THE FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE WAITAKI.

Evening Star, Issue 3716, 20 January 1875, Page 3

THE FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE WAITAKI.

A correct account of the accident by which Miss Jennie Anderson (Mrs Verten), the magicienne, lost her life, is furnished by the ‘North Otago Times.’ It appears that the troupe, comprising Mr and Mrs Verten, Mr Llewellyn 'Thomas (harpist), and Mr J. H. Gregg (the Herd Laddie) with his two performing dogs, started from Oamaru on Sunday morning, at o’clock, in a two-horse express, driven by Mr George Bentley, accompanied by his brother, Mr Charles Bentley, for the Waitaki Ferry, en route for Waimate and Timaru, at which places they were announced to appear. They took with them their properties, including a harp valued at 100 guineas belonging to Mr Thomas, and a considerable sum in cash, which wa#i enclosed in one of the papkage}—the luggage in ail weighing about 5 cwt. TJje party arrived at the Elephant Hotel between nine and ten o’clock, and hoisted the flag for the ferryman to come over. As, after waiting a considerable time, no response was made to the signal, they concluded to go down the river to where the new railway bridge crosses the stream, Mr diaries Bentley here taking the ribbons, as knowing the road better than his brother. They arrived at the Waitald Bridge Hotel at noon, and after making inquiries as to the condition of the river, which is here divided into several streams, crossed the first, a shallow stream, to procure the services of a man named Scott to pilot them over the river. After crossing the stream, Mr Bentley left fcha express and went in quest of j3cott, wh,o returned yrith lupi to the express, and in reply to queries by Vgfferi and iffioipas, ossUred -them that the river was safe to cross, and that the water would not roach above the horses’ knees ' or that, at any rate, the luggage in the express would not he wetted. He [Scott) then, it appears, told another man to jump into the trap, and said he would walk ajong the girders of the bridge and direct him what course to take, but on Verten and Thomas asking why, if the water was so shallow, be djd not go in the express himself, Scott took off his boots and got into the vehicle. Before attempting to cross, Verten and Thomas got out of the express, intending to go with Bentley &CTV99 the girders of the bridge, and the two

former endeavored to persuade Mrs Yerten to accompany them, which, on Scott representing that “there was no danger in fording, as he knew every inch of the river,” and that'” it was hardly safe for a female to go over the girders,” she refused to do. Yerten, Thomas, and G. Bentley then proceeded to cross by the bridge, and the express, driven by C. Bentley, attempted the ford, piloted by Scott, . the vehicle containing, besides these two, Mrs Yerten, sitting with the two men named on the front seat, and Gregg seated on a box in the hinder part of the trap, his two dogs being tied to the side of the vehicle. When entering the water, Scott instructed Bentley to head down stream to a (supposed) shingle spit, and he did so. The horses got deeper and deeper, and before they were half across the stream the water was up to their collars, observing which, and fearing an accident, Yerten called out from the bridge to bis wife, who had turned to him, looking frightened “Don’t be frightened, Jennie; I’D swim iu for you, and save you”— and immediately pulled off his coat and vest. Almost at the same instant the horses lost their footing, and Scott, taking the near rein out of Bentley’s hand, tried to turn them up stream, but without avail. The express then canted over down-stream, and when within a few yards of the up-stream girder the driver sprang off the box, and swam for the bridge, which he reached, and was pulled out of the water. A rush was made by the spectators on the bridge to the spot at which any person floating from the express must pass, and in a few seconds afterwards Mrs Yerten, who had either jumped or been washed out of the vehicle, came floating down. As she came to the girder her husband caught her by the arm; her head being at the time under water. Hearing her arm grating against the girder and thinking it was broken, he endeavored with the other hand to catch hold on the down-stream side, but just then some person rushed past him and threw him over, and he lost his hold ; and as Mrs Yerten floated away it is surmised that she struck her head against the bottom of the girder, as it was afterwards found to be severely bruised. As she passed the opposite girder on the downward side a man named Cook caught her by the shawl, but the pin by which it was fastened gave way, and, after floating about six yards she sank. A man named Croker sprang into the river, and swam down some distance, but could find no sign of her. Soon after Mrs Yerten left the express, Gregg was washed out, but managed to keep hold of the handle of the box he was sitting on, which floated him to the bridge, where he was fortunately rescued ; Scott reranined iu the express till it floated to the bridge, and catching hold of the girder hauled himself up. The express jammed against the girder, and both the horses were released by cutting the traces, but one of them was drowned. All the boxes containing the troupe’s properties were floated down the river, and some of them lost, including that containing their money, while of those recovered the contents are spoiled by their immersion. The two dogs were also drowned. The loss to G. Bentley is considerable, amounting to between LSO and L(iO. The body of Mrs Yerten was recovered about a mile and a-half down the river about an hour afterwards. It is in contemplation in Oamaru to make a subscription for Verten’s relief in a pecuniary sense, as he is left almost penniless. Mrs Yerten was only twenty years of age, and but recently married.