ACCIDENTS AND INQUESTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6758, 16 July 1883, Page 3 (Supplement)

ACCIDENTS AND INQUESTS.

I A WOMAJf named Mrs. Johanna Burke was found dead in bed by her husband on the 18th ■ June. She had been complaining slightly on the previous day of having a stiff leg, ' but not otherwise. The police communicated with the Coroner, Dr. Philson, and an inquest was held next day. The evidence of the husband, Jas. Burke, and of Dr. Goldsbro', .who made the post morlein, was taken. From the medical evidence it appeared that the cause of death was heart diseise, and a verdict was returned in accordance with the medical testimony. An accident happened on Monday, 13th June, to a man named James Watson, a bushman in the employ of the Shortland Sawmill Company, and working at a place called the Billygoat, on Kauwaeranga Creek. He and his fellow-workmen were shifting a log over some others, when it suddenly rolled back into its first position, pressing Watson's jack against his left leg, and breaking it just above the ankle, and also inflicting a number of bruises. The injured man's companions, twenty ia number, carried him t in to the Hospital, a distance of about twenty I miles.

Early on the 29 tli June a man named James Beaton accidentally fell over the wharf, at the outer tec, near the new sheds, and was drowned, notwithstanding the efforts made to rescue him. Richard Hutchins, who witnessed the accident, having come home too late, and been locked out at his lodgings, took a stroll down tho wharf. On reaching the end of it he noticed a man sitting, dozing apparently, on one of the trollies, whom he recognised as having came in contact with three weeks previously at Pye's boarding-house, though he did not know his name. The man was bareheaded, his hat lying on the wharf. Hutchins told him to pick up his hat, and instead of sitting on the trolly in the draught, to come and sit beside him on the donkey engine. Deceased got up to do so, when, in passing, he tripped on the projecting handle of the trolly and fell sideways over tho wharf into tho harbour by the bow of the Mendoza. Hutchins at once raised an alarm and threw a rope over; as also did the watchmau on board the Mendoza, but the drowning man uttered no cry or made the slightest effort to save himself, though a raft was alongside. It is believed that he struck the Mendoza in falling . over the wharf, and got stunned. An inquest on the body was held on June 30, when a verdict of " Accidental death" was returned. Our Helensville correspondent sends the following particulars respecting the sudden death of Mrs. Adamß :—A very melancholy death took place here on June 16. Mrs. Adams, wife of Captain Adams, for mauy years a resident here, was in her usual health up to within a few days ago. She kept her bed from Thursday, but did not cause auy alarm to her neighbours until Saturday, about halfpast three p.m., when her young daughter called on a female friend to assist her mother into bed. On reaching her room, she found Mrs. Adams standing by her bedside, who callcd to be prevented from falling. She was laid down on the floor, and then almost immediately expired. Mr. Stewart, medical resident, was very shortly in attendance, but the vital spark had lied before he arrived. Mr. Bonar, the District Coroner, was sent for, who reached here on Sunday, shortly after two o'clock p.m., and a jury being summoned by Constable Naughton, it was thought desirable, from the state of the body, that no delay should take plice in holding the inquest, although Captain Adams was from homo. After viewing the body where she died, the jury and Coroner retired to the Court-house, and after examining several witnesses the jury unanimously brought in their verdict that deceased died from serous apoplexy. Oh the 22nd June, as the cutter belonging to a party of Greeks who are oystering on the coast was coming into Coromandel from Te Koumu, deeply laden with a load of oysters, a puff of wind caught her and she heeled over and sank in deep water. There were three and a boy (Henry Johnson) on board. The men got hold of pieces of timber, and floated until picked up by a boat from the shore, but the boy clung to the mast and went down with the boat, and was never seen again. One of Mr. R. Scott's sons, Waipu, was drowned on June 23, by the upsetting of a boat near his father's place, Whangarei. He was coming home with his brother, from fishing, when a sudden squall capsized the boat near their father's place. The brother swam ashore, but got hurt, and lies dangerously ill. Two young men, Gossey and Towers, were capsized in ttieir fishing-boat, Grace, on June 24, off Mr. Aubrey's place, Whangarei. The boat sank. They escaped in a dingy they were towing, and lauded safely at One-tree Point.

A seaman belonging to the s.s. Oreti met with a singular accident on board that steamer on Friday, the 22nd June, at the Onehunga VVharf. He was attending to tho rope round the winch, when, in some way or other, his hand got caught in the rope, and he wa3 carried round the winch before the donkey-engine could be stopped. He was speedily released, but was found to have received f;uch severe injuries, as to necessitate his being sent to the Auckland Hospital. A little girl, named Sweeney, has been admitted into the Hospital from Mercer, suffering from severe injuries caused by being burned. The little one is in a precarious ccndition. The burn is not recent, but the wound has never healed properly. A serious accident occurred on Wednesday, the 20th of June, at Rangiriri, to a little boy about three yeara old, the son of Mr. John Jeffries, of Waierangi. His father had been killing a pig, and had just taken it out of the scalding tub, when the child, who was standing by, fell into the scalding water. Medical assistance was of course unavailable, but Mr. Robert Mnir kindly took horse at once, and rode a distance of forty miles into Hamilton, to describe the case to Dr. Carey, and ascertain what remedies should be applied. Two children- of Mr. A. Green, Mangapai, took suddenly ill on July 2. Severe vomiting and purging were the prevailing symptoms. One of them, Sarah, his ouly daughter, died about 1 o'clock the same night. The other, though still in dang-.r, is thought to be recovering. On the 30th June Mr. Walpole, who is superintending the erection of the cheese factory at Waiuku, met with a nasty accident. He was riding after some horses to drive them off the ground?, when his saddle, which does not appear to have been securely girthed, turned, and he was thrown. The horse trod on his right foot, tearing the boot and takiog the toe nail and a portion of the flesh from his small toe, leaving the bone exposed. He was at once taken home, and the usual remedies wero applied, but it will be some time before he is able to walk about with cumfort.

