TWO YOUNG LADIES DROWNED.

Evening Star, Issue 4033, 29 January 1876, Page 2

TWO YOUNG LADIES DROWNED.

j Our telegrams recently reported the death by drowning at the WanganuiHeads Of two young ladies named Miss Laura flackett and Miss‘Maggie Carlyle—nqt Miss Bnshell as telegraphed. The reporter ofthe ‘Chronicle* thus reports what he saw arrival mT tpe scene of the accident, and the brecedini r events;— . ® ’ I ■ on the beaCh,. with a boat sail sptfead underneath and pamy covering them* were the two bodies,- which a iew hoursbefotie 1 had r been ; animated beings, and; in j Me -full- * jossesßion. of heaith.and spirits. Beidethcnf Were, the mmvors. Miss Hackett, the rister%f dne of the drvWntd. eiid \)r* Carlyle, ’ the/ mother of the other. Both were inoonsolableifa their heartbreaking grief,-anditwas only?' in. broken, disjointed sentences, ■ intermingled ' with sobs and tears, that they were table to' fonush me with a narration of the melancholy accident. It would appear that abbnt thrfee ooloric in the afternoon they, had all been [ bathing at a. spot muoh loWer dowi* the beachthan wpere. the two wgre drown aid .andwere returning to where their (dothes were^WK, onit, the when the deceased Miss fl aokett complained of feeling ■ohillyiaaThey had; thfelp s®?® water for about?an•hour,, jwheil ’ Miss Haokett remarked—*•! think, Xauta. ,~ you .Jiava been ’ in lonjr.. enough V.you had bet ot come oat ;” Mis , -Carlyle »-al>o. lemarkmg—!** Yes, you girls hj«l £ hettS ‘both*' tome out, yon are hot‘accustomed te being in' the water.” ! It may be here statedtthat'Mijs who ii a: ooropaVatiye Bbanger ih Wabkanuv lady. and hj ire'll oeht arrival- frdm v Wefiti dipt,swimmer, frequeOtiy Miss HadcettTiadT been startled by ekcLatoations froni hetybUngtr ' Bißter^ ind dive.” However, aft*r being warned by by each of the other ladies that they had bton mthe water long; enough* had that they had petter not return, both again walked into the Watery the deceased, Miss, -LaOMi /HKckett exclaiming, “ Oh I come in’ here, Sarah, the water is sonic-* and warm.” Miss Hackettatthis tbhU - was walking onwards ri her back being towards * her tbrefe companiona-with- the Intention of 1 dressing, when fan exclamation fomher litOe ; hr vther, who %aa not tar off, oaused her;to ' look round. She ihen saw that b-th haddissp- . - pared, ahd ibat Mrs Carlyle waamaking fran--t«j efforts *o secure them. MissHtdcett says' she stood transfixed with honor, unable r to scream for help, or to render the .dfightqat -nmiißfrsSd afirmhcScfoP me made almas-. superhuman attempts . to save' them, all the ti«e. d-recti-g them whatt > do, as well as she was sbleinthe terrible confusion of the moment,, nd eiicoua#ingtLeintebUhi' out a d not de-pair. 4 , Uhewwaild rescue them / If shv cpd- Atow awfulmomejpsaaceeed d, th mother frantioaUy c lllng upon hj r Uhild to keep her pres nee of mind end i pt IfetwTner* hoi i of her and kKe w&Ud *4*e them 1 both. Twice wto the m>«ther dragged down iiris had slipped and thontfx twice nhe succeeded 4 grasp-ng them- . she waa not able to bring .Mem to o» * difficulty khentfas herself reamed. T'heeDbtv where tneigiriswent into bathe is VtVy.toeaSh.C prous; at an arm’s length from the beach it Shelves doMuaftabont an ahgle of 60 degr es, tad is surrounded byqulcksanda formed Ay Mfff numerous eddies, indaoedJ*y’tdierap;d, nihing burref.t. At low water, at a -distance of throe, tee.fromthe edge* ithere:is a- depthdf .ten ftot, ’ bf water, wh ch r.tpidiy; devpens to twelveSdfli, ‘ , fohrwtn feefc One r <-f the n.itipe of th • fclaqe, hadsenta bqydwntowarn ; the bathes., buti back* and he did . nqt ' jbbeiu the information ,{pf *

that their fate overtook them, aa they had • ag’in selected the highly danger.ua spot for their bathing placs. 'The ahum was first given by one of the men employed in painting the flagstaff, who saw, but could not assist in the straggly. A boat was launched, and no grapnel being at hj nd, the boathook was "seil, but ineff ctua'ly, the depth •»f the water be Jog. to great and the rush of the current having carried the. bo ies into a still deeper pirt of the t -ed of the river. So deep wss the water here—scarcely a boat’s length from the edge—that bottom could not be reached with one of the 15fr. oars. A bar of iron was theri obtained, a number' of fishhooks procured, and- after several attempt# a firtn hold was Secured of the bodies, and they w«-re raised to the surface both and aims being firmly intertwined with t! ose of each other.