PERITOUS ADVENTURE ON A NORTH AUSTRALIAN RIVER.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 128, 30 May 1879, Page 4

PERITOUS ADVENTURE ON A NORTH AUSTRALIAN RIVER.

The Hon the Colonial Secretory of Qnppnslnnd hns plnced at the disposal of tho Courier the report of Inspector Hurar, Port Douelao, with reference to <he drowning at the Johnson river, on th° 27th March, of thn three mec nnrrip^ J. H. "Pptprson, Thomas SumruprfipJf', and Barney Ward. From the statement of the survivors, con*aine<* in the report, wo learn that e ra r 'v of fivp oeriar gettrre— the three trtpn «ho fcavp hp*>n browned. Jtmes Co'*~ptt. pd^ Helrtius Htfvprdt Johnston «— wpr? 08mpe*1 nbnut forty miles up from the mouth of the Johnston, and on the morning of March 27, started in b flat-bottomed boßt to proceed to a place called Deadman's Camp, 25 miles down the river. It was raining at the time, and there was a heavy freßh in the river, which had risen ahout 40 feet. On reaching n rapid about a mile from tbe camp they hart nbnndoned, the boat wfig carried by the very strong current ajrniast an island, and, coming in contact with a submerged tree stump, it was upeet. Johnston dived to get clear of tbe boat and snag, and c«me to the surface in the centre of the etrenm. On looking, he saw Summerfield and Corbett swimming strongly behind him. Immediately afterwards he befiH Summerfleld call out, " Johnston ! Johnston 1" and he shouted bark to him to make for tbe shore. He never faw SummerfieiJ after that. He then swam ftfier the boot, and with grpet difficulty caught hold of tbe painter. The current was so strong that he was several times pulled under water, but he still held or, and was carried about b quarter of a mile down the river, when, feeling exhausted, he let go, and succeeded in swimming aebore. After landing he walked tip the river bank end cooeyed, and was answered by .James Corbett. He then went further up the river, still cooeying, and got an answer, but it was some time before he knew where it came from. At length he discovered Barney Ward on the lower end of the island where tbe boat capsized. He called out to him to swim over at once before the island was submerged, and Word replied that he could not swim. Johnston then got a long vine, and fastened one end of it on the shore, and taking the other end in his mouth he tried three times to swim across to Ward, but was swept ashore each time. Finding he could not get the vine across, he swam over and commenced to make a raft of bananas and pieces of timber, using vines to fasten it together. After it was finished be tried it, but found it would hardly carry him. He said to Ward that be was the lighter man, and that it would carry him. Ward seemed very frightened, and said be was afraid to try it, but that he thought he could get over if Johnston would allow him to put his bands on his hips, and so swim across. Johnston agreed, but said he would first try with him in shallow water ; and in doing so Ward lost hie presence of mind, caught a tight hold of him, and almost drowned him, end it was only after great struggling Johnston got away from him. Johnston then added another piece of timber to tbe raft, and Ward got on it, and Johnston, having fastened him to it with a vine, commenced towing it to the eliore. When within a few feet of tbe bank the vine broke, and the raft was swept down with tbe current. Johnston followed, and again succeeded in mahing the vine fast to the raft. It broke again. He fastened it a third time; but the raft had then been carried near another rftpid. and Wnrd seeing the position clutched at Jobnßton, who had to dive to escape htm, aud when he came to tbe service apain tho reft, with WsrJ on it had gone. Johnston swam ashore and followed the river down nbont a quarter of a mile, and found Ward standing in a bush in tba river. He succeeded in getting him a little further, to a tree ljing across the river, and partly submerged. Got another strong vinp, nml Corbett having come to their assistence, Ward tied the vine around him And knotted it, although cautioned by Johnston to only twist it. Ward got along the tree to wiihin ten feet of the diore and jumped towards it but fell iu the river übout five feet from the bank, the vine broke, and the poor fellow was swept away with the rapid current, t»n<J waa drowned. Corbeit and Johnston then, without rations and Johnston nekeri, made through the bush for a camp 35 miles down tbe river, having only a sheath-knife to cut their way through the dense scrub. They only travelled two miles the first afternoon, The next morning they started at daylight, sad it took them three days to cut their way through a belt of ecrub and travel three miles. They camped two nights on the mountain p, and on the fifth day they got to the bank of the river again, where it was fair travelling, and made a long stage that day. They found seme wild bananas, which, although not fit for food, they ate. On tbe sixth night they camped on a flat up to their waists in water, and the sixth day they were wading and swimming until they reached high ground in tho evening, at this place where Johnston bad previously worked. He made a hut, and they camped there for the night, Corbett being ill with fever. On the seventh morning they started and travelled all day, reaching a place called High Wharf in tbe evening and damped. At noon that day they found a piece of pumpkin, which they ate. On the eighth morning they were so

roach exhausted that they could not wdk soy further, hut Mazzlin's camp was only three miles distant, and Johnston mßde a small raft for each; but it was Dpceseary to lash the two together to make them support one man. He asked Corbett to start on it for the enmp; but he declined and said he would remain until someone came for him, and in tarn urged Johnston to go. The latter did 60, and reached Mazzlin's camp after two hours. When he got there the men were breaking up camp, and bad already sent the most of their rations away. A boat was immediately sent for Corbett, who waa brought to Mazzlin's in a very weak condition. Both men were treated as well as circumstances permitted at the camp, where they remained two days, and were then taken on by boat to Port Douglas. During the journey through the scrub their bodies were lacerated, and they bled profusely; and, to add to their miseries, they were, in passing through the swamps, fastened on by leeches. These tortures, added to that of hunger, were endured by these brave fellows for eight days. The foregoing is taken from the simple statement of one of the euvivors — Johnston — whose conduct throughout the sad affair was selfsacrificing and heroic.