CORONER'S INQUEST.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5275, 8 January 1879, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held at the Royal Hotel yesterday morning, on the body of John Gartwright, before Dr. Hitchings, Coroner, and the following jury : — Mesars Thomas Bear (foreman), James Ashton, William Ashton, William Ryder, James Swain, Daniel Loader, Thomasßice, JohnFor^ter, James Rolfe, Thomas Tenny, Ezekiel Rowe, and John Moloney. The following evidence was taken : — William Kyle deposed: I am a laborer in the employ of Davies and Connor, contractors. I was working at the Town Hall reserve yesterday. Deceased was working with me between 3 and 4 p.m. There were five of us altogether. We were working at the eastern face of the hill. Deceased had just finished filling one of the trucks, when a slip of earth came down without the slightest warning upon him. I saw the slip coming, and I shouted to him. Coghlan and deceased made an attempt to escape, but deceased could not get clear in time. I ran to Coghlan's assistance as soon as I could. He was very much hurt. The last I saw of deceased before he was taken out was when he was in the act of falling. I went for the doctor, and was away five or six minutes. When I returned, the deceased was dead. I did not notice anything about the ground which looked unsafe. There was a sort of fissure or crack at the top of the slip, which, after wet weather, might tend to loosen the face. The overseer is a careful man. He is constantly overlooking the works. He was not present where we were working yesterday. I did not apprehend any danger yesterday. Deceased, myself, and the others were working between the trucks and the bank. By a juror : We were working close to the same place on Saturday, before the rain came on. The ground is a conglomerate of clay, loam, and stone. John Quine, laborer, deposed : lam in the employ of Davies and Connor at Napier. I knew the deceased. He was working beside me at the time of the accident. I did not see the slip coming, but I heard the last witness sing out. , The slip came on suddenly, and knocked deceased down. It knocked him against the rail. He gave one scream, and died in about three minutes. I saw his skull was broken in. The ground was not undermined yesterday. I did not apprehend any danger. The overseer was not there yesterday. He has repeatedly cautioned us on other days if he thought the ground was dangerous. John Briggs deposed : lam overseer of the works for Messrs Davies and Connor. I have been quarrying all my life. I have always cautioned the men about the ground. The men now at work have been cautioned. I put them to work at the shallowest point in consequence of the heavy rain that had fallen on Sunday. I did not attach any danger to the ground yesterday from its appearance. I was not present when the accident occurred yesterday. The cutting was a straight face about ten feet high. Charles Emerson Tennent deposed : I am a duly qualified medical practitioner, residing in Napier. About 4 o'clock yesterday I was called by a cabman to an accident which had occurred at the quarry. I found two men lying on the ground, a few feet from the tramway. . I saw the deceased, who was then dead, with a compound fracture of the skull, and the bones of the forehead forced in upon the brain. Death must have been instantaneous. A fall of earth throwing him against the iron rail would occasion such fracture. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased was accidentally killed by a fall of earth.