The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-07-17 00:00:00

DROWNING OF A BOSCAWEN BOY.

_
On Tuesday afternoon a bathing party from the
Boscawen were disporting themselyee when A sad accident
ornurred. Richard Gilbert, about 17, from Croyden,
clever swimmer, had dived, and coming up struck hie
head, It is supposed, against the bottom of a boat astern
of the bathing tank, and went down again. Charles Marsh,
and a boy named Charles Bettleetone jumped in, dived,
and searched for hint, but could not find him, and they
sent to the ship for a diver. One belonging to the lighter
engaged in repairing the Government moorings went down
and fetched up the hotly: but about 20 minutes had
leaped. and the poor boy was quite dead.
The inquest was held on Thurailay as the Breakwater
lintel. before Mr. R.. N. Howard, coroner, when the
following evidence was adduced :
Henry Davis said the deceased was on board the
Tioseawen. He had known him for the lest four months,
and had always found him very cheerful. On Tuesday
afternoon he (witness) with ileceaxed and other boys left
the chip for the purpose of bathing, the party being in
charge of Mr. Makin, gunner's mate, and Mr. Marsh,
instructor of swimming and of the use of the lead line.
When on hoard the swimming tank the deceased with
other boys dived from it, and he afterwards swam from
the tank to the second cutter. Ile swam from port to
starboard of her, and again to the port side, then trying
to catch hold of her third fender. He missed his hold and
went under the water once. He (witness) gave notice to
the boys in the boats the cutter was astern of them and
a boy was going under. He then called to a boy named
Jeans and also to Mr. Makin, and the latter went to the
assistance of deceased, who went down under the rudder
of the cutter. Mr. Marsh dived and tried to find the
deceisted, hot only picked up some seaweed. The circum-
stance was at once reported to the ship, and in about a
quarter of an hour afterwards the hotly of deceased was
picked up by a diver and taken a.shore to the hospital.
Deceased had no right by the side of the cutter, an there
we. • proper resting place on the tank. Ile was a
moderate swinimer, and had only been in the water about
five minutes.
Charles Itittlestone, a Boscawen lad, said he bad bathed
with deceased several times, and he was a moderate
swimmer. He (witness) did not Lathe on Tuesday, as he
thought the water too cold, and boye could do as they
liked. Ile saw the deceased and another boy name'
Chainey ewin towards the cutter. They hung on the port
side of the cutter, which was the port side of the tank.
Chainey started to swim bark again, but lie did not see
de-caned afterwards until his body was taken out of the
water. Heard the boys call out for Mr. Makin. Mr.
Marsh, who was then teaching a boy to swim, dived off
the tank to rescue the deceased, only taking off his
jumper and cap. Ache could not find him he came on
board, stripped, and then dived again. Mr. Mahan had
told the boys if they had not enough confidence in them-
selves they were to have • belt, but he (witness) did not
see any one wear it.
Thomas Makin said he we. gunner's nate and instructor
on board WM'S. Boscawen. He was also • swimming
instructor there, and had been so for two years and seven
months. On Tuesday he took a party of boys to the tank
for the purpose of swimming. Mr. Marsh wee with a
separate party for the purpose of lead instruction. He
(witness) had upwards of forty boys and told them to
strip, those who could swim to go overboard and those
who had not enough confidence to go into the tank.
About twenty lads went overboard with deceased and
were swimming about four or five luinutes. Deceased
was able to swim. Two cutters were astern of the tank,
and he saw deceased take hold'of the second to rest. He
afterwarde saw him and Chainey start from it as if for •
race but saw nothing more of him until he heard he was
sinking. Mr. Marsh jumped overboard and went to the
bottom, but could not find the boy. He (witnese) went to
the ship and reported the affair, when • diver was sent
and he recovered the body. It was found where it went
down. He did not dive after the hotly, as lie could not
see it, No one was meddling with deceased, who last
summer passed as a good swimmer. All diligence was
used in recovering the body, and all means adopted for
endeavouring to restore life.
Mr. Riney, surgeon on board the Boscawen, said
deemed was about 17 years of age. On Tuesday last he
(witness) was summoned and immediately proceeded to
the swimming tank, lie saw the diver put on his dress,
and about two minutes after he had gone down he gave •
signal and came up with the body, but life was extinct.
Blankets and towels had been already prepared, and
deceased was attended to in the boat whilst it was con-
veying him to the shore. For four hours everything was
done that could be to restore life, but from the length of
the immersion it was from the first • hopeless task. There
were no marks of blows on the head of deceased, and death
was caused solely by drowning. Ile must have either had
the cramp or • fit, The boy was well formed, and had
never been on the sick list
The jury returned a verdict of" Accidentally drowned."

PARKS toxic.

CAPTAIN JACK TTIE SSI COOLS& -Probably the following !
incidents in the life of Captain Jack might be considered
somewhat amusing !—His fame as a stretagist having
become known in Ireland, he was solicited by certain free
traders to assume the command of a large smuggling
craft, and to exercise his ingenuity by evading the
vigilance of the Greyer revenue cruisers, which had for a .
lengthened period rendered smuggling operations on the
coast extremely hazardous. Accepting the command, and
pledging himself to out-general the commanding officer of
the cruiser, our hero, previous to his departure for
Flushing, directed one of his principal co-adjutors to
sesame the chat-actor of an informer, by communicating
to the officer that an extensive run of tobacco was
arranged to take place at a spot far from the one selected
for the enterprise, and to allege that he was thus driven
to act in retaliation for an injury he had sustained at the
hands of our hero. Believing the information to he
correct the officer proceeded to the indicated spot at the time
specified, kept and a sharp look-out throughout the night,
inwardly exulting at the prospect of a valuable prize. His
chagrin, however, might easily be imagined, when it was
announced to him in the morning, that whilst he was
thus occupied, Captain Jack had out-iteneralled him by
effecting a run of eleven hundred hales or t0b.,,,,, 0,, a
station, known as "Jacks-hole "is the County of Wick-
low, but not however without considerable resistance on
the part of the officer'. They were nevertheless quickly
overpowered by an overwhelming force--aecurely tied by
their hands and feet, and to render their pi,.ition More
comfortable throughout the night, a hale of tobacco, by
our hero's orders, was placed under each of their heads as
pillows, in which state, they were subsequently discovered
and released by a coastguardsman. —The above daring act
caused quite a sensation throughout the county, and it is
doubtless still fresh in the recollection of some of the old
grey beards residing in the locality. Our hero's next ex-
ploit was of an equally daring and successful character.—
Ascertaining that a certain detached station on the
coast wee but feebly guarded, he resorted to the
following dratagem to effect an extensive run thereon.
Arriving off the spot alluded to steneertiat before the
going down of the Sun, in a capacious craft containing
upwards of 1,000 bales of tobacco, and with the view of
etireellna the attention of the officers, rightly judging
they would man a boat to board her, our hero, in
oWeihring their approach gave his men the following
instil...lug l .—" Keel) out of eight my lads till they jump
upon the deck. thew diesrat them. scuttle their boat, but I
in no eeetteat we aseeseesely %deem sad Convey them
as g, width were carried out
to the were thee ealared, our hero
.liaal of ide houISIMIS oat-go, which
too ANCI•4 %ft the Wad= the coit,:a
le
tWeirbriimeit them a
=ISI
se *evil beteratiesirrinilad =
ak iiiiVedia Vregrizikabs...bigsvi
Oak 1140/1" thea armed it wed
ant list the seem AM owl se our
boo te that their hittletill/. It forther ailed :
l.
Oa the f
about IS Ova the.
eTsiteilariajlia=6 lie