CASUALTIES.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16848, 31 May 1920, Page 7

CASUALTIES.

, INQUEST. An inquest was opened in tho Courthouse on Saturday morning, before Mr 8. E McCarthy, Coroner, relative to a r motor accident which occurred near the 5 corner of Dyor's road and Farmer's road, Bromley, on Friday afternoon, * and resulted in the death of Sydney _ Small, a returned soldier, who was visltj ing Christchurch from Invercargill on 9 his honeymoon. Tho deceased was one 0 of a party of five who accompanied James McCausland, of Lismore, Ash--0 burton, on a trip in a new car pur- | chased bv McCausland. Mr J. R. Cuningham watched the j proceedings on behalf of the widow. Huon Alexander Arehdall gave evi--1 donee of identification. tj John Fraser, labourer, St. Asaph street, paid that McCausland drove the c ear to Brighton, and each of the party a had two drinks at an hotel. Witness was sitting in the centro of tho front b seeat, deceased being beside him. .At 1 the time of the accident the car was . travelling at from twelve to fourteen r miles an hour. Witness did not unf derstand cars, but ho knew there was . nothing frrong with the car in question, > which travelled smoothly. The car was j turning a corner, but bevond this wit- - ness could remember nothing until he . found himself lying nnder the car. . When Small was extricated he was t rVnd. There was a drop of about six . inches in the road where the accident j occurred, and it was this hole, witness F thought, which caused the car to overr turn. McCausland had negotiated the . corners carefully, but witness could not . say if the brakes had been applied when t the car overturned, as the party were r talking at that time.

William Thomson, an inmate of the Chalmers military ward, Christchurch Hospital, said that MrCausland 'was quite sober. The accident occurred about twenty minutes after leaving; the hotel. Before -the car overturned witness noticed no hole in tho road, bub saw it later

Evidence was also given by Gerald Thomas Riordan, labourer, of St. Albans and John McClure. of Sumner, an ex-hotel keeper, after which the inquest was adjourned until Friday next, at 2.15 p.m., as McCausland is at present in the Hosnital suffering from injuries to his thigh.

A married man named William Francis Williams, 59 years of ago, residing in Wilson's road, died suddenly on Saturday afternoon. It is understood that he was subject to heart trouble. An inquest will be held to-day.

The inquest concerning the death of William Arthur Griffin, who was killed in a collision between a motor-car and tram car at the corner of Page's and Breeze's roads, New Brighton, on 'May 29nd, will bo continued to-morrow.

At the Lyttelton Casualty Ward vestarday afternoon, Mr V. G. Day, S."M., Coroner, held an inquest on tho body of a child named James Ronald Bethel}, aged two months and fifteen days, whoso mrents reside nt Day's road, Lyttelton. The mother gavo evidence that she had discovered the child dead in its bed at <5.40 yesterday morning. Dr. Uphain stated that he had examined the body, and wns of opinion that death was duo to status lymnhaticus. A verdict was returned accordingly. (press association telegram.) WELLINGTON, May 29. The bodv of Max Wapper, a Russian, was found on a section adjoining Young's Private Hotel, at 8 o'clock this morning. There were wounds on the head and face, but no signs of a. struggle. It is possiblo the man had fallen from an "upper storey.