DROWNED AT SEA.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8779, 5 April 1907, Page 2

DROWNED AT SEA.

Per Press Association. Auckland, April 4. The missing patiki was picked up outside Tiritiri by the scow Era, having been driven to sea by the gale. Only one of the five originally on board v.-as alivo iu the boat. That was Mr J. Pilkington, The other four perished, viz., Messrs 11. and F. Pilkington, sons of the survivor, Lionel Skinner, and W. JMcAneny. Mr Pilkington states that three of the crew struck out for the shore and were drowned. One boy stayed with him in the boat, and, being sickly, Mr Pilkington nursed him for eighteen hours. Then the boy expired. Pilkington later threw ] tho body overboard. Tho survivor had j been forty-two hours in the boat when picked up. The boat left Motutapu in a squall and was driven to sea. Latee. Charles Hanson, a member of tho Era's company, states that' at daybreak on Wednesday, the look-out heard a cry of distress and descried a man clinging to a submerged boat with a torn shirt waving from the gaff. A welcome answering j bail was given and a boat-lowered, They ' found the patiki all but awash with its ; solitary human burden dressed in ragged 1 trousers and coat, clinging to the combings and leaning exhausted against the ' centre-board case. The rescuers lifted j Pilkington aboard and rowed him to the [ scow. He stated that ho had just given up hope when he sighted the Era. Speaking to a Herald reporter, Mr Pilkiuston said : " There were four sharks constantly round the boat, After Lionel Skinner's body was gone they seemed to know that I was hanging on for life. I don't know whether they were attracted by tho dead bodies in the boat or not. A small one camo quite close up to the boat, but three were large ones and kept abovit twenty feet away. I could see them quite plainly swimming around the boat, and sometimes their big black fins woidd bo showing. I kept the bodies of my sons Harry and Fred on board until Tuesday night, and then put them overboard."

Mrs Skinner, mother of Lionel Skinner, states that her .married son Albert intended to go out in the Marion on Monday, but at the Last moment ho decided to go to the races instead. Lionel is the second son she has lost by drowning, the first having lost his life in tho Waikato Eiver. Sho states that Pilkington was a very cartful man with a boat.

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