HARBOUR TRAGEDY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 44, 15 November 1937, Page 10

HARBOUR TRAGEDY

Our Own Correspondent.)

Lau&chman Left to Drown UNWITTING SPECTATORS

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sydney, nov. 8. a deserted 20ft. lauhch, which facel Orratically across Sydney Harbour and came to rest on th® rocks nea'r Neilsen Park, provided the water police with a first-class mystety. Several hours later it was ascertained that the occupant, Mr James Eland, aged 30, had fallen overboard and had been droWned. * Mr Eland was seen by passengers on a Manly f erry steamer, but was unwittingly ^left to drown. The passengers thought that he would be rescued by the occupants of another , launch. They did not notify the ferry master. it was not until they learned the next day that an unoccupied launch had Tun aground under its own power and that Mr Eland was missing, that they realised their- tragic mistake, The ferry was travelling from Manly to Sydney and was between Clifton and Brdley's Head when several passengers saw a man walking along the side of his launch. The launch. caught the wash of the ferry and roclced violently, throwihg the man into the water. Passengers waved and shouted to other launehes, the occupants of which, they felt |ure, had seen the accident and rightly interpreted their signals. The ferry drew away too swiftly for them to see what followed, but they were satislied that the man had been rescued.