Saturday 01 Jun 1844 (p. 2, col. 5) FATAL AND MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE ON KESWICK LAKE.-On Sunday last, one of the most distressing and melancholy accidents happened on Keswick Lake that has occurred in that neighbourhood for a long time past, and has been the means of plunging some highly respectable families in that town into the deepest affliction. About three o'clock in the afternoon, four gentlemen, all natives of Keswick-namely, Mr. Wm. DIXON, draper; Mr. John AIREY, jun., black-lead pencil manufacturer; Mr. Isaac BANKS, gardener; and Mr. Richard THORNTON, son Mr. Wm. THORNTON, tallow chandler,-went upon the Lake to enjoy an aquatic excursion in the John Bull sail boat. A heavy gale was blowing from the north-east at the time, and on going up towards the head of the Lake the boat ran before the wind at a fearful rate. When the party were in the very centre of the Lake between Barrow House, the residence of W. H. PETERS, Esq., on the east side of the water, and Mutton Pye Bay on the west, the boat suddenly ran into the agitated water, and in a moment went to the bottom, where the Lake was at least ten yards deep, when, three out of the four gentlemen instantly met with a watery grave! This truly lamentable occurrence was observed by W. H. PETERS, Esq., of Barrow House, who, in the most laudable manner, and with the utmost possible promptitude, instantly called his coachman and gardener, who entered a boat with their master, and pulled at the oars with all their might on their way towards the awful scene, which they reached in about twenty minutes after the accident had occurred. The first object which this humane party rescued from the water was a favourite little dog belonging to Mr. DIXON, which was the means of their discovering Mr. AIREY, who was buoying himself up with an air bag and an oar that he had got hold of as the boat was going down; he was in a very exhausted state, but the moment he got hold of the stern of Mr. PETERS' boat, he begged of them to make towards Mr. DIXON, even before he was taken into the boat himself. Mr. DIXON was at the time a short distance from the boat, into which the party took Mr. AIREY, and then pushed on toward Mr. DIXON, who was still struggling in the water; but alas! before the rowers had made half a dozen strokes with their oars, Mr. DIXON, who had become completely exhausted, sank never to rise again! It is supposed that the other two young men had both sunk with the boat. Too much praise certainly cannot be bestowed upon Mr. PETERS and his two servants, who, at the risk of their own lives, succeeded, at all events, in saving one gentleman out of the four; and had they not been completely exhausted by buffeting the heavy swells, it is thought that Mr. DIXON's life would also have been saved, as he was distinctly heard to call out for help when they were within a few boats' length of him, the party exerting themselves to the very utmost to reach him, but in vain. The unfortunate party in the sail boat, it appears, had four air bags with them, which had never before been used, and in consequence of the weather being windy and squally they took the precaution to fill them previous to embarking on the Lake, and thus inflated were lying at the bottom of the boat. When the accident occurred Mr. AIREY had snatched up one air bag, and Mr. DIXON another, and the former gentleman, who cannot swim, was saved, whilst the latter, who is an excellent swimmer, was drowned. Whilst struggling in the water, it appears, Mr. DIXON was much annoyed and burthened by his favourite little dog, which got upon his back: he, however, succeeded in shaking the animal off, when it immediately made for Mr. AIREY, upon whose back it also got, and who did not shake it off without considerable difficulty, the poor animal being so anxious to escape destruction. Mr. DIXON was one of the most respectable tradesmen in Keswick, and was universally respected by all classes of the inhabitants of that town; he has left a wife and three young children, the youngest only three weeks old. The young man, Mr. THORNTON, has also left a wife and three young children at Penrith, where he resided, but had been at Keswick for the last few weeks assisting his father. What makes this young man's case the more distressing is, that he was no boater, but being accidentally by the side of the Lake, he was induced to go on board by the others, who gave him a friendly invitation to take a sail with them. BANKS was a single man, but we understand that he was on the eve of marriage. Mr. AIREY, on being landed, was taken to Barrow House, where every kindness and attention were paid to him by Mr. and Mrs. PETERS, where he soon came round, but still in a very distressed state of mind, owing to the loss of his companions. During the whole of Sunday evening, exertions were made to recover the bodies from the water, but without the desired effect.-On Monday morning nearly all the boats on the Lake were out, and their owners searching with grappling irons for the bodies of the other two sufferers. The body of Mr. DIXON was found about twenty yards from the place where the boat foundered. Efforts were next directed to raise the boat, which was after some difficulty accomplished, and during the afternoon the body of Mr. THORNTON was found. Mr. BANKS was found near the place where the boat went down.-An inquest was held on the bodies on Tuesday, by W. LUMB, Esq., coroner, and a verdict of accidental death returned, with a deodand on the boat of 1s.