DROWNING FATALITY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3719, 9 October 1906, Page 3

DROWNING FATALITY.

Ten People Lost. Blenheim, Yesterday. The most shocking boatingdisaster in the records of the province occurred in the river here about 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon. An oil launch excursion was returning from the bar at the month of the river. It ; had arrived within 100 yards , of the lauding place, which 1 is within a stone’s throw of the centre of the town, when 1 the launch struck a submerged stump and heeled 1 over. About twenty passen- ■ gers were precipitated back- J wards into deep water. The river is only about three j chains wide at this point, yet ten persons were drowned be- j fore the rescuers got to work. ( Some of the passengers and also a party of three men, j who were lounging on the { bank lower down the river , were particularly active in j assisting the unfortunate < people. About a dozen child- , ren were rescued. 1 One passenger, Mr A, Me- ( Kinley, rescued two or three little ones, and took cramp, and had to be rescued in turn. He and others were taken to the hospital. Two women were on board. , One, Mrs Baldwin, was rescued alive, but expired within ; an hour. 1 An immense crowd congre- * gated on the banks, and heartrending scenes were witnessed as the bodies were recovered ' and brought ashore at intervals. Dragging operations were i carried on until midnight, at which hour seven bodies had been recovered and identified, besides Mrs Baldwin. The work was resumed at daylight this morning, as one body is still unrecovered. There was no register of the passengers taken, andgreat confusion resulted since it had to be ascertained who were known to have made the trip. The following is a list of the persons known to he drowned : Edward Nash, laborer, single, aged 28, ex-member of the Second Victorian contingent John Hineman, a shearer, single, aged about' 45. W. J, Parker, married, whose family resides at Maryborough, Wairarapa. Deceased is aged about 60. Bert Berry, married, aged about 36, a native of Blenheim. Pie leaves a wife and children. Edward Baldwin, aged 45, husband of Mrs Baldwin, already mentioned. He recently came into a big property at Home, and he and his wife were just about to return to claim it. Mrs Baldwin, wife of Edward Baldwin. Mrs Jackson. Her three young children were saved. . Westley Patchett, aged 9, son of George Patchett, proprietor of the launch, who was T driving the engine, is still missing. A young son of H. Berry, who was amongst those drowned.