Isabella CAMPBELL [12905]

   Cause of her death was by drowning in Sydney Harbour.

  General Notes:

Isabella left Plymouth, England on Tuesday June 28 1859 on the sailing ship "SS Blackwall" and arrived in Sydney after a four month voyage on Friday October 7 1859.

THE ACCIDENTAL DROWNING OFF
COCKATOO ISLAND.
WE are now enabled to give a more accurate statement of the melancholy case of drowning by the up- setting of a boat off Cockatoo Island, on the afternoon of Thursday last, some particulars of which appeared
in our issue of Saturday.
From the evidence adduced at the Coroner's inquest held on the body of Mrs. Treeve on Friday, at the Brisbane Inn, Kent-street, it appeared that about two p.m., on the day stated, Mrs. Treeve with two of her sons, a daughter, and daughter-in-law, hired a waterman's boat at Balmain to go for a sail. They proceeded in the direction of Cockatoo Island, the two sons and daughter alternately steering, though neither of them knew anything about the management of a boat. A fair wind carried them down off the entrance to Lane Cove, when they hauled their wind and made several boards to windward, intending to go round the island. From one statement it would appear that, as they were about to tack for the fourth or fifth time, the eldest Mr Treeve gave orders to the others to shift over as the boat luffed, and that, not shifting quick enough, the wind caught the sails on the opposite side to that on which the party was sitting, and caused the boat immediately to fill and go down. Another statement makes it appear that the boat was not tacking at all, but that a squall struck her while the elder Mrs Treeve was sitting on the lee side, and that her son, having requested her to shift to the weather side, she was in the act of doing so when she fell back, and he (Mr. C. C. Treeve) jumping to prevent her falling, caused such a weight to come suddenly on the boat's lee side, as they were in the midst of a heavy squall, that she filled and turned over at once. There is also equal uncertainty as to who was steering at the time one maintaining that it was the deceased Mrs. Treeve, and another (whose information was procured from one of the survivors immediately after their rescue) that it was the surviving Miss Treeve.
The result of the accident was, that the party was thrown into the water, and after struggling for about ten minutes, Mr. W. T. A. Treeve and his sister and mother were picked up-the latter in a state of insensibility from which she never recovered. Mr. C. C. Treeve and his young wife went down just before the guard boat from Cockatoo Island arrived.
A more detailed account will be found below in the brief appended abstract of the evidence adduced at
THE INQUEST.
Josiah Richard Treeve (secretary to several Building Societies) was the first witness examined. He deposed to being the eldest son of the deceased Mrs. Isabella Treeve, who was a native of the island of Jersey, and had been but four months in the colony; the parties who were in the boat at the time of the accident on Thursday were his mother, aged fifty-eight years; his brother, Charles Campbell Treeve, aged twenty-five (had been seven years in the colony and married three months); his brother's wife, Caroline Sydney, aged twenty-six; his brother, William Thomas Andrew Treeve, aged sixteen (clerk to Mr. Alexander Campbell) ; and his sister, Ellen Flora Elizabeth Treeve, aged eighteen, the two latter of whom were saved; it was the first time they had been on the water in a party together; the boat was a waterman's, hired for the occasion; his (witness) brother had been in a boat before, but his knowledge of the management of a boat-was very limited; they had no waterman with them. [The remainder of the evidence of this witness was descriptive of the accident as narrated to him by the survivors.]
George Lalor, a constable in the Cockatoo Island police, was in the guard-boat at about fifteen minutes past four o'clock on the afternoon of Thursday last, when one of the guards on the wharf reported that a boat with women in it had capsized; witness looked in the direction indicated, and saw a boat bottom upwards; it was about three-quarters of a mile from the island; witness and another constable named Bennett at once pulled toward the drowning people; it took them eight or ten minutes to pull to the spot; they succeeded in picking up the deceased and a young lady, both of whom appeared lifeless, but, after rubbing the hands of the younger one for a minute or two, she came to herself; all efforts to restore the deceased were fruitless; they also picked up a lad who informed them that there were two others in the water, but they could not see any signs of them; the tide was flowing at the time; the wind was blowing fresh from the southward; shortly after the boat in which witness was, three other boats came to render assistance a timber-boat that was passing near the spot, and two from the Lane Cove side; the people, in the boats alluded to, towed away the boat that was capsized; the lad whom they took from off the bottom of the swamped boat informed them that when the accident occurred the boat was tacking to windward, with one of the young ladies steering; his (the lad's) brother told them to shift from one side to the other while the boat was tacking, but that, not shifting quick enough, the boat filled and turned over; finding there were no more persons floating in the water, they pulled the boat back to the