ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS

Evening Star, Issue 15394, 19 January 1914, Page 7

ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS

Thomas Johnston (40), an employee at the Waingawa Meat Works, was killed wliile attempting to cross the railway lino near Carterton on Saturday. At the inquest the following verdict was returned:—"Thas the deceased, Tom Bailey; known at the Wellington Meat Company's works as Tom Johnston, was accidentally killed; that -the engineman of the train gave due and full warning with tho engiae whistle, and that no blame was attachable to anyone." The inquest was concluded at Wellington on Saturday concerning the death of Richard Mostvn Hoops, a commercial traveller, who died suddenly on January 6. A bottle of opium, pills, was found in" the deceased's room, and the post-mortem examination disclosed corrosion of the stomach, indicating action of an irritant poison. The medical witness expressed his belief that the deceased had taken raw alcohol and opium to allay stomach pains, causing perforation of the stomach. The Coroner returned a verdict that death was due to " Perforation of the stomach, bi.it that there was no evidence to show exactly how it was caused." An inquest was opened nt Wellington on Saturday regarding the death of Philip Angel, a laborer, who was found in a dying condition in the city reserve on Wednesday, apparently from poison. The inquiry was adjourned to secure a report from the Government Analyst on the contents of the deceased's stomach. A fatal accident occurred yesterday morning near Happy Valley (Wellington). Three men—Thomas Smith, Benjamin Smith, and Francis M'Fadden—were out in a boat. While one man was standing on the gunwale of the boat preparing to plunge in for a bathe the craft capsized. Benjamin Smith and M'Fadden struggled t<> a. reef about 30 yards away, but Thomas Smith was drowned. The water at the spot was about 13ft deep. The deceased was a married man with two children.

A lad named Lynch, 12 years of age, was brought from Bald Hill Flat to Alex- ' andra for medical attendance, but just ae lie reached the doctor's residence he collapsed and died. An inquest was held at Auckland on Friday on the body of John Samuel Ritchie, aged two years, who died as the result, of drinking liniment containing belladonna. Catherine Ritchie, the mother of the deceased, said that at 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday one of her children said that he had been playing with a bottle and had swallowed some of its contents. Witness had the bottle brought to her and found it to be empty. It was labelled "Poison." Witness did not know what was in the bottle. She had heard her brother say recently that he had finished a bottle of liniment, and wished ho could get some more like it. The deceased smelt as if he had camphor on him, but believing the bottle to have been empty witness did not think tho little boy had come to any harm. When she was putting him to bed at about 6.30 p.m., however, his body started twitching. Dr Goldstein was sent for, and on his advice the boy was taken to the Auckland Hospital, where he died. In recording a verdict of accidental death, tho coroner referred in severe terms to tho carelessness of people in leaving bottles, etc., which had contained dangerous compositions lying about in places where they might be reached by children. At Taoroa (near Taihape), on Thursday, Tom Carlton was driving a wool waggon, when tho leaders got out of hand, and the waggon capsized 15ft over a bank, rolling over tho driver; who was partly protectod by falling into a depression in the ground. He sustained a fractured skull and died yesterday. A verdict was j returned of "Accidental death." I James Waterstreet, 52 years of age, keeper of the hulk Solgran, was drowned in Wellington Harbor on Friday. He was engaged with a man named Green in fixing the mooring lines of the hulk, when both fell into the water, A lifebuoy was thrown from the Terawhiti to the struggling men. Green grabbed at the line and caught it, and pluckily "fed" out a couple of feet of the rope towards Waterstreet. Green was then pulled aboard. Waterstreet, however, could not swim, and by the time Green had been hauled to safety he had disappeared and was neve- seen again. Waterstreet lived on the hulk with his wife. Mrs Waterstreet was on board when the accident occurred. She was in tho cabin at the time, but, on hearing cries sho rushed c deck. She saw her husband's cap floatinc on the water, but did not see him again.