ACCIDENTS & FATALITIES

Hokitika Guardian, 2 March 1932, Page 4

ACCIDENTS & FATALITIES

-MAN DROWNED

WHILE SPEARING FLOUNDERS

AUCKLAND, Feb. 29. through losing his bearings when out spearing flounders, off Clark’s beach, Waiau Pa, about 10 o'clock last evenng, Lesle John Fletchei* aged 30 years, a farmer, of Ingram’s road, Bombay, got into deep water and wa a drowned. His sister-in-law, Mrs Harold Fletcher, who was with him, was saved through the timely flash of a ight on the shore when her cries "ere heard, flic light showing her the correct direction to take to reach shallow water.

Mr Fletcher went to the beach on -nturday evening with his wife and” two children and his sister-in-law, and her child, the party occupying a bach on the shore. The tide goes out for over a mile in this locality, and ifi ''as just after it started to ,come in that the two people found themselves m difficulies. They had been-wading after flounders on a sandbank, and secured between 40 and 50 fish. On attempting to make back to. shore they found that in every direction the water became deeper. ■ Mr Fletcher had left a lamp burning on the table outside the bach, ta guide him but a clump of manuka on die shore intervened between the hg it and the sandbank. Seeing three ig its in another direction, he attempted to make towards them; but they were across a channel. Hearing Mrs Harold Fletcher call out, -Mrs L. J. Fletcher came out of the bach and waved the lamp on the beach. Mrs Harold Fletcher thus saw the way to safety. By this time, howt'd. Air Fletcher had disappeared nnd search parties have not yet located tlie body.