TWO PERSONS DROWNED AT LYTHAM

On Friday evening Mr. Gilbertson, coroner, held an inquest at the Talbot Inn, Lytham, on the body of Joseph Scott, aged 24 years. The deceased, who had been three weeks employed as plateman at the Clifton Arms Hotel, went with five other young men to bathe in the estuary of the River Ribble, at seven o'clock on Thursday morning.

One of them, John Arthur M`Govern, a billiard marker at the hotel, stated that he saw him go down three or four times, but could not get within about 13 yards of him before he went down the last time. Witnes then heard the others calling out to him to come and rescue Walter Bennett (a cellarman at the hotel), and he swam to him and helped him to get ashore. Bennett said that he also swam towards the deceased, and saw him go down, but had a great struggle to get back.

The deceased had been warned not to go out of his depth. The jury returned a verdict of “Accidentally drowned."—

On Saturday evening Mr. Gilbertson held an inquest at Lytham on the body of John Topping, 13 years of age, who was drowned on the previous day. At four o'clock in the afternoon he and several other boys went to bathe in the estuary of the Ribble. He got out of his depth, and being unable to swim, was drowned before assistance could reach him. In this case also a verdict of “Accidentally drowned" was returned.