A most lamentable accident occurred to one of the boats of the Acheron, early on Wednesday, Sept., 25, by which one of the officers and three of the crew lost their lives. On Saturday last, a party was despatched from the steamer, then engaged in surveying the neighbourhood of Massacre Bay, to survey the harbour of West Wanganui. This party, which consisted of Mr. Burnett, master's-mate, Mr. Paget, mate, John Waters, Henry Beale, John Bateman, John Jeffries, and John Horner, able seamen, and George Newton, a half-caste boy, pulled ashore in one of the steamers boats, and proceeded overland to Wanganui. On Tuesday, by which time it was expected they would have returned to the vessel, a boat was sent ashore in Massacre Bay to see after them, but they had not then come back. On Wednesday, another party was despatched from the Acheron, to go in search of them with provisions, as Captain Stokes was apprehensive the missing men might be suffering from want of food, as the time had expired for which they were provisioned on starting.

On reaching the shore, it was found that the party had returned to their boat, which they had left in a tide creek, on Tuesday evening, and that in endeavouring to reach the vessel between twelve and one o'clock (it was blowing at the time a heavy gale from the eastward), the boat had been swamped in the breakers in going over the flats when about three-quarters of a mile from the shore. All hands had, it appeared, after being washed out, regained the boat, which a second sea righted, but on being struck again, the whole crew were carried towards the shore by the waves, which they all reached senseless, but in Mr. Burnett, Waters, Beale, and Newton, life was extinct. The bodies were brought to Nelson for interment, and were buried this afternoon ; the coffins were placed on a gun-carriage, which was drawn to the graves by some of the late shipmates of the deceased men, and the bodies were followed by the officers, the remaining sailors, and most of the respectable inhabitants of the town.-
Nelson Examiner, 28 September, 1850.

SG & SGTL Vol 7, p 274

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