ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9278, 2 December 1895, Page 4

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

R. Aihley, a lad about twelve years of age, son of Mr J. Aihley, station master, Lytteltob, while going to the dock for a swim yesterday morning, fell over an embankment near his parents' house. His head struck a stump; and he received a severe scalp wound about 6in in length. The skull was exposed for fully 6in, and it required several stitches to close the wound.

Ruby Coatee, eight and a half years of age , the daughter of Robert Coates, May's road. Papanni, died while under chloroform on Saturday morning. The girl had a growth in the Dose, and at 7.50 a.m. Drs. Brittan and Manning attended to perform an operation, which had been decided on to remove the growth. The former doctor administered the chloroform and the latter performed the operation. The child, however, did not recover. An inquest took place at 3 p.m. on Satuiday, at the residence of the deceased's parents, before Mr Beetham, Coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr W. Jackson was chosen foreman. After hearing the evidence the jury returned a verdict that death was the result of misadventure, and that there was no blame to be attached to the doctors who performed the operation.

At about 8.30 a.m. yesterday Thomas Curties, fifteen years of age, was drowned while bathing in the Avon a quarter ot a mile or so below the tramway bridge. At 7.30 a.m. the deceased with H. Biltcliffe, R. Gee, and Graham Lamb, three boys about his own ago, left the residence of deceased's parents, in Worcester street, Linwood, and walked to New Brighton. Curtiee, Biltcliffe and Gee stripped at the place mentioned and went into the river. Curties, who could not swim, dived and got into deep water. On reaching the surface he caught hold of Biltclitfe, who narrowly escaped being drowned also. Biltcliffe, however, managed to free himself, and reached the bank, hut Curties was unfortunately nuable to do so. Lamb, who from the bank saw the accident, gave the alarm to Mr Charles Cur tie at the tramway bridge, and he took a drag but failed to find the body, which was afterwards recovered by Sappar Capstisk, of the Engineers. About the same time the police and several doctors were communicated with by telephone. Constable Flewellyn and Mounted Constable Kelso and Drs. Murdoch, Palmer and Ovenden reached New Brighton shortly before twelve o'clock, Dut life h*d thcti been extinct for some time. A. little while after the body was recovered Mr Stratton, a member of the Christchurch Amateur Swimming Club, applied the .Sylvester method of respiration, which was continued until the doctor arrived, and he had, after examination, pronounced life extinct. The body was taken to the Brighton Hotel, and afterwards, by permission, removed to the parents' residence. Au inquest will probably be held to-day.

(PBSSS ASSOCIATION TELEOBAM.) DUNISDINt, November 30. John McKenzie, a miner living at a placa called Coolgarilie, near Alexandra, was found dead in his hut. He had been in bad health for some past.