An accident happened to Mr. Morley, of TVaiuku, at Havelock Hill, while passing with a dray through Ngaruawahia. The dray and team and Mr. Morley were capsized into a large hole, and it was almost by a miracle that Mr. Morley extricated himself beforo the dray and horses could fall upon him. One of the horse 3 was slightly injured. A young man named Herbert Harris, aged 26, lost his life on Monday, July 9, under peculiarly melancholy circumstances. It appears that, from some cause or other, tlie horae attached to the baker's cart of Mr. Philips, of Victoria-street, bolted in Wake-field-street, and after furiously careering down that street, rounded into Grey-street, where same unsuccessful attempts were made to arrest the runaway. Young Harris was standing at the time in the door of Fowler and Co.'s butchering establishment, in which he was employed, and as the frenzied animal came past he ran out, and courageously laid hold of the reius, but the horse swerving towards him, his foot slipped, he fell, and the wheels cf the cart passed over his loins. The unfortunate man never uttered a cry, but covered his face with his hands. Shortly afterwards Dr. Wine arrived. The injuries of the young men were, however, found to be fatal, and he died about an hour and a half after the accident. His parents are dead, but it is reported ho has some brothers resident in Liverpool. Deceased, who was a steady young man, was to liave been married in about six weeks. Deceased had been in the colony about two years, and brought letters of introduction to Mr. Knox, formerly of the Camp Farm, Otahuhu, and had been in the employ of the Messrs. Hellaby Brothers, butehers, almost from his arrival in the colony. An inquest into the circumstances was held on July 10 at tho Market Hotel, when the jury returned a verdict of accidental death. On Tuesday, July 10, about dusk, a man named Atkinson, a carter in the employ of Mr. \V. Cruickshank, met with a serious accident at Firth's new granary, AlbertBtreet. It appears that be had backed his dray in, and was in the act of polling off a

heavy crate, when his clothes caught in the wicker works, and he was thrown a distance of upwards of twenty feet. Dr. Lee was sent for, and recommended that Atkinson should be at once removed to the Hospital, which was done. The unfortunate man appears to have suffered some internal injuries, besides being cut about the face. What the nature of these internal injuries are cannot be definitely ascertained for a few days. Atkinson is a single man, and about 35 years of age. A man named Morton , was accidentally drowned on Saturday, July 7, from off the p.s. Devonport, whilst on the passage from .Nortbcote to Auckland. The steamer was coming across at 2.30 p.m., having on board the workmen employed at the Sugar Company's works, aud when close to the hulk (moored a short distance to the westward of the wharf) the deceased, who was also employed at the sugar works, was climbing from the deck on to the fore-part of the ' bridge, when his hold suddenly slipped, and in his endeavour to save himself he managed to catch one of the side-light screens, but it unfortunately gave way nnder his weight, and the man fell overboard. The master of the vessel at once Stopped her, and threw to the man a lifebuoy, but although it fell close to the struggling man, he fs.iled to grasp it. At the same time the steamer's dingy was got out and manned, bnt before it could reach Morton he disappeared, and although the steamer was kept close to the spot for some time, he did not rise to the surface again. An inquest was held on July 9, before Dr. Goldsbro', coroner, and jury, at the Lunatic Asylum, on tho body of Joseph Decker Rundlett, who died on Sunday, Bth. The evidence showed that deceased died from exhaustion arising from acute mania, and a verdict was returned in accordance with the medical evidence. There is little doubt' that he is another victim to intemperance. Deceased waß about 48 years of age, and an American by nationality, and described himself as "a contractor, shipbuilder, and gentleman."

A boat accident happened at Russell on July 10 by which Andrew Carleson was drowned. The boat capsized off Tapeka Point, and drifted towards the whaleships with Edward Mills holding on to the bottom of the boat, when the same was observed from the whaleship Robert Morrison, which ship immediately despatched a whaleboat. Mills states that he had been holding on for about four hours, and had tried to keep Carleson on the boat, but was unable to do so. Carleson was a partner in the firm of Guild and Carleson, fishermen, and was very much respected, he being a quiet and unassuming man. On Thursday, sth July, the dead body of a native was found floating down the Waikato river above Cambridge. It proved to be the body of one Hoani Paheha, who had been drowned in the Waikato river at the Orakei Korako Falls in the Taupo district about ten days previously, and for the recovery of which his people or tribe were offering a reward of £20. The distance from where the accident occurred by river to Cambridge is about 100 miles, and there is a large number of falls and rapids along the route, which shows that the remains of the unfortunate native had a very rough passage down the river. James Murray, miner, Coromandel, had his fingers cut off by the falling of a pump column. The latter waß lifted a few inches to fix the chock, when the chain broke, and caught Murray by the fingers. John Quinn, bushman, has been brought to the Coromandel Hospital from Cabbage Bay, badly crushed, a log haviDg rolled over him. Three ribs are broken and he has received other injuries.

Intelligence was received in town on the 11th July that Mr. Richard Pains, an old and respected settler at the Mata, half-way between Aotea and Raglan, died suddenly on Saturday night. It appears that latterly ha has been suffering from heart disease. On the above evening he came in to the house after doing some odd job 3 about the farm, took a fit of vomiting blood, and died before any medical aid could be obtained. Ho was a very industrious settler, and had made a comfortable homestead for his family through hard work. He was about forty years of age.