The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-06-19 00:00:00

WYKE REGIS.

FATAL FISHING ACCIDIPT Thuz Mm
Deoweer.i.—On Saturday evening an inquest was held
at the Albert Inn, before Odu Somonda Rut, caroller,
on the body of Abraham Harris, 43, end George Pitman,
30, both of Weymouth, toed John Stone, IS, of Wyk,.
The fint witness °abed, was William GNOMIC, who
said that on the previous evening, about five debar,
they saw • flock et mackerel in the bay, about a mile
from where their boat by on the beech. They lannelind
the boot, which was a sizeoarod one, the usual sise
employed in fishing, and he end six others got into it.
mud went tourds the fish. It was the duty of the sae
who ogre with hien to pall the oars, his plant being to
par out the net. Whou they had got to within about
100 yenta of be fish, One Of the iarn .aid" Heave the
rope ashore," incasing the haul-in rope on on. end of
the seine. They were then about 20 yards ft.,. the
I shore, and there was a very strong ground ma, but very
, little wind was blowing. He hove one end of the rope
upon, which was caught by some of those who were
standing on the beach. Jun as he was about to pay
out the net, a Leavy sea washed the rope over two of
the oars on the beach side of the boat—ethieb was lying
broadside to the beach—and they got entangled, end
before they could be freed, another hung sea eleven the
bows of the boat, liaising Coe craft on its beam-ends
and turning it completely over, lengthwise, falling back-
wards into the water bottom upwards, the whole of the
men being under it. He was entangled in the net, but
he insiowed by some means to free himself, got out
from under the boat, and swam to another fishing boat
between 100 and 200 yards distant. The reason be
s.• 111 to that boat was, because it would be very
deregerous to attempt the shore with lila clothes on. on
automat of the strong "back tow." As he was swim-
ming away from his boat, be saw those on shore trying
to render auburn" to Lis companions, but he could net
tell what us done, It was about an hour before be
mune ashore In the boat he had sum to for safety, and
when be did come Rebore, be learned that his three
companions who had been saved—two of whom Ind
been injured—had been taken home, and the three who
had perithed, were lying side by side on tb• beach,
covered over. The but had also been got out, Mr
stern poet being knocked away, and she wu otherwise
very much injured. He bad been used to fishing for
the last dose', years. The boat was a good 11114, being
nearly new, and all tbe men in the boat were oonipetent
for their work. lie had seen the oars of bosh" get
entangled in the " beel-in" before, bet he had tuner
seen an accident occurring such as that. He had
before been capsized in a boat. He had frequently
been out on the water when the sea was rougher then
it was on Friday. He did not °imbibe the sea on that
day dangerously rough for tithing; all that existed was
a strong head sea, which produced a drug under-tow,
but farther out the we was quite calm. All in the boat
were perfectly sober—not one of them bad drank any-
thing stronger than tea or water that day.—lllatthew
Bird, of Wylie. end that be was the owner of the boat,
and wanted to launch it, and watched it all the time it
wee making towards the lick of mackerel that was
Averred 10 the bay, and caught the end of the haul
rope when it was thrown out. The net was always
paid out from the stern of the vessel. As soon tie the
rope was thrown out, a veva washed it round two of the
oars, and alother heavy sea immediately afterwards
striking the boat on the bow, she was lifted over on her
stern and capsized. The boat did not sink, but floated
on the water bottom upwards. A larg. number soon
collected oath, spot, and they joined hands and went
into the ma to try and eine the men, bet although the
boat was only about 12 yards off, it was found impos-
sible to get to it on account of the serf. After the
boat bad beem holdout upwards two or three mieutes,
the men who had been saved came out, and they were
laid hold of and brought to land. After about three
quarters of an boor, the bodies of Pitman and Harris,
were washed oat from under the boat, and were got
ashore, end about ten minutes or • quarter of as hour
after that he managed to reach the boat, and on turning
it up be saw the body of Stone, entangled in the rope.
Re did not know whether any means were used to
restore min:union to the two radios first got out., as he
wee in the water trying to get out the third inan. He
was 'stinted they wen all quite dead when at the
time they were got gained No brandy nor other
stimulants were at hand to give the men, even had
they not been dead—The Censer, in eumming up,
said it did not swear that any means had been used to
endeavour to restore animation; the whole of the
on the beach assisting to get out the men, evidently
taking it for granted that theft on whom the inquiry
was now instituted, were dead before they were got
ashore. But there were rules Ind down as to the mode
of treating droaned persona, by following out which,
those who had been in the water • very long time, and
were to all appearances dead, bad very often been
restored to life. He thought that all fishermen and
others connected with the ma, should have • witty of
these rides, that they might know bow to set Ia uses of
emergeoey. The guanines for the jury in this ease, ae
far NI be could see, to wonder were, whether the boat
was seaworthy, whether she was maimed with com-
petent bands, and whether all the mistimes that mold
be rendered by thus on shore bad been rendered. The
host appeared to have been nearly new, the men who
manned the boat it appeared had been used to the fish-
ing trade and thou on shore it would also appear had
jo.ned h;nds and gone into the water and remained
there, some of them for newly an hour trying to get the
drowned men out, and if they had not employed
means to tutor* animation, It was from a Or..
wont:onus no doubt that all human efforts would he
perfectly futile. Ha, however, again strongly impressed
upon them to get the rules as to the mode of treating
persons apparently drowned, and to study them. One
of the jury said the clergyman of the perish circulated
thorn among the fishermen every month, they being
printed in the Fishermen's Magazine. The jury, with-
out hesitation, returned • verdict of accidentally
drowned.