The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-06-27 00:00:00

Boat Upset in Weymouth Bay.

LADY, GENTLEMAN, AND wATERMAN

DROWNED.

On Wednesday lard a lady +IA gentleman of
rather young spreseranoe hired the yawi.rigged boat
Floducla of Mr. Valises, boatorner, on the beech in
front of Victoria Terrace, and with a yaung
waterman of much skill and experience, named
Nugent, went out for a rail in the Bay.
They appeared to have sailed towards Osming-
ton, and to he returning to Victoria Terrace
beach, the wind being puffy, the weather m;sty, and
the yawl under double-reefed mainssil, jib, and aprit
sail, when about hall-s-mile from the land, and not
far from the white mark-flog used in the boat noes,
being at the tints' a. the specula u. think., somewhere
opposte Blackhead. A watermin named Dealer,
ea.ployed by Mr. Baer, who wait watching them,
saw the boat suddenly go on her beam ends. Canter
was too shocked to know the time; but it seems to
have been a little before 12. Immediately pointing
his Wien T., he saw the people struggling
in the water, and letting his glass fall, be
rushed to a boat, ant with others was
won pulling as hard as they rould to the spot. Other
boats were after the capsized yawl also; but all were
too late, the yawl, which had in her nine pigs, about
5 cwt. of iron ballast, had gone down at once in about
Isis fathoms of water. Almost immediately six boats
I were on the *cone, and very sen thry were dragghg,
the coaatguardemen were early there dragaing, the
Customs boat sailed scrota, and quickly the fi tilla grew
to 12 or 15. The boat in which was waterman Taylor,
employed by Mr. Carter, quickly got bold of the
Florinda, but she slipped again; but the coasignards-
men effiktually grappled her, and sorue of the flotilla
brought her to the beech at the foot of Greenhill shortly
before three o'clock. Her sails were found double-reefed,
as dated, and she still bad in lar the nine pigs
of ballast; but by the time she wee brought ashore
her main sheet was adrift, although it is supposed to
have been made fast at the time of the accident. Her
mast was taken out, and she was token t 3 Weymouth.
No bodies were in her, and rumour had named various
places as the head-quarters of the strangers. But Mr.
Pittis, of the Queen's Hotel, had reason to believe
they were Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, a young gentleman
and lady, who had come to the hotel from Hereford
on the previous evening, and were supposed to be on
their honeymoon tour to Jersey. They had gone out
between tea and eleven, ordering luncheon at two,
shortly after leaving Mr. Rogers returned and obtained
two bottled of PN.1.11 pale ale Ira) the young person
at the bar, which he took awey wrapped in paper.
They did not return at two, and the esarsh parties
having f lend two bowler hats floating, Mr. Pittis
went to the police-station, and believed that one was
Mr. Rogers' hat, though be could not be certain of so
ordinary a description of hat. Some cushions of the
boat were also found Boating. As time peened
on, even after the boat was found, without any
news from Mr. and hire. Roger., it was believed
they were lying in 24fh of water at the bottom of the
bay. Mrs. Rogers is supposed to have been about 30,
Mr. Rogers rather younger, and about sft. 10ia. • but
this is only a guess, attention not having been speCially
directed to them, of course. Their luggage is still
(Wednesday evening) unclaimed. Nugent was about
27 years old, a smart, skilful waterman, and leaves a
wife sad children and father, overwhelmed by the loos.
Of coarse, in spite of the miserable drizzle, large num.
berg of people gathered on the Esplanade, watching
the search, and walked to Greenhill to see the boat.
The capeiged boat WWI one of the finest of her class,
and had only been built last 'mason,
WIDNISOLT

