TWO-MILE SWIM IN DARK

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 74, 14 April 1937, Page 7

TWO-MILE SWIM IN DARK

Assooiatioii.)

Man Falls from Lauach Unobserved i. . -r.r-w SAFE AFTER AN H0UR

(By T«' osrapli

; . Blenheim, Last iNight. After §a'ving Ihis lii'e by swimmitig a distance bf mea*rly tWo iniles to the shbre in the 'darkness, Mr. B. R. ♦Evans, licensee Of th'e R'oyal Hotel, Blenheim, : h'as th'O b%8fc of reasoAs to remember tho i 'Marlborough Lieensed Yietuallers' A%•sociatiOn 's tinnual week-end visit "tO " .Qtfeen Charloite Sounds. ilk'hen the party was returning frOm h [ l fishing expedition to headquarters a't ; the Defep 'S'ea Eishirig Club's hut in Endeavour Inlet in the launch MisS Picton, Mr. Evans iell "overbOard Uni noticed in the d'ark, Bfeialifcing his pre- . i dieaijrent had Jgone un'Observed When the launch W&s sWallowed up in the , jnight, Mr. Evans 'di'vest'ed hifnself of ! all hls "clothin'g except his singlet and purpotefully fa'Ced the long sWim to shore. Only his tenacity and stamina averte'd a trOgedy. As it Was Mr, Evans weari-ly hauled : hixnself o'ut of the water an hqur la'ter in an exhausted condition. Having ; i missed the p'Oint at Which he aimed he . •hhd to Swiru "an unn'ecessary 600 yards l into the bay. After aptending the night in the scrub, though fortunateiy the weather was not . Severe, Mr. Evans 'di'Scovered at daylight that h% was pr'obably on fhe ofiposite side of the ridge at the baek of the .fishing hut aiid though virtually naked he made all haSte to relieve ihe 'anxiety of his companions. Gn his arrivaJ, however, he found th'e4 hut deserted. The rest of the pArty on landing the ■ previous iiight and finding Mr. Evans 1 missing de'cide'd that it Was impossible to find hita in the dafkness owing to uncertainly as to where he went ovfer"board. They therefore left At daybreak , ior Picton to secure assistance t'b s'Caxch for the body. Upon returning to the • hut they found Mr. Evans nonchalantly . bathing his travel-sor'e feet in the Sea. Mr. Bon Evans is well-known in ' Palmerston North where he WAs prominent in football eircies. fie was a member of the clerical staff of the ''ManaWatu Daily Times 1 ' and later served his apprenticeship in the hotel business und'cr his father in the Princess Hotel, Terrace End.