DROWNED IN MANUKAU

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 853, 23 December 1929, Page 1

DROWNED IN MANUKAU

FALL FROM DINGHY WHILE PULLING DRAG-NET GALLANT ATTEMPT AT RESCUE A tragic end to a day’s fishing occurred on Saturday afternoon in the Mamikau Harbour, when Mr. John Massey Gardiner, of McKendrick’s Parade, Te Papapa, fell overboard from his dinghy while pulling in a fishing net and was drowned. Cries for help attracted three men on the shore, but the body disappeared before they arrived at the scene. Dragging operations were undertaken on the arrival of the police, but at the time of going to press the body had not been recovered. Deceased, who was employed in the Onehunga shop of R. and W. Hellaby, Limited, was 50 years of age, and was married. He leaves a wife and five children, all boys, the eldest being 15 years of age. It was about 5 p.m. when the accident occurred, Mr. Gardiner was fishing with a drag net from a flatbottomed boat in an estuary near the end of the parade in which he lived. Pie was alone at the time, and it is believed that he overbalanced while pulling the- net into his boat and became entangled in the net. Clad in heavy clothing and gum-boots, it was realised that he was in difficulties as soon as he fell into the water. At the time of the mishap three men, Messrs. Kenneth- William Fraser and T. Lloyd, both of Onehunga, and Andrew Christie, of Penrose, were engaged on the shore repairing a launch. Deceased knew Mr. Fraser and called to him for help. Mr. Gardiner was about 200yds out when Mr. Fraser raced into the water and started to swim out. The other two men followed in like fashion. The dinghy was seen floating away and Mr. Gardiner was struggling in the water. When nearing the body Mr. Fraser saw it disappear. He dived repeatedly until exhausted hut failed to recover the body. One of his companions attempted to catch the dinghy while the other returned to the shore for his own boat. The police at Onehunga were informed and three members of the force, Constables F. W. Johnson, W. E. Poll and A. E. Hinton, carried out dragging' operations until after dark. Others patrolled the shore. Late in the afternoon the coat which Mr. Gardiner had been wearing was washed ashore. Another search of the beach was made yesterday and this morning, but without success. Messrs. William Wright and Vivian Wright gave invaluable assistance to the police during the search. The spring tide had just begun to ebb when the accident occurred, but added to the strong run of the tide in the estuary the south-west wind made the water choppy and dragging operations were undertaken with some difficulty. The bottom of the harbour in this vicinity is covered by four to five feet of soft mud.