THE LATE BOAT ACCIDE

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 200, 25 April 1867, Page 2

THE LATE BOAT ACCIDE

INQUEST ON THE BODY^^K: An inquest was held on Tuesday B^B| ti's Bridge Hotel, South Beach, beforJ^Ht '^| Revell, Esq., the coroner, and a respjHH] jury, into the death of James Nairn, man' j who was drowned by the upsetnj^^M! a boat in crossing the Grey bar, on SinK? The first witness oalled was flp 'jj^^l John Miller, who deposed that he was » !|l^| boatman, living at Greymouth. He knew iP^| deceased well, having, worked with him, l|^| Last saw him on Wednesday or Thursday jp.:^| last in Groymouth, when he started overland rf to go to Canoe Creek. He identified the] p^| body, which he found on the South Beach, (j|;^| about 200 yards south of the Bridge HoteL^ j)i<^| Robert Beeston stated that he^was^^^^^' J^B man, at Greymouth. He hadJ||/ i^H!^^^^H iuthe boat with deceased aiWF' -^StherW^^B men for a week past. They^left" Canoe Creek for Fox's River about 9 o'clock on t^^H Sunday morning. The wind was tlien^^^H northeast. They spoke the. Tasmanian^^H Maid, who's people told them to hurry up/^^^^f as there Vv - as a squall coining on. They werej^^^H on a wiud then. Wben the wind was shiftinilf more to the north, they stood in. In goinau about, they carried away the tow, whichlf caused a good deal of delay, They began tol] '^H drift, and let go an anchor. They thoughtil' to have fairer weather at the ebb tide. Aal the wind and sea began to rise s they though™ it better to run inside the Grey bar fonß^^H shelter. They got over the first breakeifPvJH when the current appeared to take the t>oat'|H\ bows. A sea struck her at this time.auqfiß ; turned her right over, by which they wereaE, all thrown into the water. They aIL nuiiraK\H aged to get on to the boat, when another sea.^^\^ struck Ler, turned her up again, and washed. -Xthem all off into the water again. When'J^H witness rose to the surface he swam to th^^^^H boat, and looked around f<>r his mates, bu^^^^| oould only see three heads above water-. Di^^^^H not see the deceased afterwards. He stop^^^^| on the boat, and waved his hands as a Mgnf^^^^H to the shore. The steamer Persevere, whic^^^^H was going in, came alongside ai\dpick^3T^^^^B the remaining four. . ■ Henry Waters, police oanstable, at Salt- I water Creek, deposed that the first witness /•■ having reported about 7 o'clock that evening /■ that he had found the body of the man wha /^fl| had been drowned in the Grey on Sunday^' ■ he accompaniad him to the beach a shori^jie^v J» I tance below the hotel, and assisted him to &M I remove the deceased. There were no clothes Jw I i on the body but trousers, drawers, and boqtsj|Bl I and nothing in the pockets but a small knifflMß and two pieces of tobacco. s@&S^m I The jury immediately brought in a i~crqiSHH| I of "Accidentally drowned." fHil I