Fatal Boating Accident.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 51, 17 March 1894, Page 5

Fatal Boating Accident.

It is no mere figure of speech, to say rthafc the community has been plunged in g’rief by the accident •which occurred in the Estuary on Monday last, and resulted in the ■drowning of two young ladies, and the son of a former citizen of Invercargill. It appears that about five o’clock on Monday afternoon Mr P. Dalrymple, jun., left on a cruise down the river in the half-decked hoat Irene, of which he is part owner. He was accompanied by a party of friends, consisting of Miss Bessie Bain, Miss Grace Bain (daughters of Mr J. W. Bain), Miss Mabel Stow (daughter of Mr W. W. Stow, accountant of the Bank of New Zealand), Mr Lionel Bevvs, and Mr 0. B. Bout (son of Mr Chas. Rout, accountant). Soon after starting, and while Mr Bews was aloft assisting to set a sail, the boat canted over and sank from under her occupants, three of whom (Miss Bessie Bain, Miss Stow, and Mr Bews) were drowned before assistance reached them. The accident was witnessed by Mr J. W. Watson, who had left the jetty shortly after five pan. in a fishing boat with Mr Holmes and his son. They saw the Irene disappear, and pulled as hard as they possibly could for the spot, reaching it in time to pick up Mr Dalrymple, who was then in a very weak state, and Miss Grace Bain, who was completely exhausted and disappearing from view. Mr T. Ay son and his son came up at this time and rescued Mr Rout, who had clung to the rigging. The bodies of the drowned were recovered a few hours later. Miss Stow was buried in St. John’s cemetery on Wednesday, tire funeral being a private one. The funerals of Miss Bain and Mr Bews took place on the afternoon of the same day, and were attended by a very large body of mourners, townspeople and settlers alike uniting to show their sympathy with the families so suddenly bereaved.

The following statement regarding the sad occurrence was given on Tuesday by Mr Dalrymple, who has frequently been out in boats, up and down the river:— ‘ £ When we loft the wharf there was very little wind, and the tide had just started to ebb. I kept the helm till past the training wails, less than half-a,-mile below the

Three Lives Lost

jetty, and then said to Miss Mabel Stow, ‘You take a turn with the helm.’ She did so, sitting in the middle of the stern seat, Bews occupying a place to windward near by and coaching her as to what to do. The wind was still very light, and, as the boat was sailing slowly, I remarked to Bews, ‘ I think we’ll get the gaff topsail set.’ The gaff topsail halyards were foul, and I told him to clear them. Bews climbed the mast and sat with his legs over the crosstress. He began to haul up on the halyards while I stood below easing them for him. Miss Stow still had the tiller, sitting’ in the same place, Miss Bessie Bain was seated to leeward; her sister and Charlie Rout to windward, and I also to windward, but forward opposite to the mast. For quite two minutes the boat sailed gently, practically on an even keel, and nothing whatever seemed amiss. She then shook up in the wind, and Bews called out to Miss Stow ‘ Pull the tiller towards you,’ his intention being of course to keep the boat away and let her have a free sheet. She paid off, and then took a list, gradually heeling over until she filled. As she started to go over I ran aft to take the helm. At that time the lee gunwale was under water, hut it was not coming over the combings. I could not say for certain whether Bews descended before the boat filled, hut I think he must have done it, because he was alongside the others directly the accident happened. All were in the stern, and the boat sank from under us. We kept together and she rose side up and we assisted the girls on to her. They were very excited, and caught hold of us. For about a minute we were in this position, and the boat went clown again. Rout managed to cling to the mast, and Bews, who was a good swimmer, sang’ out “ Lookout for the girls.” At this time Bessie Bain and M.abel Stow were floating, their clothes helping’ them, for the time, to keep above water. W e swam with them for some time. Bews had his coat off, but had overalls over his trousers, which would hamper him a good deal. I was swimming with Grace Bain, her hand on my shoulder. The last time I saw Bews, Mabel was in front of him, and had both arms around his neck, Miss Bain having also a hand

on one shoulder. I succeeded in getting- my coat off, and with Grace Bain holding on to my shoulder, swam easily for a time ; then we both went down, and I had to free myself to rise. By this time, Mr Watson’s boat, which we had seen all along, arrived, and after rescuing Grace, who was sinking a few j’arcls above me, came to my assistance. Miss Stow, Miss Bain, and Leo Bews were not then to be seen. I cannot imagine a cause for the accident, because the boat was a stable one and had often stood up with a man on the crosstrees in a breeze, even when she had a ‘ list.’ I believe it would be impossible for her to touch bottom at that state of the tide even supposing we were right on the crown of the middle bank, near which the fatality occurred, because, with her centreboard down, the boat would only be drawing about 3| feet, and at the top of high water at this spot there must be a depth of six feet. The only thing that I can suggest as a cause might be that the boat had not so much ballast on board as usual. Generally she carried 13 cwt., but on this trip we left out three pieces of railway iron, weighing from 3 to 4 cwt Even then, with 6 people in her and some 9 cwt. of ballast, she should have been perfectly stable. An inquest was held on Thursday, when J. E. Bews deposed that his brother Lionel, deceased, was 22 years of age.

