SEVEN DROWNED

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 53, 23 July 1914, Page 6

SEVEN DROWNED

THE TWEED DISASTER. DESPERATE EIGHT FOR LIFE. A . ~ ~ . Sydney, July 15. A boating disaster, in which seven men io .st their lives and the rest had very narrow escapes, took place at I weed Heads, near the Queensland border, on Friday afternoon/ A party of 13 men left the heads in a small motor-.annch in the morning on a fishing excursion. Tfcey had a sninoU passage until reerossing the bar on I'he return trip shortly alter five o'clock. Whi.e on the bar the launch got be;mn, on to the swell, and was swamped and turned over and over by the waves. 6ix of the occupants reached shore, but ••even perished. The names of the drowned were:—John C. Barr, about 55 years, hotel keeper, Pittswartb, Queensland; James Erecney, about 40, commercial traveller, representing Dixon and Co., boot manufacturers, of. Brisbane; George Gibson, affout 60, board-lngbiouse-kceper, Coolangatta, leaves a wife and adujt family; George' Piggott, about AS, carpenter, Tweed and two children, youngest about fomr months; Arthur Arnold, aged 24, single, employed in the pilot service; Bert Buchanan, about 42, single, residing at the Hotel Pacifique, Tweed Heads. The hU.rviv.ors of the disaster were.--G. Wells, J. Martin, J. Arnold, M. .Scholes. ,1. Watfei, and F. Lowes, the last-named being the captain of the launch.

I We. Is tells a story of great heroi.s.n • on the part of Mr. 'Buchanan, one of ' tie victims. He was the most experi- i . enced surfer of the partv, and he made ! such frantic pflWts to' save Freeney i that he became exhausted, and was \ dashed against the rocks ...ml his jaw ' broken. When picked ,up he was ouite : warm. ' j Captain Lowes siid the launch was ' coining in on a wave at the time of the accident. A large cross wave eamie u;n- ! expectedly, however, and poured in at ■ the opening on the starboard sids as i the vessel listed, and swamping into tile bow completely turned her over. The whole of the party were on tlb'e top d«-k ' and, were all thrown clear. Lowes slid ' hi swam back to the craft and grasped ! the rudder, several others arriving a;- ; most simultaneously at the same point. I The propeller was still' 'working, the ' engine net having stopped ami Lowes j warned these to keep clear of the 'blades. I Gibson, who was' about HO years of age, | was about 30ft away, near Barr, ,/nd ! on the former calling for help Lowes, j who is a gocd swimmer, went to his assistance. On reaching him both Gib- I son and Barr, who were fast 'becoming ! exhausted, grappled with Lowes, and a j desperate struggle endued. Lowe* dived j twice to free himself from tihe men's ! frenzied embraces, and only got clear ■ when a large wave struck the trio, j tearing them apart, and leaving Lowe's coat in the grasp of one of t'he ; drown- ' ing men, both of whom immi'odiatcly ] sank. Lowes then secured a piece of I planking, and landed at Quarry Bay on Point Danger. He says there was practically no confusion at the time of the disaster, the only person lh'« beard calling out in any measure of distress or anxiety being Gibson.