Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter not found. The text given here is from 'A brave lad', Weekly times, 25 January 1896, p. 13. It is introduced by

TWO BOYS SWIM TWO MILES AND SAVE MEN'S LIVES. Mr William Ma cdonald, of Kempsey. N.S.W., writes to Baron von Mueller a short account of the manner in which his son Henry, aged thirteen, swam a distance of two miles, with another boy age d eleven, f rom a capsized boat in Trial Bay. He says:— ‘.

On the 3rd inst.

2

The month is confirmed by a news item describing the incident in Evening news (Sydney), 6 January 1896, p. 3.

a bo at manned by Captain Clark

3

Error for Grant? The Evening news and other reports refer to Captain Grant.

and t w o m en started from the Government dredge Fitzroy , for another dredge. The boys mentioned, the second being a son of Captain Clark, were allo w ed to accompany them. T h e boat capsized on the M'Leay bar

4

The entrance to Trial Bay from the Macleay River, NSW.

and t he t w o men started to sw im ashore. One soon disappeared

5

Named as Martin Gunner in the Evening news account.

and is supposed to have been taken by a shark, the other returned to the capsized boat in an exhausted condition. My boy ( a ga inst t h e captain's advice) then started for the shore, a n d Grant, believing that they w ould all perish under any circumstances, agreed to let his son

6

Adam Grant, according to Evening news. Neither Captain Grant nor Adam Grant further identified.

follow. Captain Grant then followed the boys, but, not being equal to the task, returned to the wreck with the surviving man. Meanwhile they sa w a large shark near t h e hoys, and the poor little fellows also saw the monster, hut they continued on. My son, w ho is a remarkably strong a n d fast swimmer, could have left the younger lad f a r behi n d, but i n response to t he latter's wish he kept by his side un ti l w ithin a short distance of the la n d w hen a w ave separated them. My son landed at the feet of some gentlemen who w ere bathing, a n d wh o, up to that moment, knew nothing about the accident. The drifting boat w as by this time nearly out of sight and could only be discerned by the aid of binocular. It so happened, ho w ever, that one of the gentlemen on the b eac h had a h orse ready saddled, by t h e aid of which the Trial Bay Gaol, about a mile and a half distant, was soon reached, a n d th e life boat sent to the rescue of Captain Grant and his man, who were brought in very much exhausted. It is admitted that they would hav e perished had it n o t been for the bravery a n d endurance of the boys.

7

The news item concludes: 'Doubtless the pluck and endurance of both lads in thus having saved their own lives and those of the others deserves recognition by the Royal Humane Society. '