Gizo Tragedy

Popular Resident Disappears When Launch Catches Fire.

From Our Own Correspondent .

GIZO, February 15.

THE sombre cloud of tragedy over shadowed Gizo, in the Solomons, when the s.s. “Mataram” arrived there on February 14.

Mr. L. C. McMahon, accountant with Messrs. Burns, Philp & Co., was re turning to port on one of the company’s launches from a business trip when, on the night of February 10, fire broke out in the engine-room. The benzine tank appears to have exploded within a few minutes of the outbreak, and soon the launch was enveloped in flames.

The two natives, who comprised the crew, jumped overboard and, after swimming for several hours, landed on a small island, from which they were rescued on the following morning by a passing canoe and conveyed to Gizo.

On the matter being reported to him, the District Officer (Mr. C. Wilson) im mediately despatched two Government launches to search in the vicinity of the island, on which the boys had landed.

On the following day, a more extensive search was carried out, but no trace of the missing white man or the launch was found.

The night on which the tragedy oc curred was wet and stormy, and all hope of Mr, McMahon having survived has been abandoned.

The natives, who escaped, state that the white man was calm and self possessed and, when satisfied that no thing more could be done to extinguish the fire, ordered the natives to save themselves. Once in the water, buffeted by wind, rain and seas, they saw no thing more of the burning launch or of Mr. McMahon.

Mr. McMahon, who came from Bris bane, had been in the service of Messrs.

Burns, Philp for a number of years. He was highly respected in the district, and his many friends are greatly dis tressed at his untimely end.