ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 188, 4 May 1908, Page 8

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

I —— 0— .. !■' DEATH OF A MENTAL PATIENT. ; A DISTRESSING AI'TAIR. ibt TKLnouArn—ruEss association-.. ; '■ A married, man named -Jeremiah Houclien, ■ who" had. boon a. patient -at Porirua : Asylum , since January last, met his death at'the insti- ' tution on Saturday morning in' distressing ) circumstances.' '" ' ';. .' 1 1 • According to the evidence tendered at the j inquest, which , was hold 'bj' Dr. .M'Arthur, S.M., iii the Houclien, who was fpr. somo tiinq' a letter-carrier,. and resided at ' Newtown, showed suicidal'tendency 'at" the | time'of his His mental condition, . j however,. improved, considerably i .and after he , '-had been in 'the institution about five weeks, s special attention''in his case'was dispensed I with',", and he was''allowed', to assist' in the j garden. On the morning in' question, when j ho seemed .very cheerful-arid willing to work, ; lie| was" dispatched to' tho tpol-shcd- for a 5 couple of -shovels. Unknown'to-the authorities, another patient accompanied: him. ■. In 5 the shed was a locked desk,' which deceased i prised open. Ho found "-therein.-a sbottle of ' mixture, the principal, ingredient : of which r .was- nicotine.. Both lie and; his companion .i swallowed- part .of the, contents. When, their 3 absence was noticed, a : search' was instituted.■ The deceased]was'found unconscious in some . 1 scrub, and medical'aid proved unavailing, j His companion, however,, rallied, and was on 3 : tho road towards recovery. j The jury; after a brief retirement, brought f. ,in'a verdict • that death was-due to heart i failure brought about by nicotine. self-admin- . and. that no; one j was to blame in 1 connection with bis' death!" ■ . j-' i FATALITY AT CANVASTOWN. 1 , •' RUN' OVER BY A WAGGON. 0 / A telegram received from Havelock'by In-, 1 'spoctor Ellison states that ,a resident of Caiis Rasmussen - Simonson, i 63 0 years of ,agej was killed iristahjtly through t a timber waggon running over bim on Satur--1 day morning.' ■ Simonseri was endeavouring to ! pass the waggon on a narrow, road, and was s thrown' the : wheels ;'o'f ''tho/: waggon , through a collision!' tho/wheels"pa'ssing over v his chest. ■', ." 7V*' ~ '• I • -.DUNEDIN DROWNING, CASE. ■ ' 1 . ' Duncdin, May 2. ' ' ' An. ! inquest ; on the body ,; of Alexander • M'Pheo, aged 12 jyears, ' dno; of .the victims 0 'of /tho boating' disaster ;in the .■harbour-!',on - .'^®i" opened, to-day,; formal, evidence * being given. Tho.inquest.Tvasthen adjourned until after, the r&ult of - v the nautical .inquiry into tho collision is, known.'..- - •. j Mr. Graham (Coroner) said ho thought r that'the result of the inquiry would he stated about next . Thursday 'or Friday. He ; would j then;call J the jury*together again, when., they. 'would decide if 'it was nccessary to call any j further evidence. " A STEVEDORE KILLED. ■" Lyttelton, May , 2:: . ■ About; 10.30 a.m; : to-day Martin Andrew Bergmann, a stevedore, .about sixty years of age, fell 40ft. down tho hold'of tho. lonic at Lytteltoii Wharf,'and fractured'tho baso of " his skull, both thighs; "arid his. right leg." No f oiie'saw;'tho accidont, but lie is supposed to. 3 ha'vo been struck by a. sling and'knocked into 3 tho hpid.- : B.ergmanri;died".at-12.'45 p.m.3 , : At tho in'queit, a'verdict''.of'.'accidental 1 dpath was .returned. ' 1 " ■ FOUND DEAD IN A PADDOCK. .. , Auckland, May 2. ; < 3 George F: Austin, aged • 52,- a Pokerio , settler,'was found dead in a paddock. Indil caitions point to apoplexy.;' v.-' " ' 1 .COAL MINE FATALITY. ' . .. Auokland, May 2. " • An: inquest is 'proceeding at /Mercer in i j rcspcct to the accidcnt'at the Union Collieries : Mine at Maramarua, in-which - Herbert Ferguson was killed. ' Evidence'was given to the : effect that when Quigg '.started work' at' 8.80 , he did not consider the roof'too.good, and I testedvit with a bar. He pronounced it just' ' shelly, but ' the' , deputy manager said ho I gathered from'Quigg that the roof was prac- , tically safe. ~.„ . . ' .'.Aiiojbher miner /.stated that, during three ' days'.lie was working he had seen .coal falling i at -tho . locality of the accident, arid fully'expected there would be an accident, because of the quantity of coal that fell after tho shots;' but ho did not consider the- coal ! dangerous. . , .. : v ■' ; These statements were pointed out to bo ; irreconcilable, bnt' witness- said ho' would.;kl- - hero to them. 1 - Auckland, May 3. 1 At tho inquest on the coal mining fatality, 1 a unanimous verdict was returned that deceased met his death by an accidental fall 1 of coal in the Union Colliories Mine. A rider | was' added that tho jury was of opinion that better precautions should bo taken for the safety, of tho workmen. ... ; Whilst out rabbit" shooting at Teraivhiti yesterday a youth named James-Sloan, 17 years of age, residing at .47; Mansfield Street, . slipped down an embankment with his gun in his hands. The gun went off, and a charge of shot lodged in the young man's': right foot. Ho was taken to the .'hospital for treatmont..