FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT ON LAKE WAKATIP.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 215, 28 August 1862, Page 5

FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT ON LAKE WAKATIP.

(From the Southland News.) It is with deep re-ret that we have to announce the death by drowning, on Saturday, the 9th mst., of Mr. William Rogers, of Crlenquoich Station, caused by the upsetting of a boat during a squall on Lake Wakatip! Ihe following particulars may be relied upon as giving an anthentic account of the accident:— Mr. William Rogers (who occupied with his brother a station in the Wakatip district) had been on a visit to Mr. W. G. Rees, at the Shatover run, Wakatip, and was to have returned to the foot of the lake in Mr. Rees's large boat, which was being loaded witb timber from the north end for him. The boat being delayed by contrary winds, and Mr. Rogers being anxious to get back to his own place, Mr. Rees lent him another boat with a Maori in his (Mr. Rees) employ, to *a. ke, hl m down- A gentleman named Mitchell—who also had been stopping at Mr. Rees —accompanied Mr. Rogers. They left about 8.30 a.m, on Saturday, the 9th August, and Mr. Rees saw them start with a fair wind which promised to land them at the foot of the lake (twenty-six miles distant) in four or nve hours. He never a^ain saw Mr. Rogers It appears from Mr. Mitchell's statement of the catastrophe, that about an hour after starting the wind freshening, Maori Jack asked Mr. Mitchell to take the sprit out. Whilst he was trying to do this, a squall struck the boat, and with the heel over, Mr Mitchell (who was standing on the thwart) was thrown to leeward; and with this, the boat immediately capsized, and turned keel up When Mr. Mitchell rose to the surface Jack was cbn-ing to the keei, and Mr. Ro^eis, after swimming a short distance, also turned hack and took up a position beside them. Jack made every effort to right the boat, but, with the Heavy sea running, she kept rolling over and over, and the intense cold soon rendered Mr. Rogers and Mr. Mitchell almost powerless. This continued for a whole hour, and twice during that time did Jack save both Mr. Rogers and Mr. Mitchell, by bringing them back to the boat when shaken from their hold At last, with another complete roll over' Mr Mitchell, on rising to the surface, found himself under the boat, and seizing one of the thwarts, he managed to find breathing space between the water and the boat's bottom JJut another sea turning her over, he was a*ain seized by Jack, and when brought to the boat poor Mr. Rogers had disappeared. Mr. Mitchell, now utterly powerless to hold on himself, was held up for nearly an hour by Jack, who, with one hand on the boat and the other on Mr. Mitchell's waist, gallantly supported him. At length -Jack (who had before tried to get the mast out of its step) managed to cut the hamper that kept it from conim" °. u i t* / hls done» tbe boat "gated, and by the aid of the oars, which, fortunately, were jammed under the seat, they managed to ! P7t to i.the Shore ' distant aboat a mi'e and I a-nalt,—the sea, however, making a complete | breach over them. Mr. Mitchell does not remember how they landed, as he for some time ky almost insensible. They had no means of kindling a fire, but by the aid of some blankets that were found under the half-deck forward they managed to pass the night. ' The next day (Sunday), Jack started alone on foot to Mr. Yon. Tunzleman's station (distant thirty miles), Mr. Mitchell being unable to move; and reached there about 9pm Tnat geutleman and his brother started directly and pulled across to Mr. Rees's—a distance of sixteen miles—and rousing him about •2 a.m. on Monday, Mr. Rees turned out, and with the boatmen (who had arrived with the large boat on the Saturday night), the party set off down the lake; and a beautiful moonil- i *\\ 3 \ enabled them to pick up Mr. Mitchell, who, though much exhausted, was doing well at the time (the 12th inst ) Mr Rees wrote giving us the foregoing particulars' of this melancholy accident. One paragraph we must give in Mr. Rees's own words:—"l cannot speak too highly of Jack s gallant conduct. In Mr. Rogers I have lost a good friend and neighbor, and his loss wi 1 be much felt by all who had the pleasure of knowing him."—(Assuredly if any man ever deserved the -old medal of the Royal Humane Society, "Maori Jack" does so; and the frequency of occurrences of this or similar accidents in New Zealand, makes it matter of regret that no colon al branch of that excellent bociety has been established.) Mr. Rogers, We believe, was a native of Cumberland, but from which district we have not heard. He had been out from home, we hear some two-or three years. His body had not been found when we last heard from the Wakatip.