FATAL ACCIDENTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 September 1938, Page 7

FATAL ACCIDENTS

ALFONSO’S ELDEST SON CAR CRASHES INTO POLE [by cable— pbess assn.—copybight.] (Recd. September 7, 2.30 p.m. ■ MIAMI, September 6. ! Count Covadonga died in the hospital, six hours after a car, driven by a companion, Mildred Gaydon, aged twenty-five, crashed into a telephone pole, when en route to home, at dawn, from the Casino. ■ A physician said that death was due 1 to heart failure and shock, not haemophilia. Count Covadonga was ,'the eldest son of the ex-King Alfonso of Spain., He was a “bleeder,” and had several operations, often being near death. He was married twice, to commoners, but early divorce followed. U.S.A. FATALITIES NEW YORK, Sept. 6. Deaths due to violence throughout the United States during the holiday week-end totalled 321. Car crashes claimed 225.

N.Z. ROAD VICTIMS. [PEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, September 7. Figures relating to fatal road accidents in New Zealand last month, were released 1 to-day by the Minister of Transport (Mr Semple). He said that fifteen persons were killed on the roads last month, compared with eighteen -for the corresponding month last year. There had been a distinct improvement in the accident rate in rural areas, controlled by the Transport Department. In August, 1937, twelve persons lost their lives in rural areas, and six in built-up areas. Last month, the fatalities outside the cities and main towns, dropped from twelve to three. The number of accidents in built-up areas, however, increased from six to twelve. The Wellington metropolitan area led with four fatalities. There were two fatal accidents each in Christchurch and Dunedin, and one in Auckland.

There has apparently been an improvement in the standard of the conduct of drivers, added the Minister. The fatalities involving drivers and passengers dropped from eleven in August last year to four last month. Pedestrians, however, have not shown the same improvement in the standard of care. There were six pedestrian fatalities last month, compared with three during the previous August. Of the six killed, four lost their lives at night-time.

TOWN CLERK KILLED. PUKEKOHE, September 7. The mutilated body of Seymour Stanley Maxton Bish, Town Clerk of Pukekohe, was picked up about a quarter-mile north of Pukekohe Station this morning, after the 9.40 Puke-kohe-Auckland train had passed. Public Works employees, engaged on line duplication work, state that they saw a body being rolled under the carriages for thirty yards. No one saw the deceased fall from the train.

ISLAND BAY DROWNING. WELLINGTON, September 7. An inquest was held to-day in regard to the death of Harry Perrett, 68, of Island Bay, who was drowned when a dray was turned over by the surf, near Ohiro Bay on August 26. Lionel Kitchener James, labourer, explained that to get to the place where they were loading gravel, it was necessary to pass under a bluff for 150 yards. The teams were travellingmost of the time in the surf. He had just helped deceased to load a dray, which deceased was making the last, as the tide was making, and the sea was coming up fairly rough. They had gone only about 50 yards when he heard deceased say, “Look out for this one,” meaning a high wave. The next moment the wave broke on the dray, and rebounding from the cliff, turned it over, throwing deceased and witness into the water. Witness was taken out into the breakers, and did not see deceased after that. The next thing he remembered was that he was up on the beach, and the sea dragging him back he dug his hands and knees into sand, and managed to get out cf the water, half dazed. It was then, he thought of deceased, and struggled back under the cliff to see if he could find him, but could not see him anywhere. The horses were still attached to the dray, and struggling to get free. They were struggling about 20 minutes before being drowned. He saw he could do nothing, and being wet through, commenced to climb the cliff. He got stuck about 50 yards up, and two men later came to his assistance. They would have got round the cliff, had not this one heavy and un- ! usual wave caught them. Such waves i under the conditions prevailing that afternoon, were very infrequent. After other evidence was heard, a verdict was returned that deceased, was accidentally drowned when driving a team of horses past the runaround, near Ohiro Bay. “When conditions are like that, 1 think the pedestrians who endeavour to cross there, take their lives into their own hands,” observed the Coroner. it having been stated by a witness that he had seen pedestrians in difficulties there, but never before a team.

BEACH TRAGEDY. WELLINGTON, September 9. At the inquest, a verdict was returned that parts of a human body washed up at Oterongu Bay, near Terawhiti, on August 2, were the remains of Herbert Langman Oliver. 49. who had been missing since April 19.