The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 1899.

At the Coroner's Inquest on Wednesday on the body of Mrs Rosanna Toomey, wjio had been drowned m the Hae-hae-te-moana on the previous day, her husband stated m his evidence that when he came to the river there was nothing to show that the ford was dangerous. According to our report the exact words used by him were— "There was no warning that the ford was dangerous." He did not mean that he had received no verbal warning, but that when he got to the ford there was no rail across the track, or any other indication that the overseer or Road Board men had visited the spot since the rising of the river and found that it would be unsafe to attempt to cross. The jury returned a verdict that deceased had been accidentally drowned ; but they added the following rider:— "The jury wish to draw the attention of the Geraldine Road Board to the future careful supervision of the various fords m the rivers, both during and after flood, viz., by putting up some obstruction m the roads to show the travelling public it is dangerous to enter; by dangerous we mean by the bank being cut away ; such obstruction to be kept up until the said ford is made passable. We see no reason why what has been done m the past should not be done now." Just about the time that the jury were handing the Coroner that rider, the overseer's report was under consideration by the Geraldine Road Board. The report contained the following words : — " The heavy floods a few days ago had destroyed almost all the river crossings, and rendered the major portion of them impassable for dray traffic, and which will necessitate a large expenditure to effect the necessary repairs thereto." It is plain therefore that the overseer had made the inspection which is usual and, m fact, absolutely necessary after a flood.

We may suppose that he had included the crossing at the Hae-hae-te-moana m the places visited by him. The river was still very high when Mr Toomey arrived on its banks, and he appears to have had at first some misgiving with regard to its condition. He, however, saw wheel-marks entering the stream, and his wife thereupon pointed out to him that the baker had crossed. Mr Toomey, therefore, went on, as he had a good horse, and thought that what the baker had done he could do. The result was that horse and trap went into a hole and were washed down the stream. It was a repetition of a very old South Canterbury story, and one which will probably find its counterpart a good maDy times m the future until the crossings have all been bridged. But it will hardly do for the local authorities to rest satisfied with a consideration of that sort. To some extent they are the guardians of the travelling public. It is the duty of the Geraldine Road Board to look after the river crossings, and to repair as speedily as possible any that maybe injured by floods. It seems to follow that, pending necessaryrestoration where damage has been done, the Road Board should adopt some means for letting the travelling public know that the crossing is dangerous and ought not to be attempted. Having done that, the local authority is absolved from blame if the warning be disregarded and disaster ensue. The best method of conveying the warning is to put up a temporary rail or two at the usual place for entering the water. That plan has very often been adopted, and has been the means of saving many lives and preventing a multitude of minor accidents. The Coroner's jury on Wednesday appear to have thought that something of the sort should have been done at the Hae-hae-te-moana crossing after the recent flood. Like them, "we can see no reason why what has been done m the past should not be done now." Indeed, although we are not at all disposed to blame the overseer or the road-men unfairly, we think that the Geraldine Road Board should inquire why some obstruction was not placed at this crossing, either by a line of large stones or by a few temporary rails; and whilst the Board are about it, they might also ascertain whether anything was done to notify the public of danger at the other river crossings which the overseer stated had been rendered impassable for dray traffic, and some of which were probably made dangerous for traffic of any kind. Has the overseer any permanent instructions on this subject, and if so, has he paid heed to them ? If he has no such instructions, it is about time that he got them. It was stated at the inquest that after the accident a warning was put up by the Road Board men. As far as the unfortunate deceased was concerned, that late activity was analogous to locking the stable door after the horse has been stolen; but we should like to know whether, m putting up the warning, these Road Board men were merely obeying instructions which had up to that time been neglected, or whether they were supplying the want of forethought and care for the public on the part of the Board. Is it to be understood that no warning is to be erected at a flooded or damaged crossing until its danger has been demonstrated by the drowning of one or more farmers or their wives ? Surely it would be better to take precautionary measures a little earlier. Perhaps some of our readers will think that we have made too much of this incident. The Geraldine Road Board and their overseer will very likely be of that opinion. But we have a natural antipathy to the unnecessary destruction of human life, and if our remarks have the effect of stirring up the local authorities m the Geraldine Road District to a keener sense of their responsibility, we are quite content to put up with any ill-will that they may feel towards us for having ventured to animadvert on their apparent neglect.