Page 209 Advertisements Column 1

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1574, 8 May 1874, Page 209

v A Sad Story. The Shotovcr correspondent of the Wakatipu Mai), writing on the Oth April, says : —On Saturday evening last a miner named John Thomas, in the employ of the Shotover Terrace Company, left Queenstown for the Elver on horseback. Ho was noticed before leaving to have been what is termed “ a little on,” and Mr Bordeau, who was also going up, told Thomas to wait at the Arthur’s Point Store, and he would join him. It appears that Thomas called at the store, and learning that Mr Bordeau had not arrived, put spurs to his horse and started at speed up the track over the mountain, between the flat and the Shotover. Three hours subsequently he was found near the top, lying asleep on one side of the track, and the horse grazing near, by another miner on horse back named Peter Bell, .also employed by the Company. Bell aroused him, and the pair proceeded on the journey up river. They stopped nowhere on the road, and arrived at Maori Point about midnight; it being a bright moonlight night. They saw no lights at Goodwin’s Hotel and, consequently, did not attempt to get admittance ; but proceeded at once to the ford leading to the Shotover Terrace. Peter Bell, who is my authority for this statement, tells me that, on nearing, the river, he said to Thomas “ Do you hear the roaring ; it is too high ; let us go round the road.” It must bo mentioned here that heavy rain had fallen all the afternoon, and the Shotover, at the time of the accident, was four feet higher than it was on the following morning. Thomas replied, “ Oh, it is all right,” and at once commenced to cross, Bell remaining on the bank watching him anxiously. Thomas and the horse were soon seen going rapidly down with the current, the man holding on to the horse without saying a word, and Bell, seeing his danger, at once clashed his horse into the river. He was no sooner iu than he was swept out of the saddle, and only reached the other side by clinging to the mane of the swimming horse. When he landed he could see nothing of his mate, on whom he vainly called. Bell sought assistance from miners in the neighborhood, and, on his return to the river, met Thomas’s horse with a stirrup missing. The miners and others were on the alert all night; but up to thepreaent, no tidings of Thomas is to hand. Thomas was a married man, with two children, and his wife is distracted at the news, as he was a kind and good husband, being one of the very steadiest and most industrious men on the Shotover —one of whom they may be proud. [The body was found on the following day by Messrs Boyle and Egan, and the remains were,brought to Goodwin's Hotel.] The Bay of Plenty Times strongly advocates ‘ the establishment of a Building Society at Tauranga,