Cudgegong Valley History Project

Youth Drowned

Molong, Tuesday. - Frederick Joseph William Steinhour, aged 17, was drowned on Saturday afternoon while bathing in a creek at Loombah, near Cumnock. When he sank Walter Wenbun dived for him several times without avail. (The Sun Tuesday 16December 1924, p. 9)

THE LOOMBAH FATALITY.

Quite a gloom was cast over the district on Saturday afternoon when it became known that Frederick Steinhour had been drowned in Loombah Creek whilst bathing. The deceased, who was 16 years of age, was a son of Mr. Peter Steinhour, and wasemployed on Loombah Station. He was a very popular lad, and the deepest sympathy is extended to his relatives. An inqnest was held at Loombah on Saturday evening, before the Acting Coroner (Mr. K. J. Abernethy). Constable J. Sykes watched thecase in the interests of the police. A verdict of incidental death from drowning was returned. The body was interred in the R.C. portion of the Cumnock Cemetery, a very large number following the hearse. Dr. Gruen, in the absence of theclergyman, read the burial service. Following was the evidence given at the inquest : - , Peter John Steinhour, laborer, deposed that he resided at Cumnock, and had viewed the body; deceased was his son, and was between 16 and 17 years of age;last saw him alive at about 2 p.m. that day, at which time he was going to the men's quarters; at about 3.30 p.m. Wenban informed him that deceased had sunk in the waterhole and that he thought he was drowned; accompanied Wenban to the spot andmade attempts to recover the body ; later Wenban and Frank Ward recovered the body, and attempts were then made at artificial respiration ; his son and Wenban were on friendly terms, and Fred had often suggested going for a swim, but witness wasalways opposed to it unless he was accompanied by some person who could swim; Fred could not swim ; he did not say he was going to the creek that day; the deceased's life was not insured; he was a member of the M.U.I.O.O.F. Friendly Society.William Walter Wenban, laborer, residing at Loombah, deposed that he had known the deceased for about two months, and had been on the best of terms with him ever since he had first met him; he had last seen him alive at about 3.30 p.m. that day;at 3 p.m. deceased asked him to go with him to the creek to have a swim; witness consented, and they went together; witness stripped off and swam for some distance, and then informed deceased that he should not go in too far, as the water wastoo deep; then went to get a stick to test the depth of the water, when he witness heard deceased call out 'Leeches ! ' ; then turned and saw him running along in the water in the direction of witness ; deceased then called out 'Bill!' andwitness turned and saw him struggling in the water; he disappeared, and witness dived for him three or four times, but could not recover him ; then got out and ran and told Mrs. Bruce what had happened; she was at the house, about 300 or 400yards from the water where the deceased had sunk; witness then ran to deceased's father, who was about 600 yards away, and informed him of what had; happened; the father accompanied him and they proceeded to the water-hole where Miss Bruce, MissKearney and Mr. Seymour were waiting on the bank; later Frank Ward came, and Mr. Steinhour, Frank Ward, George Seymour and witness commenced to make efforts to recover the body; after about 15 minutes Frank Ward and witness recovered the body,and immediately, commenced artificial respiration to the best of their knowledge, but without any result. Frank Empere Ward, laborer, residing at Loombah, deposed that he had viewed the body, the subject of the inquiry; at about 4 p.m. that day.Mr. Bruce Abernethv roused him from sleep and informed him that Fred Steinhour had sunk in the water-hole in the creek; proceeded to the scene and saw deceased's father and Wenban attempting to recover the body; stripped off and dived into thewater, and discovered the body, and with the assistance of Wenban recovered it ; have known deceased and Wenban for some considerable time; they were on friendly terms with each other; the deceased could not swim, and witness had asked him to gowith him the following day in order that he might give him a lesson. James Gruen, medical practitioner and Government Medical Officer, residing at Cumnock, deposed that he received a telephone call from Miss K. Bruce, of Loombah, at about 4.15p.m. that day, asking him to come at once as a boy named Frederick Steinhour had been taken out of the water apparently drowned; instructed her by telephone as to the means to take for restoration ; he arrived at Loombah at. 5 p.m. and examinedthe body; he was of the opinion that life was extinct, but continued artificial respiration for about half an hour; there were slight abrasions on the left ear and eye and left shoulder, which, in his opinion, were caused in the process of therecovery of the body and the attempts at resuscitation; he injected strychnine and pituritum, but without effect; in his opinion the deceased was dead about half an hour before he first saw him ; he was informed that deceased had been in thewater for at least 45 minutes ; there were no marks of violence on the body ; in his opinion death was due to asphyxia from drowning. Annie Kathleen Bruce, spinster, residing at Loombah, deposed that she had known the deceased for a number ofyears, and last saw him alive at about 2 p.m. ; he was then having his dinner; at about 3.30 p.m. William Wenban came to the house and told witness that Fred had gone under the water, and that he had dived for him but could not recover him ;told him to run for deceased's father; witness then went to the water-hole in company with Miss Kearney and Mr. Seymour; soon after Wenban and deceased's father arrived and immediately made attempts to recover the body ; later on the body wasdiscovered by Frank Ward and William Wenban; artificial means of respiration ; were tried, but was not successful ; Dr. Gruen arrived about an hour after I telephoned for him and pronounced life extinct; the deceased and Wenban were on friendlyterms with each other. The Coroner returned a verdict that Frederick Joseph William Steinhour was accidentally, drowned at Loombah whilst bathing on 13th December, 1924. (Molong Express and Western District Advertiser Saturday 20 December 1924,p. 11).