DOUBLE TRAGEDY?
BODY FOUND IN RIVER.
SECOND BOY IS MISSING.
(By Telegraph. — Own Correspondent.) ASHBURTON, this day.
A 12-vear-old boy, Lewin Merrin, the son of Mr. T Merrin, of Longbeach, was drowned when swimming in the Ashburton River yesterday. The boy's cousin, Harold William Soal, aged 17, is missing, and it is feared that he has also been drowned. A neighbour walking along the river bank last evening found Merrin's body, clad in a bathing costume, in the river about a mile below where the boys' clothes had been left on the bank. -Ashburton Guardian, 17/1/1938.
DROWNING VICTIMS.
TWO ASHBURTON BOYS.
CHRISTCHURCH, January 15.
A 12-year-old boy, Lewin Merrin, of Longbeach, was drowned to-day while swimming in the Ashburton River. His companion, a cousin, Harold William Soal, aged 17, is also missing, and is believed to have been drowned. Merrin is the son of Mr J. Merrin, of Longbeach.
About 2 o’clock yesterday the two boys went for a swim in the river, which runs through Mr Merrin’s property. While walking along the riverbank about 6.30 last evening, a neighbouring farmer, Mr George Miles, noticed Merrin’s body, clothed in a bathing costume, in the river. The body was found about a mile downstream from where the boy’s clothes were left on the bank.
A party of farmers, under the direction of Constable T. T. Harris, dragged the river last evening, but their search was not successful. The river is at present slightly swollen after recent rains, and although it is usually fairly swift, is not considered to be dangerous. In places, however, there are some very deep holes, and it is thought the boys stumbled into one of these and were swept away in the current.
ASHBURTON, January 17. The body of Harold William Soal was found in the river about midday. He was the son of George William Soal, teacher at Waikari, at present motoring in the Nelson district. Merrin’s father lives at Wheatstone. -Greymouth Evening Star, 17/1/1938.
FUNERAL NOTICES.
THE Funeral of the late Lewin Merrin will leave his parents’ residence, Wheatstone, TO-MORROW (Wednesday), January 19, at 2 p.m., for the Ashburton Cemetery.
BAKER BROS., SHAW AND KING.
THE Funeral of the late Harold William Soal, will leave the residence of Mr James Merrin, Wheatstone, To-morrow, Wednesday, January 19, at 2 p.m. for the Ashburton Cemetery.
BAKER BROS., SHAW & KING. -Ashburton Guardian, 18/1/1938.
DOUBLE INQUEST.
ASHBURTON RIVER TRAGEDY.
EVIDENCE GIVEN TO-DAY.
Verdicts of accidental drowning were returned this afternoon by the District Coroner (Mr B. C. Bathurst) after hearing evidence at two inquests into the deaths of Lewin Merrill, aged 12 years, and Harold William Soal, aged 17 years, who were drowned in the Ashburton River at Huntingdon on Sunday afternoon.
The body of the boy Merrin was discovered at about 6.30 o’clock on Sunday evening, this being the first indication of the tragedy. The second body was found yesterday morning. The boys were cousins, and Soal was on holiday from Waikari, where his father is a school master.
Janies Merrill, farmer, of Huntingdon, gave evidence of identification. The two boys left the farm about 2 o’clock on Sunday to go to the river for a swim. They took bathing costumes with them. They were told to be back at the house by 4 o’clock. A dog accompanied the boys to the river and it came back to the yard about 4 o’clock. This caused witness to become anxious, as the dog usually would not leave the boy (Lewin Merrin) when they were out together. Half an hour later witness went to the terrace overlooking the river, and failing to see the boys he carried out a search, going first to a deep pool where he thought they would be swimming. Witness found articles of clothing near the pool, but there were no signs of the boys. Witness then went to a neighbour, G. R. Miles, who informed him that he had found the body of witness’s son on a shingle bank down river about a mile trom the pool. The boy was not a good swimmer. Witness had swum in the pool and he did not consider it was dangerous.
George Raymond Miles, farmer, of Huntingdon, said that while he was attending to his sheep on Sunday evening he noticed a boy's body lying in about six inches of water near a shingle bank in the river. He took a horse and crossed the stream to the body which he identified as that of Lewin Merrin. The boy had apparently been dead for some time, then. With assistance, he took the body to the bank. Constable J. E. R. Myers said he was in charge of dragging operations yesterday morning. The second body was recovered about an hour and a half after they started work, being located in a hole from 16 to 18 feet deep. There was no current in the hole, which should not have been dangerous for a person who was able to swim.
Dr. B. G. Spiers, house surgeon at the Ashburton Public Hospital, said he had examined the bodies of the boys and found that the condition of them was consistent with death by drowning. The Coroner expressed sympathy with the fathers of the boys in the nature of the tragedy. -Ashburton Guardian, 18/1/1938.
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