Salmon Fishers Drowned
Two North Shields Men Lose Their Lives
Two men, Charles Chatty, aged 60, and John Hardy, aged 39, both residing at North Shields, were drowned while fishing for salmon off the Tyne yesterday. A third man, John James Thompson, had a remarkable escape from the same fate.
Their boat got into broken water near Trow Rocks and capsized. Chatty, being a good swimmer, was able to divest himself of his heavy seaboots and then tried to take off his coat, but his arms became entangled in the sleeves and he sank.
Hardy made an effort to get on to the boat, but failing, also disappeared. Thompson, a powerful swimmer, struck out for the shore, half a mile away. He had managed to get his boots off, and made a gallant effort in his heavy clothing, but on reaching the breakers he became exhausted.
He was then seen by two young men on the shore, who plunged into the sea, grasping him by the coat managed to effect his rescue.
The bodies of Chatty and Hardy were subsequently cast up.
Source: Yorkshire Evening Post 4 August 1908
In the Board of Trade Abstracts the vessel is named as the “Ethel”, unregistered, of North Shields. A lugsail, fishing, Wood.
Source: 1910 [Cd. 5304] Merchant shipping, 1908-9. Abstracts of the returns made to the Board of Trade of shipping casualties, with particulars of the loss of life, for the year ended 30th June, 1909.