BOATING FATALITY.
A very sad boating accident, which resulted in the death of a young man named Paul Tily, who lives with his parents at Caversham Rise, took place in the harbour shortly after 9 o'clock yesterday morning. Deceased — together with three other young men, named William Thorn, Ernest Grimmett (both of whom reside at Caversham), and Charles Battson (who lives at South Dunedin) — had intended to go picnicing along with some others. They walked around to the spot on the other side of the bay, where the Peninsula Navals' boat was moored. It was arranged that they should meet Lieutenant Rendall, of the Navals, there, and sail the boat to the Rattray street wharf, where they would pick up the rest of the party. Battson states: "We waited some time for Lieutenant Rendall and some others, but they did not appear, so we decided to sail over to the Rattray street wharf in a small sailing boat that was moored alongside the Navals' boat. A stiff sou-wester was blowing at the time, and soon after we got away from the shore we saw Lieutenant Rendall waving to us. Wo were then about 400 or 500 yards from the shore, on the Peninsula side of the bay, and nearly opposite the Jetty street wharf. As we were debating as to whether we should turn back for Lieutenant Rendall, Thorn's hat blew off. Thorn was steering at the time and had charge of the sheet, which was not tied. We decided to turn round, and as we did so a gust of wind caught the boat and she heeled over. We all got on tho weather side to try and get her on an even keel again, but she went right over, and we were thrown into tho water. I swam a little distance away from the boat so as not to get caught in the sail, and the others clung on to the boat. The latter kept turning round and round. The last I saw of Tily was when he got under the sheet. Some gentlemen from the powder hulk rowed out to us. and Lieutenant Rendall and Mr John L. Gillies, with some others, also came out. My watch stopped at 13 minutes past nine." The other young men who were in the boat at the time the accident occurred say that the last they saw of Tily was when he was underneath the sheet. He then appeared to be quite rigid and pale. They state that Tily could swim a little. Before they set out they endeavoured to dissuade him from going with them, because they thought that the boat could carry only three safely. Sergeant Mulville, Constable Hustie, and a number of civilians were dragging the bay for the body yesterday, but were unsuccessful in their efforts to recover it. The search will be continued to day. Deceased, it is understood, was employed up to recently in the Continental Boot Shop as salesman. He was a French polisher by trade, and 22 years of age. -Otago Witness, 22/12/1892.
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