A BOY'S HEROISM

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 72, 27 April 1929, Page 8

A BOY'S HEROISM

Special to Telegraph.

STRUGGLE TO SAA'E COMPANION. TAKAPUNA DROWNING FATALITY

AUCKLAND, This day. A story of heroism and wonderful physical endurance is associated with tne drowning of a boy named Geoffrey Shaw in Lake Pupuke, Takapuna, on Wednesday, the liero being another boy, Percy Wliite, who endeavoured te save Slniw, Botli want on to the l&ke in a canoe and Shaw fell overboard when the canoe was 200 yards trom tlie shore. White clung to the canoe momentarily, but it went from •urder him and tlien be went to get Shaw. Shaw got on Wliite' s back, but the waves were very high and lie could not hold on, so they abandoned tliat position and Shaw held White round tbe waist and they made for the shore. By the time they reached the wee-l belt which fringes the shore, White had gone down twice, but stuck to Lus great task. When they were within about 20 j'ards Shaw said, J i am letting go now, Percy." White, at his last gasp, kept on swimming, more by instinct tban conscious effort, and in a state of semiconsciousness. He had been held so tightly by the other lad that, as he expressed it, the grip burned him. White reached the edge and lapsed inti. unsconsciousness. He does not know for how long, possibly five, ten or fifteen minutes. When he came to, he looked round for Shaw. It was in his mind that he bad carried Shaw to the shore, but he could see nothing except the boat drifting. Those who know the locality can searcely imagine how White managed to get asliore at all. It was a terribli swini for a lad even by himself and unhampered by lu's companion lie was siruggling to save.