told one man : who got him to where he could put his ■'. 'feet on the bottom that ho was all right, i but as soon as he was let.go he disappear- •■'" cd, and-was not 6een again. At the time of telegraphing the body had not been ; recovered:,: . -'-" About three o'clock yesterday afternoon, .'■•. .when the New South Wales and other ; . visiting swimmers were about to give a ! demonstration of life-saving methods near . the pier at Sumner, a report was brought ;.-. that's, man was in grave difficulties in-the I. water towards the baths end of the beach. ■'■;■ The'whole party, with their apparatus, sot off at oiice. - : ■ ■ "' '' * The man could' be seen farout, and ; Solomons, and Hay went towards him. >-' When within about a hundred yards ol i him he was seen to throw up hnr hands - and disappear. Solomons dived, but could K- findpo of.hiin/ and.he returned to '.'.. the'shbre. ' -

: ATTEMPT: AT EESCUE, , ..„.,,,,. .-,.: v-•■:■;; -•.. . .■;■...■ :■.. •.■■..„•.■ ■ . .Jj,^ ;-'. .''The'Sydney swimmers showed great pluck in'endeavouring to assist '.Bathurst. ' Solomons and Hays dived a score of times, ■ -but without avail.: This was their first failure -to save life in similar' oircumstances, and was due probably to having ■ rece'ivefr'the alarm, too late. ..Solomons ; .. Has,rescued .nearly.. eighty -persons m •-driest;. Charles Bathurst, was the . full ' iiameof the drowned man, who resided at i -St.'Albans. ■He was aged 59. At the time of the fatality'ho:,was surfing' with' his Wife, a son, and two men. ~'■";,'' '.'George Kichard:Atkinson, the other '■; Victim, was 42 years of age, and resided at ianwood. He was employed at the Kaia- ; poi...Woollen. Company. A . collection, . taken up oh the teach after the fatality in aid of the. widow and family resulted ;■■ an over .£3G being given, and promises i made of further amounts. .. : . The .bodies' are still unrecovered, ' and •.'"'the general opinion is that .they will be • Ewept' out to sea. ■ . I ■; Some of the members of' the Sumner life Boat. Brigade, under ; Acting-Pilot .. Hihes, and accompanied by Constable Hampton, went out to-day in the direction :- of .Whitewash Head, put owing to the heavy "sea : they, .were unable, to get' near 'i. enough to the rocks .to ascertain if-there ■'"were any. signs'of the bodies of the yic- !■-. iim's.; The.search will; be continued; to-. ['■I;, .-jnorrow. '•.,

;-V-.' , ; BATHING lIMITS NEEDED. j: .'. Chrjstchurch, December 28.' i . Solomons was obviously .affected serilv.. ously by the: happening-, when n;-reporter '';■-< £ttw him afterwards. (v; . It was: an example, he said, which must ["'-'• lave been" heeded for many <years.' The i-' space of -the beach' was very big, and ':'■■ for their own sates people should be com>.'pel!ed to" bathe within certain definite ?' limits, so: that in case of trouble help <j. might be .'at hand. ;• This was the custom v : -fit all recognised bathing places in Ausj ' tralia, and most certainly it. should be /■ adopted here. Mr; Bathurst was drowned •■, - because of the delay, occasioned by a long '{■ run down the beachy and even; when ••'I/' they got to the place. the_ only '-}■ they-'cduld get "was,'."Out "there." Solomons says that Hay put up, a very C fine spin in belt, and they" were half :'. a mile out before they sighted the fir«v-n- ---• . .ing man. When roughly'-.a j hundred J yards away Solomons saw. the'.dccc.i.-a!'-. i," hands go up; then he'was seen.no more. . They dived a great many times, but could !"'. hot find him.' Further, down the current ■ was'very strong, much stronger i than to- !':'■ wards the surface. In fact,.the,currents i . were quite-unusual in.jhiOpiniqn..', The t- day was a very dangerous one, and swini- (; ming was difiicnlt. ■■■: : ' -." /..-i , ■