DROWNED WITHOUT RECEIVING HELP.

In the afternoon of this past Sunday at perhaps 4 or so, while a group of young children were swimming ocean side of the Moana Hotel, there was a youngster swimming with them by the name of John A. Aguiar, a 12 years old Portuguese child. While this crowd of children were surfing and playing in the ocean, a group of them swam out to a bunch of boards floating in the ocean, and when they reached this heap of boards, the boy was with them, the one amongst them who was tired out from being buffeted and overwhelmed by the waves. After resting and regaining their breath, they all returned back to the shore, and the Aguiar boy amongst them swam all the way to Seaside Hotel; he had not swam very far when he called out for help.  His swimming friends thought that this was him joking, so they paid him no attention.

When these children came ashore, one of their fellow children asked about Aguiar, and this is what some of them said. “He was calling for help. Why didn’t you help him?” They said, “It was probably Aguiar’s fooling around.” But because Aguiar’s clothes were found laying out, it was realized that this boy was lost.

This Monday morning, the body of this child was found in the shallows near the Moana Hotel by Duke Kahanamoku, Jr. There were no bruises on his body except for the ears where it was nibbled and nipped at by the small fish of the shore.

In Monday evening, his funeral was performed with sadness, regret, and aloha of the his family and friends.

[Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Duke was so involved in water safety and rescue. And if anyone is motioning or calling for help in the water, don’t assume that they are playing around!]

(Kuokoa Home Rula, 8/12/1910, p. 3)

Kuokoa Home Rula, Buke VIII, Helu 32, Aoao 3. Augate 12, 1910.