ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 67, 21 March 1910, Page 5

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

[press association.]

NEW PLYMOUTH, This Day. An Imperial pensioner named Francis Eastfield Bilton, , aged 79, committed suicide by cutting his throat this morning. Both he and his wife were drinking lieavily lately. He leaves a large family. INVERCARGILL, This Day.

Jas. Miller, a well-knpwn farmer of Mossburn district, was thrown from his horse on Thursday, and died in the Riverton Hospital 011 Sunday. AUCKLAND, Tliis Day. The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the man Frank Hill, aged 40, who was last seeil afroard the yacht Katie at Mechanics' Bay, Parnell, on Saturday forenoon, point to> the probability of a drowning accident. Hill boarded the yacht on Saturday to proceed to Mjuraeti, 16 miles from Auckland, for a cargo of explosives. Hodson, the owner of the yacht, hearing the craft was still at anchor 400 yards- from Wydward Pier, went out to ascertain the cause of the delay in starting. The only traces that could be found of Hjll were a coat, a hat, and pipe. Hodson. states that when last he saw Hill on board the yacht he was hauling in the cable chain, and fears he must have slipped overboard. The water at the anchorage is 11 feet deep. ' WANGANUI, This Day. The body of a young woman named Sutton, who lias been missing since Tuesday, was found' this .morning floating in the river. /'

PALMERSTON N., This Day. A man. named. .Nils Petersen, 70, was found dead "in a stable attached to his premises at Stony Creek this morning. The body was fully clothed, and death apparently took place yesterday. . ■

FLANNELLETTE CONDEMNED.

CARTERTON, This Day. An inquest was held this morning on the body of Edith Emma MacAulay, aged 4|. years, daughter of W. J. MacAulay, of Carringtpn settlement, who met lier death, through her clothes catching fire on March 18. The evidence showed that while the parents had left the house to milk, the little girl had walked up to a fire wearing flanneflette night-clothes to get warm. She caught fire,; and was burned from the knees all round the body to the ears and bottom lip. A verdict of accidental death was returned, 'with, no blame attachable to parents. The jury a,dded the following rider: ' 'That the acting-coroner be asked to make strng representations to the Minister for Public Health, condemnatory of the use of fiannellette by the people of Dominion for clothing and other purposes. The jury is of opinion that many lives are sacrificed through the use of this material, and that a prohibitive duty should be imposed thereon. Th§. jury asks that this be done in the cause of humanity. They are aware that the material is dangerous to life and inimical to health", and should be banished from the use of .every house-' hold."