Obituaries Australia

A sad case of drowning happened at Bowral on Sunday afternoon last, at about 3 o'clock. Several young people went to bathe in a hole in the creek in Alcorn's paddock, among them Edgar Abraham [Morris] Menser, 18 years, and his mate, F. Brown, 21 years. Menser could not swim, and his mate told him not to go into the water until he (the mate) had first taken a swim across. Brown was doing this—swimming across to the other side of the hole— when he heard a splash made by some-one who had dived in behind him. His suspicion was not aroused, however, until he had got out on to the bank at the other side, when a boy remarked, "my word he is staying under a long time." Brown then learnt that the one referred to was his mate, Menser, and exclaimed. "My God, he's drowned." Brown thinks that from three to four minutes must have elapsed from the time he heard the splash until he made the discovery. The hole where the fatality happened is very deep, and Brown secured a long pole and tried to find the body at the bottom before diving for it, but failed. The alarm having been given, a good many persons came to the rescue, but it was not until two hours afterwards that the body was rescued. Menser's father, who lives in Leinster-street, Paddington, was wired for, and came to Bowral by the midnight train on Sunday, and the body will be taken to Sydney. The deceased and his mate had come to Bowral about a fortnight previously, and had found work at their trade, tinsmiths. An inquest was held yesterday afternoon, and a verdict of accidentally drowned while bathing was returned.