Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of J H ABRAHAMS, Lagoon Street, Goulburn, NSW

Drowning Fatality.
AT SHELLEY'S CREEK.
A drowning fatality, of which Mr. Edwin Gordon Abrahame, a member of the Expeditionary Forces, was the victim, occurred at Shelley's Creek, near Carrick, on Sunday morning.
The deceased, who was a young man of 24 years, left his father's residence, and drove out with a friend, Mr. Walter Foley, to visit some relations at Longreach. When they came  to the crossing at Shelley's Creek, past Carrick, the river was in heavy flood, but they thought that it was safe to cross, and drove in. The sulky immediately disappeared, and deceased, who had on a military overcoat containing a number of heavy shot-gun cartridges, was drowned. He was on final leave from Menangle Camp.
THE INQUEST.
An inquest was hold at the Courthouse on Monday morning by Mr. It. O'Brien, Coroner. John Henry Abrahans, father of the deceased, deposed that his son, Edwin Gordon  Abrahams, was born in Goulburn; he would be 24 years in August, and was a member of the Expeditionary Forces; he was on final leave from Menangle Camp; but he last saw him alive on Sunday morning; he left to go to Longreach, near Marulan, on the VWollondelly River; he took a horse and sulky; Mr. Walter Foley was with him in the trap when he  left witness's place; he was a man of temperate habits; the sulky was drawn by a small pony; he was going to visit sime of his relatives when he met his death. Walter Leo. Foley,  a labourer, living in Auburn-street, gave evidence that he left with deceased on the previous day to go to Longreach. They drove out in a sulky; about a mile and a half the other  side of Carrick they came to Shelley's Creek, which wase in flood, and running over the banks; deceased said, "It is only knee deep," and after giving the pony a drink they drove  in; they just went down over the side, and the pony and trap disappeared." The Coroner: I should think it would; from what I know it is a most dangerous place. Witness added  that he was driving, and the first thing ho knew be was struggling in the water; he saw deceased once with his head and hands up, and he took off his coat to go in after him;  the water was still, and there did not seem to be any current at all; witness got out on the far side of the creek, and deceased was about six feet from where the trap had disappeared; he could not say whether deceased could swim, but he appeared to be making an effort to do so; witness went in after him, but he could not remember getting out  again; he recovered consciousness on the bank while sitting up to his hips in water, and deceased hlad disappeared; the pony managed to drag the trap out of the water and  escaped; he reported the matter at Lockyersleigh station; deceased was in uniform, and had the usual heavy military overcoat on; when they fell in he said to witiess: "We will have to swim, Walter; do you think you can get out of this?" He said, "Yes, and asked deceased if he could swim: he said, "Yes, I can reach the bank"; the water was very cold. Constable Dedman deposed that he went to Shelley's Creek on Sunday morning, and after dragging the water at the crossing all day with the help of others failed to find the  body; it was not recovered till that (Monday) morning, when the water had subsided; there were about twenty shot gun cartridges in the overcoat pocket; it was a dangerous crossing; the water was actually still water backed up from the flooding of the Wollondilly River. Dr. Williams, Government Medical Officer, gave evidence that death was due to  drowning. The Coroner recorded a verdict of death by drowning, and suggested that warning signs should he placed on both sides of the creek at the spot.