DROWNING FATALITY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2812, 18 November 1924, Page 2

DROWNING FATALITY.

CORONIAL INQUIRY. BRAVE ATTEMPT AT RESCUE. An inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death by drowning in the Manawatu river late on Wednesday afternoon of Allan Edward Drummond, was conducted at the Palmerston N. Courthouse yesterday by the coroner, Mr A. J. Graham. Sergeant Power represented the police. Albert Henry Drummond, of 22 Terrace St., father of the deceased, gave evidence that the latter was 18 years of age. Witness was at Pahiatua on the day of the fatality, but returned to Palmerston N. at one o'clock the following morning. He assisted Constable Mouat in the search for the body which was found at nine o’clock that day. Deceased had always enjoyed good health and was a fair swimmer. To the coroner: Deceased was accustomed to swimming in the river and had never complained of being seized with cramp. George Harold Hall stated that he had worked with deceased and on Wednesday was bathing with him in the Manawatu river by the Esplanade. Witness was in the water for about half an hour and as he was emerging owing to cramp, another lad on the bank called out that Drummond was drowning. Witness then saw deceased go under three times and swam to the place where the body disappeared. He failed to find it, however, and was again seized with cramp, having to he assisted to the bank. Witness tried again after about a quarter of an hour, assisted by others, but without success. The water was cold. Deceased was in the current when he disappeared. ln reply to the coroner, witness said that deceased had cycled down to the river and would probably be somewhat heated when he entered the water. In witness’s opinion cramp incapacitated deceased, as when he was seen to endeavour to grasp a willow branch he missed it because his movement was slow and weak, though there had been no struggle. George Plunkett Ward, another of the lads with deceased at the time of the tragedy, gave corroborative evidence. Constable Moffat deposed to finding the body in a depth of 10 or 12 feet of water near where it had disappeared. The coroner returned a verdict of accidental death by drowning adding that deceased had apparently been seized with cramp. Every effort had been made to rescue him, the action of Hall being especially commendable as he himself was suffering from cramp. In conclusion the coroner mentioned the danger of cramp in river bathing, pointing out that ten or fifteen minutes in a cold stream was quite long enough.