Motorist Missing from Wrecked Car

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 977, 21 May 1930, Page 1

Motorist Missing from Wrecked Car

ACCIDENT ON BRIDGE RIVER BEING DRAGGED tt is believed that Mr. Alexander Duthie, draper, of Waiuku, was drowned in the Tamaki River last evening. His motor-car. a five-seater, was found Imaging over the bridge on the Great South Road, at 31.30 o’clock. There was no sign of the owner, although a search was made immediately. Mr. Duthie’s overcoat was found floating in the river below the bridge. The tide was full at the time and the water under the bridge was betwen 15ft and 20ft deep. The front left-hand door of the car was open, and it Is surmised that when the motor-car struck the parapet of the bridge Mr. Duthie was thrown into the water. After crashing through the parapet of the bridge the car struck a telegraph pole and remained there, hanging at an angle of 45 degrees. NO WITNESSES No one witnessed the accident. A passing motorist found the car at 11.30 v.m., and immediately informed the Otahuhu police, who made inquiries. This morning the Tamaki River, in the vicinity of the bridge, is being dragged, but at a late hour there was no trace of Mr. Duthie. Papers found in the car gave the police a clue to the owner's identity. The Waiuku police were communicated with, and it was discovered that Mr. Duthie left his home there at 8 p.m. with the intention of coming to Auckland to meet his brother, who was arriving on the Daylight Limited from Wellington. Mr. Duthie’s brother is manager of the New Zealand Express Company. Heavy showers were falling last evening at the time Mr. Duthie would arrive at the bridge over the Tamaki. Marks on the road this morning show where the car swerved and struck the parapet of the bridge, afterward striking the telegraph pole. But for the pole the car undoubtedly would have Plunged into the river. It has been suggested that in the rain Mr. Duthie may have swerved to nvoid another car travelling south, but as no one saw the accident there is no proof of this theory. Mr. Duthie is a married man, and has resided at Waiuku for some years, where he was a popular member of the community.