THREE. LIVES LOST.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1687, 1 March 1913, Page 5

THREE. LIVES LOST.

—: —-+-r • ACCIDENT OFF SEATOUN. OPEN BOAT CAPSIZES. HOW IT HAPPENED. MAN, WIFE AND CHILD DROWNED. THE SURVIVORS'-STORY. .

A ead boating fatality resulting in the loss of. three Uvea occurred off Seatoun early yesterday afternoon, the victims being Mr. ai'.d Mrs. Wm. Martin Ham , and their only child, a four-year-old boy named Sidney. There was a fourth occupant of the boat' (the property of Mr. E. Vanco, of Seatoun), in Mr. W. R. Potter, who managed to float arid swim alternately until his plight was discovered by Captain Cameron, of the Pateena (outward bound from Wellington to Picton), who at once lowered a boat, and picked up the man, who was in an exhausted condition. He was landed at Seatoun, and taken to the residence of Mr. William Forbes, where, under treatment directed by Dr. Herbert, ho recovered in about an hour-and-a-half. RESCUED MAN'S STORY. Mr. Potter, after ho had recovered, wa9 able to relate .how, in-his belief, the accident occurred. . ' The party decided to go out in Mr. Vance's small open boat, which was not really large enough to hold four people comfortably. Still, as they intended to keep well into the beach, no one gave a thought to the possibility of accident, as the sea was calm and tho conditions generally favourable. . i They pulled down towards the Pinnacles after luncheon, and fished for a time well inside those rocks. 1 They then .decided to move on a bit, and Mr. Potter was kneeling down, in tho bow of tho boat with his back towards the others, pulling up tho anchox-, when all at once he heard a scream from Mrs. Ham, and the samo instant tlie boat overturned, and they were all spluttering in the water, CAUGHT BY THE KELP. "The first thing I realised on coming to tho surface," said Mr. Potter, "was that' something was holding me by the leg, apd on feeling down X found that I was amongst the kelp. But I managed to keep my presence of mind, and after a bit got free of the kelp, and was able to float on. my back. "I did not see anything of the others. All I heard after 'we were in tho water was an agonising scream from Mrs. Ham, but on looking round none of them could be seen. ■ I was getting pretty tired,' so thought that if I could just manage to float I would be carried inshore. DRIFTING OUT TO SEA. "After a littlo time, which. 6eemed a very long time to me, I saw that instead of getting 'closer■ to ,the beach'.l- was:drift;j' ing out to'sea,"soif niaile an effort to'got back. I found that I was too weak to be able to improve l my position, so resolved to float again, and so see it out to the end.'- '' "I had been floating for wEat to me seemed an eternity, when I saw the Pateena coming Tip tho entrance, bound outwards, and 1 wondered dimly if they would see me. They must havo noticed, me, -for the last thing I remember was seeing them lower the boat over the side." • v . CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT. Mr. .'Potter's theory as to the cause of tho accident is that 'when. -he got the weight of the anchor off the bottom, the little boat naturally went down, by the bows, arid he believes that seeing the bow sinking under the weight, Mrs. Ham became alarmed, 'screamed out, and threw herself on the same side of the boat as her husband, with tho result that it overturned. Ho could not say that tljat was the case, but it was tho only thing he could think of to account for the overturning of the; boat, which was quite safe as long as it was trimmed. COULD NOT SWIM. It is said that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Ham could swim, and Mr, Potter supposes that into th'o water both were caught in. tho kelp, and, becoming flurried, drowned almost immediately. Mrs. Ham is said to have had a horror •, of; boats and boating, and would naturally be very nervous at anything which she may have considered untoward, such as the boat going down by tiie head a bit as the anchor was raised; THE VICTIMS. Mr. Ham, who was about 35 years of -age, was a resident of Stafford Street, Seatoun. He came out from England ten years ago, and given an appointment in the Wellington Gas Company, in which employ lie' rose to be chief clerk in the fitting department. Mr. C. B. Norwood (manager) states that Mr. Ham was a conscientious and trustworthy man, and really was a ■ confidential officer of the company. He was a man of undoubted ability, and one who would bo very hard to replace, "He had been married six years.

■ Mrs. Ham was formerly a Miss Edwards (a sister of Mts, "Ttijia" Morrnh), and was at one time a typist in the employ of the Gas Company.

The boy, Sidney, wag only four years of age.

Mr. Potter, who was so luckily rescued at the eleventh hour, is a canvassing clerk in the empl.ly of the Gas Company. He is a man about 45 years of age, and is an enthusiastic member of tho company's orchestra.