P. Dalrymple, junr., gave evidence substantially to the same effect as in his statement given above, and added that there had been no skylarking’ in the boat, no rocking, or anything of that kind. Since the occurrence he had been down to where the boat was and found there a depth of 9ft. 3in. of water, just about the same time of the tide. The only way he could account for the accident was too much topweight and too little ballast, although the deceased had been up the mast often before with the same ballast in the boat, and when it was blowing much harder.—-The Coroner said six pieces of iron at 1201 b each would give a total ballast of 6cwt. hqr. 201 b said it would appear so, but he had understood that the eight pieces had been purchased ate weighing 13cwt. Of course if a puff of wind gave the boat a list the weight of the deceased on the cross-trees would have great effect. J. B. Glreig, a former owner of the Irene, deposed that she had been built in Auckland by Bailey. He found her safe and a splendid sea-boat. The ballast usually carried was from 12 to locwt., but on some occasions he had sailed her in races with scwt. He believed 6 cwt. 1 qr. 20 lb. would be sufficient for ordinary sailing, but he did not think it would be quite safe for anyone to go up the mast with only that ballast unless there were experts on board who knew how to balance the boat. Witness thought the accident had probably been caused by all the live ballast —the people on board —not being on the windward side of the boat, the top-weight of Bews, and a puff of wind coming at the time.

Charles Basil Rout also gave evidence. Bews came down the mast before the water was over the combings, and the boat still went over. As the boat filled they all got up to windward and stood on the side of the boat. When the water got up to their armpits they all floated off. One of the ladies got hold of him round the neck, and he asked her to let go and try to get back to the boat. She did so, and witness struggled back to the boat and got hold of the mast. He could swim a little. He got hold of and stood on the wires, up to his shoulders in the water. The last he saw of Bews and Miss Stow was when she had hold of him, and witness heard him say to her, “ It’s all right, the boat will be here in a minute.” Witness saw a boat coming up. At that time he also saw the Misses Bain, apparently together, and MrDalrymple further down. Witness knew nothing about ballast. They all did the best they could, and no blame could be attached to anyone. There

had been no “skylarking.” Witness was not a good swimmer, and was blind of one eye. J. W. Watson, W. Holmes, and Constable Burnett, and J. I/. Mackie (part owner of the boat), also gave evidence. The last-named witness stated that about 13 cwt. of railway iron had been bought for the boat as ballast. He thought there were eight pieces, and they varied in. length, some perhaps by two feet. The longest were over 6ft. The iron was ordered from W. Guthrie and. Co, and obtained by Mr Murie, an employe of that . firm, from the Railway Department. Witness, having procured a receipt from the Railway Department, said it showed the weight of the eight bars to have been 11041 b, or 9cwt. 3qrs. and 1211> The jury returned the following' verdict: —“ That on the 12th day of March, 1894, Peter Dalrymple* Walter Lionel Bews, Charles Basil Rout, Bessie Bain, Grace Bain, and Mabel Stow, went out in the centreboard boat Irene for a pleasure sail on the Waihopai estuary with a very light breeze. It being decided to set the gaff topsail, Walter Lionel Bews climbed up the mast to loosen the hoisting halyard, which had become, foul. The boat having too little ballast, the weight of the man on the mast, and the wind filling the sail,, together caused the boat to list oveir and fill with water, whereby the occupants were thrown into the water, resulting in the accidental drowning' of Bessie Bain, Mabel Stow, and. Walter Lionel Bews.”

BEYOND BBC ALL. [contributed.] Leave them in silence—sorrow would her lonely ; Joy hath no fellowship with tearless grief. No kindly words can soothe—in darkness only The sorely wounded heart may find relief. Morning will come, though long the darkness: lingers, ■> A better morrow for the night of pain. When duty, with cold and unrelenting; fingers, Takes up the ravelled skein of life again. Go, then, in silence, sorrow would be louelyv And humbled now the once imperious will— Not those who share their pain shall conquer only, But also they who learn to suffer and be still.