DEATH BY DROWNING.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5288, 7 March 1878, Page 2

DEATH BY DROWNING.

It is with very sincere regret that we have to record the death of Mr. Alexander Reid, a well-known journalist, under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Mr. Reid, it appears, came on board the steamer Taupo at Lyttelton on Tuesday evening, having taken his passage to Auckland, where he was going on a visit to his brother. During the evening Mr. Reid was several times on deck, and from enquiries made yesterday we hear that he appeared to be in good spirits. Mr. Eugene O’Conor, a fellow passenger, who has known Mr. Reid for many years, seems to have been the last person who saw him. At about half-past ten o’clock at night Mr. O’Conor, who was' in the smokingroom, saw Mr. Reid standing on the deck near the door of the room. The steamer was at that time rolling heavily, but no idea of there being any danger of an accident was entertained, Erom that time nothing more was seen or heard of Mr. Reid, who, it is thought, must have lost his balance in a sudden lurch of the vessel, and fallen overboard. Erom what we can learn, there seems no reason to think that he contemplated suicide, and those who knew him are aware that he was about the last man anyone would suppose likely to commit self-destruction. A letter from Mr. O’Conor, which appears in another portion of our columns, bears strong testimony to the probability of the sad occurrence having been pure accident. Mr. Reid has been long and favorably known as a journalist, and was deservedly held in high esteem by his brethren of the Press, who admired his talents aud liked him as a genial companion. He was for seme time employed on the editorial staff of the Wellington Independent aud New Zealand Times, as well as on other local journals, aud latterly, until a recent period, was sub-editor of the Christchurch Press. He was the son of a newspaper proprietor aud editor in Scotland, and had been trained from his youth to journalism, in which calling he was thoroughly proficient. He had travelled a good deal, and had been connected with newspapers in Canada, the United States, and Australia, before coming to New Zealand. He was engaged on the staff of the Ot.iyo Times when Sir Julius Vogel was editor of that journal, and some of the special reports relative to the then newly discovered goldfields of that province, from Mr. Reid’s pen, enhanced the high reputation he brought wi h him as an accomplished descriptive writer. Mr. Reid was about forty-three years of age aud unmarried. A large circle of relatives aud friends, to each aud all of whom he was greatly endeared, will long lament his loss. i