WALKED TO HIS DEATH.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 61, 12 March 1915, Page 4

WALKED TO HIS DEATH.

! LABOURER'S THOUGHTUESft ACT. ; \ f - THE PARKELL TUXKEL FATAIIH; The circumstances in which a railwn labourer named Patrick Mattinjort, acej (50, met Wβ death near the * Parodl way tunnel" on the sth met, •were furtier inquired into this morning 'when the ti. journed inquest <wae feaumed before JlrV E. C. Cutten, S.M., acting as coroner. ' ■ ■- George Wilkinson, ganger, eaid that &: ceas-ed was working under his direction At about 4 p-m, on the day Rotorua expre-M was coming froni.-3fe w . market at the south end of the'toantL After hearing the whistle, of the «.'. proachiiig train witness looked *rowi and saw that all the men were clew-of ' the line, after which he went on with life work. Hearing a shout be looked ronai. and saw a man named Peers trying to drag the deceased off-the line, but the engine struck the latter, and kn*&*£l both nwn down. When witness readttpS deceased he wae quite unconKtbne. Thj train was not travelling fact. ' On ttat-' portion of th-s line the regulation ipeti*' was 10 miles an hour. After the Mej. ~ dent the train pulled up in h»lf it* ow» length. Witness had had the ilrrrsin.il a 1 his gang for about three weeks. There wae a book of rulee and regulations, but witness could not say "whether ie »£ conversant with them. When first looked round deceased was workis* at one side right away from, the najj ■;,; line. He had no occasion to be where])*/ sat; when struck. Ko trains could S»Tt got on to the line -where le "was ■wortii Witness thought he muet have ab»et-' mindedly walked on to the mam Uti.'There was nothing in hie actions to ww. gest suicide. James Whamby Peere, a casual worfet on the railways, said that he was esgaged on the deviation with the ietmd at the time of the accident. They ««« about twelve feet apart and_ <rff : tt» main line. He heard an engine'irtetli, and on looking up thought that sD ike men were aware that the iiain Tru.Wf" proaching. There was mot the lout «e> caeion for witness or the . deceased tt hare moved from -where they .were ■wift. ing. When the train haii bend and was about 'a' chain ''and *fcg away, the deceased walked on to Jfe main line towards the approaching; trtifc Witness called out, and, xealfeiag tht Mattimore was taking- no notice, •wet f> pnll him .off. The engine etruck dtetsMj, and knocked him against witness Jfe had only known the man for abdot tteet days. - The latter appeared to >f"»rsHfi and well.' Witness thought detail' acted -as though he "were ijemMsjel 'iA the time. Witness did not nowlarti book of rules, but he had when be '«■ a permanent hand. . Peter Dalziel, driver of the engmß, «|" that when approaching tke ■ Nejnefat'' tunnel he noticed some, own wottesg o» a side line. He heard eomeone say ?lmk oat,* , and almost imraediitely the eagm ran into a man and threw him Oβ m side. The engine was puUed up in akii two lengths, and iwitneae -went 3)ius£jijo the man. had been' travelling at about ten. wSm.MaiaMM' Constable McHugh gave evidese* tf assistance rendered after receiviaf • ol from- the Auckland WKen'i-He arrived ttieiiai'-irm tedSl body was afterward conveyed to ttt morgue. There wae Mood on the ttm, issuing,frojn.,a cut on the fore " -Tife' .Coi-dnej fo.ujid' that death' wai shock' from- mjumsl' JeSSij| !whenstruck by a railway ! deceased had thoughtiesaly th-eline. when the train was and no blame-iwas attachable to aojm: - —— ..,-|g Wm