FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT.—A WATERMAN DROWNED.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 49, 9 December 1867, Page 304

FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT.—A WATERMAN DROWNED.

(From the Daily Southern Cross.) It is our painful duty to record the circumstance attending the capsizing of a waterman’s boat, used in connection with the shipping reporter’s department of this journal, which resulted in the drowning of William Wright, an old and muchrespected waterman. The ship Water Nymph anchored off the Heads at six o’clock on Saturday evening, during a strong westerly wind and heavy sea, and our reporter thought it prudent to defer his visit to the vessel until the following morning, in anticipation of finer weather The wind augmented during early morning, however, and afforded no hope of abatement. Such was its force that the boat, on leaving, was carried along at a speed of several knots without the aid of sail or, oars, the feather-end of the latter being merely to placed over the gunhale to carry the wind. A heavy squall which rose heightened the swell at the ship’s side, and a sea which struck the boat carried waterman William Wright over the side. Catching the boat, however, he soon regained his position, and the reporter had left the boat she was dropping astern, the watermen making {their painter, fast to a ship’s line and remaining by the boat. ■Scarcely two minutes had elapsed before the chief officer (Mr Valentine) informed the captain he had' found it necessary to pay, out more chain and the, vessel was. still dragging. Captain. Babot;went on deck and ordered the second anchor to .be let go, and at the. same time the reporter walked aft to see how the boat was riding, when he found it had disappeared from that position, and on looking round saw it near the ship’s side, bottom uppermost, and the : body of Williqm'Wright Roaring a short .distance,from it.- The. attention of:a seaman forward had,, in the meantime; been called to the body of waterman Richard Kean, who was holding; on to the cable, then being paid. out. Orders were giyen to stop paying out, and a rope was made fast to the drowning man, whose grqspofthe cable had to-be torn asunder by hoisting. He was , carried; .insensible to.the;after part of !thej.vesselwhere bhq directipns .for^';*rest'bring '{the. apparently drowned were Vigorously, put irito r . force; and after about ,three-quarters of an hour unmistakable symptomsof>:life{returned; .enveloped{in blankets,{and ridt? wafer T>o ttlcswereapphedtohisf’ectand

sides, and he then gradually recovered consciousness. . The body' of Wright was never observed to move, but lay on the water cork-like, with the head and feet downwards. Two seamen jumped off the vessel to the rescue, and one of these had .nearly reached tlie body when the bight of the line he held slipped; from him; and as the sea was so boisterous he was compelled to return to the ship after it. The second officer of the vessel (Mr Alexander) seeing this,. jumped off the vessel with a line round his waist, and brought the body to the side, from whence it was conveyed to the cabin. Under the direction of Capt. Babot, every • effort was made to restore animation, remedial . measures being resorted to for upwards of two hours, but life was found to, be quite extinct. From the position in which the body, lay in the water, it is believed deceased must have received a blow which stunned him, and rendered him helpless in the water. Two' abrasions of the skin, indicating this, were found on his side The man Kean states that the boat capsized in consequence of her bow coming in contact with the vessel’s quarter when a chain was paid out, concurrently.with a heavy swell and squall. Both men endeavored to hold on the boat, but sbe turned over several times in the attempt, and it is supposed that Wright was injured in this way. Eean eventually swam to the ship’s cable, but with the heavy swell and lowering of the chain had almost succumbed when he was observed from the fore chains and rescued in the manner described.

We cannot Bpeak too highly of the conduct of the captain and his officers under the painful circumstances; and these efforts were afterwards supplemented by a handsome subscription raised amongst passengers and crew, and headed by the captain, for the destitute wife and family of 1 the deceased, nine in number. The amount raised was £ls, a sum. which we have no doubt will be greatly augmented by contributions made on shore. We shall be happy to receive and acknowledge donations for this very charitable object, at our Queen-street office, where a list will be opened this morning. The body was brought on shore yesterday, and conveyed to deceased’s home to await a coroner’s inquest to be held this day. The boat, which was the property of Keau, was last seen drifting, bottom uppermost, in the direction of Kohimarama beach, aud any information leading to its recovery will be gladly received by the watermen at the Queen-street Wharf.— 26th November. { TItE INQUEST. A coroner'slnquest was held yesterday, before Dr. PhilMn, on view of the body of William James Vrrigbt, who was drowned in consequence of the capsizing of a waterman’s boat at tbe stern of the ship Water Nymph, on the morning of the 24th instant. After hearing the evidencs, the jury returned a verdict of “ Accidentally drowned,” and added a rider expressive of their admiration of the exertions used by the captain, and "officers of the ship in rescuing the bodies of the men, and their efforts to restore the deceased. —27th November.

THE FCNEEAL. The remains of the deceased waterman, William James Wright, were conveyed to their last resting-place—the General Cemetery, Symonds-street —yesterday. The funeral was attended by a large number of watermen and others connected with the shipping interest, together with a considerable number of friends and acquaintance, who joined the cortege at the late residence of the deceased in Cook-street. Tbe shipping in port hoisted ensigns half-mast during tbe day, as a mark of respect for deceased.—2Bth November.