THE FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT AT MOKIHINUI.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 201, 30 January 1875, Page 3

THE FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT AT MOKIHINUI.

The following particulars of this disaster are furnished by the Westport Times : “The melancholy news was brought in from the Mokihinui by Edward Fletcher that a boat accident had happened, resulting in the drowning of five well-known men. It appears that Mr Montgomery, who has taken the contract for boating the Halcyon Company’s machinery up the Mokihinui river to the machine site, had sent up the first cargo in charge of six men, and they having delivered it safely were on the return trip. The passage down the river under any cir-cumstances-is somewhat risky, as the current is rapid, and there are many rocks, eddies, and shoots where danger is always lurking. The rainfall caused a fresh in the river, but not sufficient to deter the men from their fated journey. They left the Halcyon claim early in the afternoon, and came along all right until reaching the Long Fall, about half-way between the mine and the Mokihinui township. There the boat capsized, and five men out of the six on board were almost instantly drowned. Their names are Peter Seaton, William Miller, Wm. Hall, Benjamin Rundlett. and Nicolas, a Dalmatian, better known as Teremakau. The sixth man, named Carson, by good fortune contrived to cling to the floating mast and saved his life. “On the news reaching Mokihinui a search party, headed by T. L. Sweet, set off at daylight, but at the time the messenger left for Westport they had found nothing except a few stray articles that had floated from the boat.

“ Since the foregoing was in type, Carson has arrived in Westport and gives further particulars. He says the boat left Snag Fall about noon, there then being a slight fresh in the river sufficient in the opinion >f the men to allow the boat to clear all obstructions. They got safe to the bottom of the Long Fall, and suddenly the boat went how under and immediately following took another dip and filled, in twenty feet of water. Carson was washed out of the boat and sank, hut on coming again to the surface got hold of the boat mast and floated on it down th« hream. He then saw the boat yardf .head of him, and four of the men on it, Hall being the missing one. Boon after that he boat turned over, and then Carson saw ■ieaton and Nicholas clinging to it, the other men having disappeared. At the next fall he saw Seaton only sitting on the bottom of f.he boat. Carson got safely past the fall, still clinging to the mast, but saw no more of Seaton, and after floating half a mile or so further down he contrived to lasd on the

north bank of the river. After getting ashore and gaining strength a little, he travelled along the bank up stream and saw the boat bottom up, but no trace of any of the men. Three other men, who had assisted to get the cargo up, named J. C. Reid, Fred Smith, and Andrew, remained behind at the mine.