island, and the dispenser used every means to restore animation in the deceased, but all to no purpose; witness did not see the boat sailing about prior to the accident, but he felt convinced from what he had heard that the boat was badly managed; had not assistance arrived when it did, the young lady would in all probability have been drowned; the foot of the deceased had got entangled in the dress of the young lady saved, and it was witness's opinion that their clothes kept them above water; the boat was to leeward of the people in the water when they were picked up; before taking the young lad, W. Treeve, from off the bottom of the boat, he threw his cap to the spot where his brother and brother's wife were last seen to sink, John Bennett, the other constable before alluded to, was examined, and his evidence corroborated that of the preceding witness.
William Thomas Andrew Treeve, being sworn, deposed to having gone on a boating excursion in company with the parties previously mentioned, on Thursday last; they hired the boat from a waterman, named Jackson, at Balmain; witness and his brother pulled the boat a short distance from the shore, and then hoisted the sail; they first ran away free toward Cockatoo Island, himself steering, and his brother holding the sheet; after passing the island, witness turned the boat's head toward the island, as his brother wanted to go round it; his sister Ellen then took the helm; after standing away on that tack for some time, the boat was again put about, when his brother took the helm; they made three tacks after that before the accident occurred; a puff of wind caught the boat just as his mother was shifting her position (in compliance with the request of his brother who was steering), when she fell down, and her son shifting at that moment to pick her up, the sudden weight coming on the lee gunwale at the height of the squall caused the boat's side to dip under water, fill, and sink; after the boat had sunk she rose again bottom upwards a short distance from where witness and the other persons were in the water; his brother kept trying to get the ladies on to the boat's bottom, and at length they caught hold of her keel; the boat then turned over, which caused them all to be carried under water; they all rose again a short distance from each other; his sister caught hold of her mother with one hand, and the boat with the other; when they all got hold of the boat she again turned over, and they were once more plunged beneath the surface; after again rising, witness got on to the top of the boat, and observed his brother (who was a good swimmer) trying to save the ladies; witness flung the tiller-rope towards his brother, but it was too short; at that moment his brother turned round and saw his wife sinking; he accordingly swam towards her and supported her; his sister had his mother then in her arms; witness waved his hat and shouted out for assistance; they were then but a short distance from the entrance to Lane Cove, and he could see the yeople running about on the shore; he observed a boat coming from Cockatoo Island, and told it to the parties in the water; a timber boat was also passing close at the time, and turned towards them, but did not reach close till the boat from Cockatoo had arrived; just before it arrived he looked round and observed that his brother, and also his brother's wife had disappeared; as the Cockatoo Island boat came up and picked up his mother and sister, another boat with a woman in, it from the Lane Cove side, came to their assistance; when witness's brother sank he was about twenty yards from the swamped boat; the last time he saw his brother he (his brother) had his wife in his arms; none of the party screamed or spoke, save witness, who called for assistance; his brother must have heard what he (witness) said about the boat coming, as he looked in that direction; witness had no doubt but that his brother lost his life in attempting to save the life of his wife; witness knew nothing about sailing a boat, and he did not think his brother did either.
The jury, after listening attentively to the evidence, and duly considering all the circumstances of the case, returned the following verdict.
We find that the deceased Isabella Treeve died from suffocation by drowning, caused by the accidental upsetting of a boat; and we regret that the waterman was not taken into the boat, as it appears the parties had a very limited knowledge of nautical affairs, and that the boat was not properly managed; and we consider the conduct of George Lalor and John Bennett, two Cockatoo policemen, deserving of the highest praise.
Several boats' crews, employed by Mr. J. R. Treeve, were engaged on Friday, Saturday, and yesterday in dragging for the bodies of Mr. C. C. Treeve and his wife; but we ascertained that the boats returned last evening without having been successful in their search.
Sydney Morning Herald 30 January 1860

  Research Notes:

Isabella is recorded as the mother of William Treeve on his Death Certificate.

Isabella married Cmdr. John TREEVE [12904] [MRIN: 4338], son of John TREEVE [13431] and Amelia SESS [13432], on 23 Apr 1819 in St Helier Jersey Channel Islands. (Cmdr. John TREEVE [12904] was born on 12 Mar 1785 in Penryn CON, baptised on 13 Jun 1805 in St Gluvias CON, died on 16 Jul 1855 in Vingtaine De Marias Grouvelle Jersey and was buried on 17 Jul 1855 in Grouville Jersey Channel Islands.). The cause of his death was water on the chest.