FATAL FALL FROM TRAIN

Evening Star, Issue 18714, 16 August 1924, Page 2

FATAL FALL FROM TRAIN

DEATH OP SEAMAN. INQUEST ADJOURNED. Sitting at Waitati as coroner, Mf Bartholomew, S.M., held an inquest yesterday afternoon concerning the death of William Ross, whose body wan found on the railway line between' Waitati and Purakaunh Constable Connor represented tlio police, James Craig, a seaman at Port Chat mors, identified the body as that oj Win. Ross,..who was a seaman, about 62 years of ago, and single. Witness had known deceased for about 35 years. Deceased had no relations in tlie dominion. Ho had a sister in Inverness, and witness thought _ there were two brothers and a sister in Canada. Witness last saw deceased about thirteen months ago, when ho joined the U.S.g. Company’s steamer Waioapu, runninf; to Vancouver. He had a letter from deceased a few weeks ago when he left the boat on holiday. He sent witness a wire from Christchurch on Wednos- ' day last stating that he was going to Port Chalmers to visit witness. Deceased had made witness’s place his home for the last 30 years. He was on the station on Wednesday nig lit awaiting deceased’s arrival, but be failed to appear. ■William Stewart Roberts, a duly qualified medical practitioner at Waitati, stated that he had.examined the body of deceased. There was a compound fractureof the skull, and there had been bleeding from the nose, with indications that the base of the skull had been fractured. 'This injury was sufficient to cause unconsciousness and possibly rapid death. The injury could have been caused by deceased falling from a train and striking against a rock.

George M’Mann, a railway surfaceman residing at Purakamii, deposed that he found the deceased’s body at 7.40 a.m. on Thursday. It was lying on the railway track, the head being about nine inches from one of the rails. It was lying at right angles to the rail, stretched straight out and face upwards. There was a rock with a splash of blood on it on which deceased’s head had probably struck. The rock would be about Oft distant from where the body was found. At the locality there is a cutting about 6ft in depth. The body was found near the 123-mile six-chain which would bo about a mile north of Purakanui. The top of the head was nearest; the rail, and did not appear to have been touched by any passing train. The body was lying on the left side of the rails going towards Dunedin. There was a small flask of whisky in deceased’s hip pocket. It was nearly full. A gladstone bag, a hat, and a pipe were lying close to the body. Gordon MHvinstry Power said ho was a wireless operator, and was at present residing at Eoslyn. He had served with deceased on different vessels within the past'two and a-half years. He met deceased on Christchurch railway station before the departure of the train for Dunedin last Wednesday. Ho told witness that he was on holiday, and was going to Port Chalmers for a few days. He saw him again at Ashburton, and also at Oamaru and Palmerston, Ho smelt of liquor, though he did not appear to be drunk. He stumbled slightly m Oamaru station. After leaving Seacliff deceased passed through tho_ carriage in which witness was 'travelling. He was carrying a small leather bag. - Witness nodded to h\m, but did not speak. Witness would describe deceased as a sober man. Deceased was a boatswain on two different vessels on which witness had been employed. He came from the rear of the train going towards the front.

William Brown said ho was guard on the express train from Oamaru to Dunedin on Wednesday last, _He_liad viewed the body, and recognised it as that of a passenger who had inquired from witness about getting oil at Port Chalmers. He spoke to witness on two occasions, once between Oamaru and Palmerston and the next time about one and a-half or two miles south of Waitati. On tho last occasion deceased asked if tho_ next stop were Port Chalmers, and witness replied in the affirmative. He had opened the door of iha van and put his head inside. Ho had been travelling on the rear smoker next tho van. He did not smell liquor on deceased, and noticed nothing unusual in his condition. The gates on the platforms were all closed when tho train left Waitati. He had no notice or indication of any accident Laving happened. . J , Constable Connor deposed to the finding of the deceased’s body. The body was fully dressed, with the exception of a hat', which along with a pipe was lying about Oft _ from tho body, near a large rock which showed sighs that deceased bad struck. This vrs< north of where tho body was lying. i handbag was lying alongside the body.' , . At this stage the inquest was adjourned sine die.