THE FOXTON TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 24 August 1925, Page 3

THE FOXTON TRAGEDY

[my telegraph--per press association.] PALMERSTON N., August 24. Further details of the drowning fatality at Foxton Meads on Saturday v. hereby the father, two sons and two daughters lost their lives, -show Thomas Stall, a carpenter resiling at Foxton. assisted by bis sous, built a flat bottomed boat and decided to try it i n the rivet* on Saturday afternoon. Accordingly, Staff, who was aged about torly-twn- accompanied by two sons aged sixteen and seventeen and a half, and two daughters, thirteen and ninetien. left the wharf at Foxton early in Hu* afternoon in ideal weather to run down to the Heads on the ebb tide. Apparently all went well till the bar was reached when the strength of the ehh tide at the narrowed mouth of the river carried the boat too lar and it swamped just inside the bar, all the occupants Iwinp, drowned. The only witness of the tragedy was a Maori woman, Mrs Wade, who states while gathering pipis near the Heads sin* observed the boat with the five occupants apparently all in high sprits, approaching the bar at a rapid rate, taking little note of the dangers of the bar. Two boys were rowing. By the time she had realised the danger, the boat was too far away to hear her warning. Mrs Wade watched the boat which rose at the first wave at the bar, hut disappeared through the nexti which half filled it, and the third wave broke high over the boat and left no trace of flu* party, while tie occurrence was a matter ol seconds. Mis Whole rushed up the bench and informed the harbour pilot. Captain Larsen, who set out in a launch, hut owing to a heavy sea and the approach of darkness nothing was visible and lie was obliged to return. Larsen says the river was only about four loot- deep at the scene of tbo tragedy but the current was too strong for anyone to withstand it. Tie believes the party were unable to see the heavy sea on the liar owing to the suns reflection on the water, until too late.

Charles Dawson, a fisherman, observed the party passing down the river early in the afternoon and called a warning about the danger of going over the bar. if that were contemplated, Staff senior replying that he did not know anything about the bar. The boat was then travelling fast. A search for the bodies on Saturday night was unavailing and was continued on Sunday morning, when the bodv of Staff senior was found a quarter of a mile south of the river, on the beach.

In the afternoon the body of Duk-ie, the elder daughter, was found on the river hank half a mile inside the bar near the jetty.

The bodies of the two hoys were found this morning, but that of the vounger girl. Margaret, is still missing. Some years ago Staff senior’s brother and a cousin named Honore. were drowned while swimming at the wharf at Foxtin. and Staff has been little on the river since. The father ef the deceased Thomas Staff, is living in Wellington. The widow is left with a son aged seven and two girls, three and five. Two sons ol Mr Kennedy, and a daughter of Mrs Lament, of Foxtail had intended to accompany the party in tl’o boat, but fortunately for them they at the last moment decided not to go.