MERCER

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 331, 20 November 1917, Page 2

MERCER

THE LAUNCH FATALITY 5 THE BODY FOUND The body of Mr James Gardiner, who as briefly reported in I our last issue was drowned in the Waikato river through a miahap to the Waikato Shipping Coy's oil launch " Sylvia." was recovered this (Tuesday) morning near the scene of the occurrence, dragging operations having been continuously in progress since Friday. • The occupants of the launch when the accident occurred comisted of eight passengers, viz, Mr J. and ■ Miss Hughes (Hamiltpn), Mrs Webb (Mercer), Messrs GiUibrand (Mercer; and G. Gregory (Te Eangi) Constable Horan (Mercer) and his young son, and the deceased, to- ? gether with the engine-driver and a boatman, the former taking the place of the usual " skipper," who was t away through illness. The Sylvia is of four tons register, 30ft in length, y draws from 2ft 9in to 3ft of water, and is driven by a 9-h p engine. Bhe - was built about five years ago for the river trade for Mr C. Room, from whom she was purchased last year by the Shipping Company. The driver and boatman stood on a plank alongside the wheel behind the - engine house in the middle of the boat, whilst all the passengers occupied the seats in the well or aft-hold of the vessel, with the exception of Gardiner, who sat on a sack of potar toes on the raised portion of the 8 deck behind the other passengers. 6 The Sylvia duly left Mercer on 8 Friday about 7 a.m for Churchill and Glen Murray, part of " the cargo being in the foren hold, the remainder, composed of sacks of potatoes, bags of l > sugar, planks and milk cans, being loose on deck, d About a mile up-stream from n Mercer, viz, in the vicinity of o Sweeney's Island, the launch, it is n believed, struck a sandbank and then got caught in a strong eddy with the result that owing to the II deck cargo shifting the vessel lurched sideways. The two men at ? the wheel fell into the water but with a good deal of the deck cargo being n thrown out the boat righted itself. In the meantime the seven passengers who were below the surface of 0 the deck, took the advice of Con--6 stable Horan, whose coolness in a 6 trying emergency is commendable, l * and retained hola of their seats, thus saving themselves from being preci- *' pitated into the water. In the exr citeinent that prevailed the fact that Gardiner had gone overboard was not realised until the driver and i, boatman, who had managed to t scramble ashore, called out to ascert tin if anyone was missing. Then p fliere was no trace of Gardiner or of 0 his body. With no one at the wheel - the launch commenced to drift, rush n of water into the engine-room hav--1 ing stopped the engine, but with ani other b?»at coming on the scene the " Sylvia was picked up and taken back < to Mercer. i Nothing is known as to the deceased's identity beyond the information supplied by a friend of his to the police that he was 35 years of age, had been engaged both in farmt ing and contracting, had recently t been living at Hamilton, and had , just bought a farm at Glen Murray. The police have no knowledge as to his relatives. r The inquest will bj formally opened to-morrow (Wednesday) morning and after evidence of identification has been given will be adjourned to a later date.