The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser,
19 October 1876
(New South Wales)

GENERAL NEWS
On the passage of the Parthenope from Liverpool to Melbourne (writes the Age), the boatswain, John Beaver, a native of Cornwall, fell overboard and was drowned. The catastrophe, which happened in the middle of the day, was purely accidental, the man slipping from the cathead; and as showing the celerity with which things are managed when accidents of this kind occur on board some ships, where proper discipline is exercised, it may be mentioned that in this case, although the ship was going at the rate of ten knots, a boat was manned and in the water in exactly two and a-half minutes from the alarm being given, but unfortunately without avail, for the poor fellow was never observed to rise. The boat remained cruising about the spot until 6 p m , the mishap occurring at 1 p m, and the ship tacked about during that time in the vicinity, but saw nothing save the lifebuoy which had been thrown to the man.

Contributed by Bob Bolitho