INQUESTS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12935, 15 October 1907, Page 2

INQUESTS.

» An inquest touching tho death of (Michael Henry, late watchman of the dredge Manchester, whose body was found floating in the water under the Gladstone Pier early on Sunday morning, w*s hold at Lyttelton, yesterday afternoon, before Mr H. W. Bishop, District Coroner. Evidence was given by Balfour Toomey and J. liUaum, night watchmen employed by the Harbour Board, who saw Henry on board tho dredge about 1.30 a.m. on Sunday. Ho was then all right, and in good spirits. B. Toomey gave evidence es to finding tho body floating in tho water under tho wharf about 6 o'clock. Ho asked tho watchman of the steamer Camphill to help hhn to got tho body out of tho water, but the man said he could not leave his ship. Witness then went round tht» wharf and informed Constable Moore and Huston, who helped him to get fch« body into a boat, and afterwards take it to the morgue. The body wos not quite cold, and witness could not say how it got into the water. Deceased was a very steady and sober man, and witness had not known him to touch alcoholic liquor for the last ten yeara. Constable Moriarty 6tated that he hid searched the body at the morgue, and had not found any marks of violence on it. On searching deceased's belongings on the dredge, the constable found them all in order. He found a small sum in cash and ft savings' bank book, showing a credit balance of £461 16s. Tho jury returned a verdict of "Found drowned." An, inquest was held on Sunday at th© Courthouse, Little River, bofore Mr W. H. Montgomery, Acting Coroner, and c, jury, touching the death of Lancelot James Rooney. Constable Whatman conducted tho enquiry. Evidence given by A. J. Rooney, Ernest Le Comte, Fritz Breitmeycr, and Constable Whatman, showed that deceased, in company with his brother, Claude Rooney, went boating on Lake Forsyth on Sunday, September 29th, that the deceased and his brother did not return, but the canoe wa6 found upside down on the shore, and that vigorous search hnd_ been made, the body of deceased being recovered at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The jury returned, c verdict of "Accidentally drowned," adding that no blame was attached to anyone.