ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 154, 24 March 1908, Page 10

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

PLUMBER'S FATAL-FALL., INQUEST AT THE HOSPITAL. . An inquest concerning the death of George Reed, master plumber, who died on Saturday last through injuries sustained on Wednesday, March 18, by a-fall down the well of a . stairway, .on a building in course of erfection in: Rintoul Street, Newtown,' was held at the. Hospital before Dr.. A. M'Artliur, S.M., yesterday afternoon. Constablo Kerr appeared on behalf of tho police. Richard' Curgenven, plumber, employed, in. the business of tho late Georgo Reed, gave oviclence that on the day of the accident lie was employed with deceased on a building in course of erection in Rintoul Street. Witness, at .about noon, was passl ing a 'plauk from tho exterior , of the building to Reed, who /was. inside the building: The first i intimation witness received that anything .was wrong was that tho plank suddenly gave way.' Later, ■ witness saw Reed lying at, the bottom of tho stair-well, and with the assistance of.',a man named Pryor, placed him on a bench. Deceased was thou taken to tlie Hospital. In tlio opinion of the witness, deceased was a careful man.. " ■

To the foreman: The height of the scaffold from tho ground was about fifteen foot, and the well' was unprotected. Deceased knew that tho well was thero.

William Hurrh Clifford : Patrick, housesurgeon at Wellington Hospital, stated that the xleneased, Qeorgo Recti, was to tho Hospital shortly after noon, on-March 18.' He was . found to be" suffering from severe injuries 'to tlio spiual cord, which' caused 'paralysis of tlio "muscles of' tlio legs and, trunk, with tho exception of the diaphragm. The location of tho injury was tho second dorsal vertebra, and in consequence the respiratory muscles were paralysed. Deceased became gradually worse until March 21, on'-which date, ho died ,"'at 7.45 p.m. The causo of death-was. 'paralysis of the diaphragm. Henry I'ryor, foreman bricklayer to Messrs. Hunt- and Jit I 'Donald, contractors for the building at which t!ho accident'-occurred,' deposed that at about' noon lie was working nndernoatli the stair well. Deceased fell within tiireo feet of him.. Witness picked. Reed, • who was ' then unconscious, tip,and' laid him on. the carpenter's' licnch outsido., .Deceased, on ,re<;pveriiig consciousness, said, ''My.back is .broken." ' Witness, later, assisted to carry Reed to tlio; express, whicji took him to tlio Hospital. , . Tho iury returned, a verdict of accidental death. .- v■" - ■ . - ■ - • -■ • • - fBV TF.IiEdCUPn—rRF.SS ASSOCIATION."* - . ! Wairoa March 23. Tho body -of the man found on the foreshoro on'the-Wairoa v ßivcr on Friday has been identified as thai of' Edward Maryott, an Australian, a married man with a ivifo and-daughter in Australia. -The evidence ..showed that ho had boen drinking, and on "the evening of his ' death had ~ boughtmethylated spirits... He seems'to have been under the bridge -all'tho night of! the storm;, and became stupid and linablo to get away' from the rising flood waters. A .verdict -to the above effect was-given.

i : Hamilton. March 2,3. A hoy named ' Moon, aged eight, avas drowned in the- Wnikato river. atr-Ngaroa-wahia yesterday whilo bathing.