FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 39, 10 February 1876, Page 2

FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT.

A sad accident occurred in the harbor last night, which resulted in the death by drowning of. Annie Freeman, a young;, woman' about twenty years of age, daughter of Mr Freeman, a carpenter residing at the Port. Between eight and. Dine o'clock two men named George Ford and "William Allen, accompanied by the deceased, started from opposite the Anchor Inn for a sail in the boat Tommy Dodd. The breeze was rather stiff, and when they arrived at t he Boulder Bank Allen took a reef in the jib, and shortly afterwards they started again to return by the same course to the poiat from which they had sailed, but finding that they were being carried; by the current and breeze towards Wakapuaka, an attempt was made, when near the wreck of : the old hulk, to wear the boat. In doing this the mainsail, fouled in someway, and, a squall striking her at the time, the boat capsized. Allen, it appears, did all in his power to save the girl, and four times in succession he succeeded in dragging her out, and placing her on. the boat, but she was too frightened to hold on to it, and slipped ba<jk into the water. .'After the fourth attempt to save her, he was too exhausted to do more, and said, "I can't help you any. more, I'm drowning.'' , She replied, "I'm. going too," and these were the last words she spoke. Allen then contrived to reach the Boulder Bank, where he found Ford, who wanted to know what had become, of. the girl. Assistance was then procured, from the Lighthouse, and the two men were brought ashore. Every effort has been made to recover the body, but rip to the present time without success. <n n — m; — . -i*~ian__