Format: Event

Linked To

Collection

Catastrophes on rail, rivers and land

Place

Rakaia

Image

Event (3)

Recollections

Add

no stories yet

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 New Zealand License

This licence lets you remix, tweak, and build upon our work noncommercially and although your new works must also acknowledge us and be noncommercial, you do not have to license the derivative works on the same terms.

Tools

Download Add to Collection Contact us about this Citation for this item

Drowning in the Rakaia

Description

NameDrowning in the RakaiaDescriptionIn November of 1909 the Rakaia boating tragedy rocked the local community. Four people died when their punt was swept out to sea at the mouth of the Rakaia River. Those who died were Mrs Jessie Baxter (wife of Southbridge farmer, George Baxter), James Baxter, Miss Jenny Hannah and Thomas Hannah (whose parents lived at Little Rakaia, Southbridge), Miss Lizzie Hampton (housekeeper for the Hannahs) and Miss A. Rountree (of Marshland, Christchurch, who were there on holiday). They were out boating on the lagoon near the mouth of the Rakaia at about 5 o'clock when their boat was caught by a very treacherous current which sweeps out through the mouth of the river at a tremendous rate into the open sea. James Baxter, aged 23, the survivor of the accident, sprang overboard as the boat was carried past an island at the mouth of the river and managed with great difficulty to struggle ashore, but was unsuccessful in his attempt to pull the boat to safety.

Date1909

Image

Collection

Place

Connections

CollectionCatastrophes on rail, rivers and landPlaceRakaia

Attribution

Taken FromStar, Issue 9706, 24 November 1909, Page 3

Menu

Drowning in the Rakaia