ACCIDENT ON BOARD THE P.S. PERSEVERE.

Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 438, 3 November 1868, Page 2

ACCIDENT ON BOARD THE P.S. PERSEVERE.

THE JJATK IJItOWNED. On Saturday morning, at seven o'clock, the r>.s. Persevere left this port bound for Hokitika with twenty tons of en.-.1, find while crossing the break <>n the bar, the mate, named John Jones, fell overboard, and was drowned. He was engaged isi loosening the foresail, when the vessel gave a liuch, aud it is supposed that the gaff struck him and he fell overboard. FTe was struck on* the head by one of the floats of the paddle-wheel, and although every effort was made by the master and crew to recover him, he sunk before he could be ricked up. In the afternoon the body was thrown up ou the beach, and conveyed to the Boatman's Arms, on the North Spit, where an inquest was held in the evening by Mr Warden Dutton, when the followin? evidence was given : — Alexander Robertson : I am master of the tug steamer Persevere. I have known the deceased, Jolin Jones, for about three years. He was mate of the Persevere. We left the Grey this morning, at seven o'clock, bound for Hokitika, and were just crossing the bar, when I told the deceased to get the foresail ready for setting. One of the men lowered the gaff down, and I told the deceased to keep one of the guys fast. He replied,- "All rieht, sit," and commenced to take the gasket off, when the vessel gave a lurch, and he swung right overboard. He was standing on the bridge at the time. As soon as I saw him going over the side I ordered the engines to be stopped, which was done immediately, I saw the deceased in the water ; he appeared to be stunned. Ifc was blowing hard at the tiino, and we drifted too far away to throw him a rope. I saw him for about seven minute?. As he was falling over the side I sang out to him to try and get his clothes off, l)u t he did not answer me. When he fell the vessel gave a roll to windward, and on the return qf the vessel I think he must have got foul of tho paddle-wheel where he fell. The first time I saw him in the water he wae close to the vessel's side, and the men ran for a heaving-line, but when it was got he had drifted beyond heaving distance. J ordered tho life-buoys to be thrown to him, and everything possible was done to save his hfo. 1 was the nearest person to the deceased when he fell overboard. He was perfectly sober. He waa a native of Liverpool, and so far as I know a single man. Immediately after the accident I returned to port, and reported ifc to the police at Greymouth. I then proceeded to search for the bo:ly along the North Beach, in company with my engineer and the one from the Waipara, to within a mile froTu the Darkies' Terrace. On our return we found the body lying high and dry about a quarter of a mile north of ths mouth of the river. It was lying on its back with the arms extended, and the same clothes on as when the deceased went overboard. I have seen the bruises on the deceased's head, and I am of opinion that when he fell over the vessel's side one of the floats must have struck him. I assisted to carry the body up here, and ifc is now in the same 3tate as when we found it. William Duncan : I am engineer on board the tug-boat Persevere, and have known the deceased John Jones f«>r two years and a-half. I was on boaid the Persevere when she left Greymouth this morning, and when crossing the bar I was ordered to stop the engine, which I did immediately, and remained by the engines. I accompanied the captain along the North Beach to search for the body, and was with him when it was found. The deceased was sober when we left port. I did not see him after he fell into the water. Thomas Ayres : I am .t seaman on board thep.s. Persevere, a n <l was on board when she left Greymouth this morning. We were crossing the break, when I heard the captain order the deceased to loosen the foresail. He was doing so, and the boat gave a lurch . WLen I sa*v the deceased falling overboard he appeared to have hold of one of the guys. I ran for a heaving Hue, but when I had it ready deceased was too great a distance away from the vessel for me to throw it to him. It took me about two minutes to get the line ready. From the place he fell otf he could scarcely miss being struck by the floats, and I think it is very likely from the lurch the boat gave at the minute that the deceased prvt under the paddle-wheel. All I saw of him in the water was the top of his head and his hands paddling above his head. I have heard him say that he could not swim, and I believe that he could not from the way he was using his Lands. Everything was done on board that could be done to recover the deceased, but it waa quite impossible, and I am of opinion that his falling overboard was quite accidental. The jury returned a verdict "That the deceased was accidentally drowned by falling overboard. " The deceased John Jones was* well known on the coast for three years, anil very generally respected. He was 35 years of age, and a native of Liverpool, England, where he leaves two children— a girl about 13 years of ace, and a boy nine years— his wife haying died about nine months ago. .He has a brother-in-law living at Sandhurst, Victoria. The deceased was one of the first members of the Society of the Sons of Temperance in Liverpool, where one of the first branches of that body was established, and twenty years ago he was a member of a Eechabite Tent in Liverpool, but on coming to the colonies he "ran out of compliance," and rejoined the order in Greymouth, on the 25th July, ISO 7. Was elected the hist Chief Ruler of the Rechabite Tent here, and ranked as Past Chief Ruler when he was drowned. He was buried on Sunday, the funeral cortege being one of the largest that has ever assembled here. The members of the Rechabite Order attended, but owing to the short notice between the time of death and the funeral, they wereuuaMe to appear in their mourning regalia, but otherwise they complied with all the usages of the Order. At the grave, the Rev. Mr Shaw read the funeral service, aud Mr William Dale, First District Chief liuler, read the Reehabitc funeral address, and gave out the two hymns which were sung at the grave.