INQUEST.

«, An inquest was held at the hospital this morning before Mr T. Lindsay Buick, District Coroner, and the followjury — Messrs J. A. Duley (foreman), 11. G. Patterson, George James, J. T. Channon, T. O'Connor, and A. Wright. The subject of the enquiry was the death of William Hansen, who died at the hospital on Tuesday morning as the result of a log rolling on him at Tamaki on the previous afternoon. Sergt. Cruickshank conducted the enquiry on behalf of the poJice, and called John Philips, who deposed that he was a bushman working at Mr Irvine's mill. Deceased came out to the mill on Monday to look for work, and decided to return home with the rest of the workmen. They started about 2.40 p.m. and there were five of them riding on a log about 26 feet long. At one point of the tram there was a slight decline with a bend at the bottom and as the trolley was turning round this bend the end of the log swung round and eventually lay at right angles to the line. When <his happened all except deceased jumped off. He remained on the log for a few seconds, and then appeared to slide over the side of the log and fell between the two tritcks, but landed on his feet. He continued to run between the trucks for some yards until the trucks stopped suddenly, and the jerk caused the logs to roll between the trucks and fall on deceased, crushing him to the ground. They at once got the jack to work and lifted the log off him. They had to carry him about 4 miles until they met the doctor and the ambulance van. Deceased was then conveyed to the Hospital. Bushmen knew that they were not supposed to ride on the logs, and they did so at their own risk. As deceased had worked at other mills he (witness) presumed he was aware of the rale. The accident j was purely ore of those bush misadvenj tures that could not have been foreseen and prevented. | Richard Metcalf corroborated this [ witness as to the nature of the accident, and said that the log was fastened in the usual way. He had never seen a log turn iv a similar manner before. Dr Dawson described the injuries sustained by deceased, which were consistent with a log falling on him. After the coroner had summed up the jury returned the following verdict, That deceased met his death through being accidentlaly crushed by a Jog at Tamaki on Monday, 13th inst, and that no blame was attached to any one.