FATAL ACCIDENT AT TIMARU.

Southland Times, Issue 1186, 22 December 1869, Page 3

FATAL ACCIDENT AT TIMARU.

BROWNLNQ OFMR BALPOUB, MARINE HWaiWEEJR. The Otago Daily Times of the 20th inst. has been favored by a gentleman, who was on board the Maori at the time, with the following account of this occurrence : — The Maori arrived at Timaru on the morning of the 18th inst. on her down trip. There was Ja long heavy swell rolling in, aud although the passengers were lauded the surf-boatsmen declined to load or unload on account of the risk. The Captain having determined to wait a few houra, hoping the swell would go down, went on shore along with some of the passengers, leaving the steamer in charge of the first mate (Mr Sinclair:) About 1 p.m. the breeze freshened and the swell rose considerably, and had a nasty break on it. At about six o'clock we observed a BUrf« boat launched, and could distinguish the captain in it. It was safely hauled out of the surf, and had got a little distance along the line carried from the buoy to the steamer. Suddenly we saw them stop and cease hauling. We guessed the line was foul of the bottom (which it was), and while we were talking about it, the captain waved his hand from the surf-boat. Mr Sinclair ordered the starboard boat to be got out and manned ; she was safely lowered from the davits, and pulling four oars, ran down to the surf boat, about a quarter of a mile away. After taking on board tne captain and passengers, seven in all, she pulled back safely till about abreast of the steamer, when she sheered in, and as she did so, we saw a very nasty looking roller coming up, with a break on, it Struck the boat on the starboard bow, and in a second twelve unfortunates were struggling in the sea. They all extricated themselves from under the boat, and while some clung to the boat, which was bottom up, others Bwam to the ship's side, and clung to the ropes thrown over to them (the life-buoys had been hove overboard a few seconds after the capsize) Thase on the bottom of the boat, fancying they saw a better chance for life at the side of the ship, joined those clinging to the ropes, and only one (Air Ferrier) stiU clung to the keel ; the others, with two exceptions, were pulled up by ropes with a bowline on, so that they could get their arms through the loop. They were all more or less exhausted, as some of them had Bunk several times below the surface. One of the two I have named as exceptions, drifted clear of the steamer, and we saw him sink astern ; he had a rope m his hands several times, but was too exhausted and weak to make use of it. The other exception (Mr Balfour) also had hold of a rope, and once he had a bowline in his hands ; we shouted to him to put it round his body, but he seemed not to understand. He sunk under the counter. Mr Balfour was on his way to W ellington for the purpose of spending Christmas with his family there, but on heariug of the death of Mr Patersoa, who was an old schoolfellow of his, he determined to return to Dunedin for the purpose of attending his funeral on Sunday, intending to proceed north a^ain by the Tararua on Tuesday.

The wheat on the farms in the Bet-Bet district is reported to have attained that golden color portending to ripeness, and the late rains have swollen it to an unusual size. Many of the farmers will commence cutting at the end of the week (lltb), but tne harvest will not last long, as nearly every farmer is supplied with a reaper or stripper. Consequent upon the decline in the price of nour, the bakers of G-eelong announce that they have reduced the price of bread to sevenpence the four-pound loaf.