The Boating Disaster in Fort Phillip

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 148, 11 June 1892, Page 4

The Boating Disaster in Fort Phillip

The Melbourne correspondent of the Sydney Mail gives the, following : details of the terrible boat accident m iPdrt Phillip dtf the 21st Wt. , by ■which a team of footballers were drowned .—An appalling boating disaster happened in the bay yesterday. The sailing boat Progress, of Moraington, on Saturday convey ed a : team from the Mornington Football ■-■■ Club to play a match at Mordialloc and as the party had not returned or. been heard of up to a late hour last evening-, Mr J. D. Groyer, who had a son and a brother in the boat, drove to Mordialloc for information and ascertained that the Progress loft Mordialloc jetty on the return journey, about 8 o'clock last night. About midday the boat was discovered about a mile and a half from the shore and five miles from Mornington jetty, with the bows above water and the stern submerged. The yacht Wandered made the discovery and her company towed -i the boat in. An examination showed that the rigging and gear had been cut away by the accupants alter, it is supposed, haying been struck by a squall and capsized. With the boat was found the body of one of the party, A. ; Lawrence, jun. The following is a list of those who it is supposed left Mordialloc by the boat : •—James Caldwell, William 'Caldwell Huph Caldwell, brothers, all. fine promising young, men) , sons of the Rev James Caldwelj, Presbyteriau minister of Mornington;; Charles Williams, joiner; Williamf Grovjer, joiner and. builder (married) ; William Grover, jtm. 7 clerk in the :Commercial Bank at Mornington ; G. C. Milne, labourer, better known as McPhie (married), leaving a widow and four chiidren ; William Coles, farrier 5 J Kinna, telegraph operator of Yarram j J. Firth; blacksmith j A. Lawrence ; Charles Hooper, fisherman, of Mornington, and hie son ; and Charles Hooper, junr. , who accompanied the party. Three other members of the team— Mr Short, manager of the Commercial Bank, Mornington, Mr Robertson, and Mr B. Hutching, both of Mornington — preferred returning home by train That there was time for some of the passengers io< remove their clothing was shown rby the fact that the body 1 fbnnd in the boat was stark naked, and also that articles of wearingapparel, an oilskin coat, overcoat, boots, and trousers were amongst the articles in the boat. The body in the boat had its leg caught tightly in a bight of the rope, the young fellow's struggles to free himself having eyidently been so great as to cause the rope to cut into the flesh. The scene on the pier when the boat was taken alongside was heartrending in the extreme. The Eev Mr Caldwell attempted to conduct service as usual, but he was unable to continue. In the afternoon he was seen on the beach, an object of extreme dejection. He lost his wife about 18 months ago, and his case excites keen sympathy.