The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-01 00:00:00

MELANCHOLY BOAT ACCIDENT.

A most painful sensation was occasioned in Read.
ing and its neighbourhood last Friday by the spread,
of intelligence that a very respectable youth, aged.
20, named Joshua James May, apprenticed to Mr.
W. P. Ivey, silk mercer of the Market-place, had.
met his death by drowning while boating on the
Thames at Caversham, in company with an assis-
tant at the shop of Mr. Chesterton, clothier, King-
street, named Wm. Minns, who was somewhat
older; and the calamity excited a deeper interest
from the fact of alleged neglect on the part of a

young man named Thatcher and two youths in not
endeavouring to lend assistance when seated in a,
large boat (capable of holding five persons) within_
a few strokes of the spat. The excitement, which.
continued throughout the day, was greatly increased.
in the evening by a report, which proved but too
true, that two other persons, George Hawkcs, aged.
21, son of Mr. Ha.wkes, contractor, and Win. Smith,
19, son of Mr. Smith, of the George Hotel, Odiham,
Hants, had met a similar fate to that which had.
befallen May in the morning. The first accident
occurred about 7 o'clock a.m., under the following
circumstances :—May and Minns engaged a skiff at
Caversbam, from Miss Freebody's establishment,
and rowel down the river to the Pound, in the

King's-meadow, and returned through Caversharn
bridge as far as Mrs. Monck's, where they turned
round with the intention of taking the boat home,
but they had scarcely done so when it dipped at
the head, and becoming filled with water the occu-
pants were immersed. Minus endeavettred to sup-
port, in a most praiseworthy manlier, his companion,
who could not swim, and called for help to the three
persons mentioned above, who were in a boat near,
but they did not render aid. Edwin Higgs, em-
ployed at Messrs. Sutton's seed establishment, hap-
pened to be walking along the meadows at the
time, and hearing cries of distress ran towards the
bank of the river, at the same time taking off his
coat, intending to jump in, but seeing the boat
containing three between him and the spot where
the young men were immersed, he called out to
Thatcher, and the reply he received was, " It's no
use ; they'll swamp us." Minns kept May above
water as long as he possibly could, and then dis-
entangling himself made for the shore, which he
reached safely. He then stripped off his clothes
and courageously jumped in with the hope of saving
the other, but he sank and did not rise again.
Minns again swam to shore, but became insensible,
and Mr Jacobs, gardener to Mrs. Monck, provided
him with dry apparel, and having paid him what
attention he needed, conveyed him to his employers
in Reading. The river was dragged, and the body
was shortly afterwards recovered. An inquest was
held on Saturday at the Griffin Inn, before Mr.
J. H. Cooke, the coroner for South Oxfordshire,
when the jury returned a verdict of accidental
death. They expressed their surprise that the per-
sons in the boat should have refused to give their
assistance when requested to do so. We hear
that Mr. Thatcher, who had on two previous occa-
sions narrowly escaped drowning, lost all nerve and
presence of mind on beholding the danger in which.
the young men were placed, and that the youths,
who were also in the boat, were quite paralyzed
with fear. Mr. Blandy, the coroner for the borough.
of Reading, held an inquest on the bodies of the
unfortunate young men, Hawkes and Heath, on.
Saturday afternoon, at the White Hart Inn, Caver.
sham-bridge, and from the evidence given it appears
that the deceased were observed quietly rowng
of the Thames known as Norcot-scours,
sl
nßgr owwan.m
together about a quarter of a mileebaerlsowbytthma_te partraem
and
do
Jameshad beenrN iay.working.
Th e
personn e a , t namedndatowirefahs'opn
ni al
y both got up
seen to lay down the oars, aiini
laces Hawkes, a fine-grow y
P • • and as they were pass.•
together, apparently with the
ntentniatinngofmclaninn,
heavier than his companion,a
swayed on one side, and.
ing each other the boathcry
a . watery together. They
dta time sunk. The above-.
boat that was chained.
struggled,they b o t h
andf e fell intoaft
after
r
named men procure
distance up the river, and,
having
sdroargtg
dragged the river, recovered the
bodies near the spot where they went down.
and conveyed them to the White Hart Inn..
Mr. Smith, architect, of Friar-street, Reading, de..
posed that Heath was an articled pupil to him, and,
left the office at about 6 o'clock in company with.
his friend, George Hawkes. The jury returned a,
verdict of accidental death. The youth Heath wag
cautioned on that morning as to the danger of per.
sons boating who were unable to swim by his uncle„
Mr. J. Smith, collector of corporation tolls and:
hall-keeper at Reading, who also despatched a let-'
ter in the afternoon to his parents at Odiham, deg
siring them to communicate with him on the subject,
owing to the fatal consequences of the accident
which befel the unfortunate young man May in the
morning. Both Hawkes and Heath were respect-.
able young men, and of most steady habits.

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