Mexborough times June 3, 1916
Conisbrough tragedy
Boy drowned while bathing
An inquest was held on Monday in the Co-operative Hall, West Street, Conisbrough, by Mr Frank Allen, district coroner, on the body of Oliver Rose (14), glasshand, 101 Park road Conisbrough, who was drowned while bathing on Saturday.
Walter Rose, miner, identified deceased as his son. He last saw him alive on Saturday at 12:40 PM. He washealthy at the time, but the previous week he had been off work with a pain in his stomach – presumably cramp.
Cecil Roodhouse (13) 127 Park road, said on Saturday afternoon, about two o’clock, he went bathing with deceased in the River Don, near Booth’s boat house, and they were accompanied by a boy named Jack Trout. Rose could swim a bit, and went halfway across the river and came back. He went a second time, but in the middle he got into difficulties and shouted, “I am sinking” witness went to deceased assistance and got hold of him, when he cameup a second time, but he was pulled under and compelled to releases his hold, and then experienced great difficulty in getting to safety. Deceased went down again, and stayed down. He sent Trout for assistance, and some men came. The body was recovered about 3.30.
PC Watling said he received the alarm about 2.40 and he went to the river. There were several persons trying to recover the body. A man named Speight dived in and got it out about 3.30, the boy being quite dead. It was a very dangerous place, and about 7 feet deep where the accident occurred.
The coroner said there would be these drowning fatalities while bathing was indulged in, and it was hopeless to try to stop it. He was glad to say that this was the first so far this season. He complimented the boy Roodhouse on his plucky attempt to save the deceased, and said he hoped it would be a lesson to him not to bathe in dangerous places any more.
The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and also complimented Roodhouse.