Shortly after nine, the net Tr-L—AATlied—All3-,;;;"1/
willing helpers, in the prawn*, of an immense crow
at the Greenhill. There was nothing there. The dis-
appointment was &seta for all seemed to henget their
hearts on the bodies being rammed before the friend'
of Mr. and Mr.. Rogers should arrive. Mr. Vickery
had telegraphed to Hereford, and received an &newer
that no doll) they were Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, "of
this county" (Hereford.) it has been stated that the
young temple were married on Saturday ; but Mr.
Mantel!, the Greet Western guard, who came down
with them over this district of the line, states they
were marri-d on the previ.ins day. He showed them
mach attention, and obtained a separate compartment
for the bride and bridegroom. The latter was a
pleseaut affable man, and wanted a respectable house,
and Mr. gantell introduced them to the Queen's.
When the net was found empty the great crowd
slowly and madly returned, in fee* of the breeze and
drule, over an Esplanade trodden into yellow mud.
Among tA3 people were fishermen and bosuns, from
the shores, poor souls of people from the back courts,
sal to see at any time, nut sadder ae with a great
sympathy for the young visitors they marched through
the wet in their poor clothe., children, of course, eh ..p
assibtaate in wrap end waterproofs. workmen from
office and sh•p, Idris from the workr ono., treiesmen,
visitors is great numbers, and, of course, police. Supt.
Vickery had been up superintending, and Serpent
Aqey bad had a long guard at the boats. The
miserable day did not end with the dbannointment at
the net; the crowd halted opnosite the Belvi lere and
Victoria-terra°, where the Rimini& was hauled OA
Its beech, covered with canvas from bow to at-rn.
Along the edge of the Bay came • couple of bairn
rind these were foUowed with expectation. There hal
bees • rumour that • sailing-boat had found
• holy, but this woes from the men on bard
ceiling out enquiries to the others as to whether
they had • b ady. The people were slot irstkied,
thinking something was concealed from them, and the
crowd h Act when the boats approached the .bore,
lining the Esplanade for a long distance. and Wed
many deep oaths beach. A moment's glance ',laced
to show there WU no corpse on board either, and
many would persbt it had been oonveyed elsewhere.
perhaps tithe Harb or. The gin lode wee criticised.
and it was remarked she hadn't much of a keel, and
ought never to be allowed to put up sails. A. tr) her
ballast that was stated to be so secured that it
couldn't shut; but the ropes, it was rumotred, were
new, and did not, when wet, easily slip through the
!skate, so that it Is possible the sails were not
manageable quickly enough.
The coastguard returned late fram the scrne. They
had been sweeping the bottom with an iron bar, many
yards long, and sit with cooger,hooks, and they can-
not account f ir the bodies not being found, eat pt that
they mu.t have di lfted farther to leeward. They Con'
rider there was never anything like four f.thoms of
water there, not half that, as when they were there
they could reach the bottom in some parts with the
oar. The work of searching was to be resumed at day-
light.
After patio- t dragdoe, the body of Mr. Rogers was
dragged up abbot four o'clock on Thursday afterr,con,
' and conveyed to the police-station; it had been
, scratched by the dredging apparatus. Mrs. Wirers's
; body was found between sewed and eight In ' • net,
og.pcsite the Greenhill Gardens, and was removed
' from It before the net was drawn ashore. Both bodies
were taken to tee pojineoestioo, and identifie I by Mr.
Illteree father, and Mr. G4Rfiths, brother of the
deceased, these gentlemen ha eg 'arrived that after-

THE INQUEST
(oo tba e 41.4 q wr. I.iu44ers, Kr'. (*ohne
%Yaw. R beers. mad reel Helmet. water:nen. nil
opened 4 *levee on rider morning In taw 04 n 4h..
Holcombe Regis, be ere M. 870:001:. Lq.. Derunar,
anonuar, and tbe Vl:owing jurymen :—Nesers. John
Angel Mberrea, It A. Arles, C. M. Carter, G. Rod,lt N.
Smith, T. Holder, Jame. Muller, .1. G. Richards. R. .1.
R.al, H. A. Rendell, J. T. Talbot, J. H. Ryall, and
Georre Dade. Mr. Shorten WM oboe-o foreman.
The Coroner said their brat duty would be to view the
;falafel:.
When Ale land boom doss, tie lather ol Mr. ROMS WM
ogled.