SINKING OF OIL LAUNCH MARITANA, OPAWA (OPAOA) RIVER, BLENHEIM, MARLBOROUGH
SUNDAY 07 OCTOBER 1906

On Sunday, the 07 October 1906, the oil launch MARITANA was returning from an excursion to the river bar when it struck a snag, about 100 yards from the centre of Blenheim. There were nine deaths, as follows.

The following is from the Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 85, 8 October 1906, Page 5. Thanks to Papers Past.

BOATING DISASTER. TEN PEOPLE [sic] DROWNED.
SHOCKING ACCIDENT IN BLENHEIM HARBOUR. LAUNCH COLLIDES WITH A SNAG. LIST OF VICTIMS
[BY TELEGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.] BLENHEIM, This Day.
The most shocking boating disaster in the records of the province occurred about 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon. An oil launch, the Maritana, which had been on an excursion to the bar, was returning, and had arrived within 100 yards of the landing place — a stone's thrown from the centre of the town — when the launch struck a submerged stump and heeled over.
About twenty passengers were precipitated backwards into deep water. The river was only about three chains wide, yet ten persons were drowned. Valiant rescue work was done by some of the passengers, and also by a party of three men who were lounging on the bank lower down the river.
About a dozen children were rescued. One passenger, Mr. A. McKinley, rescued two or three, and then took cramp, and had to be rescued in turn. He and others were taken to the hospital. There were two women on board. One, Mrs. Baldwin, was rescued alive, but expired within an hour.
An immense crowd congregated, and heartrending scenes were witnessed as the bodies were recovered and brought ashore at intervals. Dredging operations were carried on until midnight, at which hour seven bodies had been recovered and identified, besides Mrs. Baldwin. The dragging was resumed at daylight this morning. One body is still unrecovered.
There was no register of the passengers taken, and great confusion was the result. It had to be ascertained who were known to have made the trip. Following is a list of the persons drowned: —
Edward NASH, labourer, single, aged 28; ex-member of the Second Victorian Contingent, and afterwards a member of the Johannesburg police. His father is believed to be a sergeant of the police in the Melbourne district. Nash was late of Prahran, a suburb of Melbourne.
John HINEMAN [sic], shearer, single, aged about 46. He had been about the district on and on for ten years. He has sisters in New South Wales - it is believed in Waverley, a suburb of Sydney.
Walter John PARKER, a married man, whose family is residing at Martinborough, Wairarapa. He recently came from Packinham (? Peckham), London; aged about 60 years.
Herbert Oswald BERRY, a married man, age about 36, a native of Blenheim. He leaves a wife and children.
Edward BALDWIN, aged about 45, husband of Mrs. Baldwin, already mentioned. He had been in the colony about twenty years, and was well known in the Rangiora district. He recently came into a big property at Home, and he and his wife were just about to return to claim it.
Mrs. BALDWIN, wife of Edward Baldwin. Mrs. JACKSON, wife of James Jackson (absent in the country).
Three young children.
Westley PATCHETT, aged 9, a son of George Patchett, proprietor of the launch (who was driving the engine), was saved [sic]. A young son of H. Berry, already mentioned, is still missing.

Return To HOME