ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 502, 8 May 1909, Page 5

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

■ KILLED 1 BY THE MAIL TRAIN. THE INQUEST. ■I; An inquest into : the _ circumstances attend ting ..the death of William Auebinacbie, whc ••runv<jyqjr(bj[ ,, th4r Welliiikton-New '.Ply. jmouth express in -l'almerston on Thursday ;]was'.;Held yesterday; y* "r : ~ - : .; Dr. Martin said thai,< when ho was called :f!in'('..aebeas^w^ about two chains on the .town, side of Alex--,<mdra:_ Street .crossing. . He. then l breath--.'inp-. Jiis last; Life:,was; extinct-about: two ; ; minutes after-; : "''witness.' ;.jnort®m*v examination, revealed the fact thai /.■the immediate cause of'death was a broker gpmo ' i William . Andrews, ■ engine-driver, on -tho i "Now, Plymouth-W'ellington - express, statec !:that .he reached the crossing,, whoro the ac- - cidont occurrcd. .at 3.25. ; He noticod ,northing on the lino, but the fireman called out jto' him; - Witness: did not understand -whai '•the fireman said,: but ; know * from : his -dev -meariour . that -something waswrong, .and 'ho at once 'applied the emergency brakes, .v jThey - were ,thcn almost . on "the crossing— ;off.' ; ..^^The : .;train : .'canie. tc standstill ''quickly.* : ; 'Witness ; didynot vset >-■' '.anything of the man till she was. thrown i:bj !.?tthe. cowcatoher . 1 . on -to >.the-r right-hand' side rV:' of; the blew,. the., I ', whistle/ al regulation place "before coming to the and: again - when the fireman called > out.. .The train was going at tho usual pact ■ of-between 30. and 35 miles an hour, y i.-, i' Frederick Lavin, fireman on tho expreaß, ieaid ..thatj when' approaching " the crossing, the saw > a man - walking,!slowly .towards it, 1 'with'?.tho aid of a stick.-:- Witness .did not /see deceased until • thoy ■■ wero' about -30 yards - vfrom the crossing. Ho was then closo to the -■ line. called out- as. loud as he «ould^to:deceased: ('Look out; or you'll got : : (run over,"' ■ thinking the - man would :stop. [Deceased ovidently' did not ,'hear, as-he took nd notice, . and : continued • his :. walk. He - Btcpped on to tho 1 rail in front of tho engine and called to the driver, and he. at ■:■'■ Dncfl ' applied ' the • brakes. » The whistle was blown as usual; "Hemy 'Charles;Smitbj ■ stationmaster,• said ■ that tho.regulation speed-.down Main Street was about 30' miles an 'hour, and, , going through tho squaro, •it went' down to 10 miles. : Aftor hearing further evidence, a verdict . 'sf accidental death was returned. • ,\ : ' SHOCKING GBEYMOinH TRAGEDY. ' GIRLS BURNED TO DEATH. r> " (BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION;), Graymcutli, May 7. ■ • A fire at Brunner destroyed ■ Mr. Watch''Jnan's store and dwelling. Two .daughters', ■aged seventeen and five years respectively, wore .'burnt; to death. . . y; >. Later. details of the. fatal fire at Brunner . ehow that the Watehmaus returned home ; at''l2 o'clock, from, a social.- Tho firo was : idiscovered •. at' 1.30 a.m., hut the : cause ..is .Unknown.'- 'The victims aro Jano Watclunau, , (aged : 17' years, i.and...EliKabeth, V. aged . five ,years. . Both mado aii .effort to get out, but ; ':wero apparently overcomo by ■ smoke.. All ' 'the other inmates, escaped by jumping from • eecohd-stdrV: windows/,All , sustaiiied..,minoi y.' liniuries'r'tne 'most;. being ■Thomas Watchman/who had .an..arm broken. •All tho membors of the family.■ are utterly !prostrated. Later. '- :; .®b'''^bciun'g :^iam|ty,., at. Brunner caused quite a gloom over, the town to-day when it - > became; known two . children iof Mr. and Mrs. .i: |Thomas Watchman;had!been burnt' to death ■by the residence catching fire. Mr. Turton, ' S.M., opoiiod an iiiquost: this afternoon, and .' Thomas Watohman (father) stated that his .'i Vife,* eldest child, and himself wero out ~. spending the evening.: ~ -They/-arrived home it 11.30, and, beforo retiring, lie went ' ftrotigh; the "houso,: : and there. were no. lights lr fires then. About 1.30 he was awakened \y - something falling, and on getting up ■■'-•.vJmndvthe'.houso./.fillod.'-w.ith smoke. A fir<- . y Vas .raging:in the kitchen,' and, as the 'StairIfay led into that room, .escape was cut oft'. He-.got all' the children.'into tho one room. , . m'd.- opened the/window.; "He lei the. three boys down. The youngest, three yisirs ol &ge, brrtko -his.- arm in tho fall. Then his -.wife -got 'Oiit, r and " he, also , jiimpod out, .. thinking in his excitement, that tho girl: Vv, - were out. rAssistance,-WM-soon at .hand, bui .'Mie building -.was n; mass, of :flamos.'and ;tli< : two oh.ildr«n -wore never - seen: again.- Aftei the. firo.burnt.out their remains wero founc '■•'in the debris about four feet apart. : : .r' Thoinquest' was wljonrned till >Mondaj ■ .-jiiorning, and tho funerals toko place or Sunday afternoon. ' ; ' , 'Die instiraneo on tho building was £100 ir the, Alliance office. ■•.■The stock and furnituw wero insured for £COO in the State office.'