ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 174, 16 April 1908, Page 8

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

' . DEATH OF A COOK. VERDICT: OF "FOUND DROWNED." ' ' Shprtly before eight o!clock -yesterday morning, , a carpenter named Joseph Rote, whilst working on the King's Wharf, discovered,a bodyvfloating in the harbour. The; polios 'were communicated with, and' Sergeant Kelly and Constablo Shaw quickly, arrived'on' the scenc. It was. found that the body was that of Richard Thomas, a' oodk, aged .41 years.V •'/■■' : : ■*'/ :■ ' .Tho.deceased, it;will bo rememberedj at-: tempted to 'commit' suicide at Hall's Turkish Batlis on October.'4 -last./ The attention of tlio proprietorwas' attracted' owing to tho water in the, bath, which .was being used by 'the-. deceased, , being, disoolourcd by , blood.. After a struggle'the proprietor secured possession of an old" razor, with'which deceased ■ had inflicted a.-.serious wound at the back' of his thigh. Among other things, the deceased •said : 4, :1 have nothing' to livo for, so I,want to do away with myself. Give me back the razor, and'let me oomplcte the job.- I made a mistake'<this time."- -Ho was removed to the .hospital; and subsequently-"was- brought before the Court, being convicted and ordered to como up for sentence when called upon. '■ ." An inquest on the' body , was held .at the M<>rguß'last.evening by Dr. M'Artliur, S.M. (Coroner). . .. .. ' Alma'- Wilson, manager " of- , Thomas's' boarding-house,: No.: 20 Cambridge Torraco, deposed that deceased had worked in the kitchen "at the boarding-house nor? and again,, but was most of his:time at the Steamboat Restaurant. He' bad threatened to take his .life several.times recently. .On Monday lasthe informed her .that he'would do away with himself beforo Tuesday was out. : James Tait Allan, proprietor, of the. 1 Steamboat Restaurant, gave evidence that 'deqwsed Meft. his; placo at 7.45 the previous, evening. Evidence was also given by Alice Hanscai, Joseph Rossi and H. L. Stone. Tho jury, of which " Mr. Henry C. Salom was'foreman, returned -a Yerdjct of "Found 'drowned." ' ,' .

A painful accident occurred at the wharf' shortly after one o'clock yesterday afternoon. The , victim 'was a singlo-.man named . Alex-, ander. Hill, who was engaged ■at the after hatch of, tho: Talcapuna;■ discharging timber with'a sling./ Somehow, ,thjj. timber tilted up at one end, and swerved' round suddenly, breaking Hill's' right -leg below, the: kiiee. Tho injured man, who resides at Taranaki Street,was conveyed to , the Hospital •by Constable Fleming in: an ambulance wagon. DEATH UNDER CHLOROFORM. (by TEtnoßArn—rnnss association.*) Cisborrio, April 15." A sudden death occurred at the local dental surgery this afternoon,'when'Mrs. J. B. Hollier/expired whilst;under'chloroform' prio'r to T a dental operation. Deceased, who was about 42 years', of; age, .was exariiined prior to the administration of..the. anaesthetic by Dr. Collins iii the pretence of Mr. Crawford,, the, doritist, and Airs. Lucas,, arid', in tho" opinion of tho doctor, deceased was a fit subject for chloroform.' A few seconds after the administration of the/chloroform, the'doctor noted .that tho pupils of tho eyes woro dilated, and other indications, of heart failure were apparent. He at onoe applied restorative measures. The patieilt recovered a little, and almost immediately collapsed. Death is attributed to heart failuro. An inquest will beheld. GUN ACCIDENT. ' * Clsborno, .April 15. A man namod Lyn was brought into the hospital last night from Tolaga. He went out to shoot a dog, but instead hit it with the gun, and the charge oxploded. The bullet lodged in Lyn's flesh. It was extracted, but his condition is still serious. DROWNED IN A -TUB OF WATER. . _ Napier, April 14. A child ■ named Neil Petersen, eleven months old, was drowned,in a tub of blue water on Mr. M'Glashan's • station at Ngatapa, about .25 miles from Upper Moiiaka. •The mother was doing washing; and theilittle boy was playing near at hand, Her attention was drawn from him for some little time and on looking round she saw him' in the •tub.. . ,