CASUALTIES.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17613, 16 November 1922, Page 11

CASUALTIES.

SCHOOLBOY DROWNED. An inquest concerning the death of "William Juriss Welsh, aged 9 years, who was found drowned in the Richmond school swimming batli on Tuesday evening, was held before Mr Wyvern Wilson, District Coroner, yesterday. Deceased resided with his mother at 16 Retreat road, Avonside.

Lena Welsh, mother cf the boy, gave evidence of identification. Her son, she said, left home at 20 minutes to 9 to go to school and she did not see him again alive. Ho could not swim and had only been attending the school about a month. The night before the accident he had told witness that th* other boys were going in bathing. said, well you must not go in because you can't swim and will get drowned, said witness. "You can't go unless the teacher takes you." Alexander Hughes ; a pupil of the Richmond school said that at about 3.50 p.m. the boy Welsh was sitting watohmg the other boys bathing. At 10 minutes past 4, witness saw him outside the baths after they had been closed. Later ho saw him in Stanmore road, after the school grounds had been cleared. Dr. M. G. Louisson said he was called to the baths at 5.10 p.m. On arrival he found tho naked body of the boy. Life had been extinct for some 15 or 20 minutes, and it appeared that death -was due to drowning. To Constable McLeod: The boy had evidently been drowned in the deep end of the bath in about 7ft of water. To tho Coroner: If the Umgo w<sr6 full of- air and the stomach was full cf water, the body would tend to remain in an upright position. Johr. Bowdcn, master at the Richmond school, said that he was in charge of a swimming class from 3.30 to 4.10 p.m'. At 3.50 he ordered all the boys to leave tho water and no boy entered tho water again between then and the time the baths were locked. After witness had gone about thirty yards from the baths ho was accosted by a boy with a soaking wet head who stood in front of him. Witness told him to go away and then cleared the ground of all children. He identified the boy as Welsh. The inside wall of the baths was whitewashed and the marks on the clothes (produced) might have been caused by contact with it. David Milne, caretaker of the school, statod that when he opened the baths shortly after 5 o'olock he found the boy in the deep end of the bath, standing on the bottom. The body was removed and artificial respiration kept up until the doctor arrived. _ The Coroner said the evidence left no doubt in hia mind as to what had happened. The lad, who had been for* bidden to bathe, had gone back to the baths after they had been closed and been drowned. He found that death was due to misadventure, and that the boy was accidentally drowned while bathing in the school bath.

KILLED BY MOTOR-OAB. The adjourned inquest concerning the death of Keighley Mackwell, aged l 7i years, who was knocked down by a oar at the corner of Cambridge terraoe and Victoria street at 7.30 p.m. on Ootober 23rd, was continued before Coroner, Mr H. Y. Widdowson, last evening. Mr F. D l . Sfirgont represent ed Dunstan, the driver of the.oar, and Sergeant A. C. Quartermain conduoted the proceedings for the police. William Henry Dunstan, ton proprietor, said that on Labour Day ho was engaged to drive a party to and from tno Ran gi or a, races. He left Rangiora some time after the last race, and made a stop at the Scuthbiook Hotel. Witness did not go into the hotel. The passengers in the car werel live men and two girls. Later, he stopped! at the Kaiapoi Hotel. He left at 6.20 or 6.30 p.m. and drove to Christchuroh. At about 7.30 he was approaching the Victoria street bridge on the correct side of the road. His lights were in good order. It was dark andl drizzling. He was driving at about 10 milea per hour. Approaching the bridge he saw a boy running in a north-westerly direction about thro® yards in front of the car. He swerved to the left, but the car struck the boy, the back wheel passing over him. Gladys Bush, spinster, residing at the Kakanui Hotel, Kniapoi, gave evidence of the journey to Cliristchurch, aaid the incidents at the Victoria street bridge. N. Dunn, draper's assistant. >lB9 Lichfield street. Chiistchurch: williaml Bowyer, billiard marker, 99 i&louoefltert street; and Lancelot Alexander Stone, salesman, 47 "Warrington street. St. Albans, also gave evidenoG about the journey to Christchuroh. John Bruorton, assistant traffic Inspector, said that Dunstan. was driving at about 10 milea per hour. The lights of the oar were in good order. In the same circumstances ho would have don© the same as the driver of the car. , . Jeamie McColl, bookseller's assistant, 61 Victoria street; Robert Robert®, motor-car attendant, 441 Montreal street; John Forbes Cruickshank, bruahj maker, 16 Conference street, City; and Leslie Geddes, draper's assistant, 138 Cranford street, ! St. Albans, also gave evidence. t Dr. Reay deposed 1 that the deceased was admitted, to the Hospital about 8 p.m. suffering from shock and internal injuries. He was in a serious condition, and was operated on by Dr. Gould, but died about 11 o'clock. The Coroner returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence. There was no evidence of negligence oil the part of the driver of the oar.

(PBESS ASSOCIATION" TELEGRAM.) WAIPUKURAU, November 15. At Te Haute, a Maori child named Kuine Makaore, three years of age, was playing with fire, which set her dress alight. Her screams brought her adopted mother, who extinguished tho flames. The child was removed to tho Waipukurau Hospital, suffering from terrible bums, and died qn hour after admission.