THE PETANE DISASTER.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12648, 7 January 1904, Page 2

THE PETANE DISASTER.

CORONER’S INQUEST.

THE .TURFS VERDICT. The inquest touching the death of * Elizabeth Connor, aged 28 years, drowned in the Peianc liver last Saturday, was continued and completed at toe ■ courthouse yesterday. Mr if. W- Pr Lascelles, J. P., acted as coroner. aniW ; the following gentlemen formed the jury:—Messrs G-orge Alfred Hill (fore- . Ulan), Edward Sexton. Percy Emerson, Thomas Oliver, Thomas McEwan, and John Thompson. Sergeant Treanor conducted the inquiry on behalf of the police. "f > William Henry Connor, cabinetmaker, 1 1 brother of the deceased, gave evidence H to the elfect that the party who left J to go to Tangoio on the 2nd instant consisted of Jean Flannigan, Olive Coker. Emma Coker, Madeline Christy, Elizabeth Christy, Aik" Connor, and Elizabeth Connor, Richard Henry Goldsmith, and witness. The trap they were in was hired from Barry Bros., and the driver was James JfcEnery. They left the Spit about 8.45 ajn., and pulled up at the Pelane Hotel, mainly with the object of inquiring as to the state of the river. Mrs Taoon said;

‘'Oh. I think the river is fine now. It has fallen two feet within the last two hours.” When at the hotel witness and the driver bad one drink each. They got to the river about 10 o’clock, but before reaching it they met a young fellow named Jack Le Bas, also driving, who pulled to one side to let thou pass and said: “You can’t get across.” He said it such an off-hand way, that he was not taken seriously. Witness had every confidence in the driver. The river was discoloured but did not appear to be any higher or wider than usual. Witness had no idea of danger till be felt the wheels leave the bottom and the horses swerve slightly with the current, but even then he did not apprehend anything serious as he thonght the trap would only glide down the stream a bit till it struck a hank- The horses were about sft from the bank when they lost their footing. The driver was quite cool and did all that a man could do. The horses were headed up the stream in crossing the ford until they got out of their depth, when the enrrent swerved them round- The driver did not turn the horses round, and copld not control them when they lost their footing. Witness then described the capsizing of the trap and what subsequently occurred, the facts being, in effect, as already reported. Goldsmith and witness could swim.

Richard Henry Goldsmith agreed with all the previous witness had said, and stated that when he got ont of the river, with Miss Christy he saw other two girls floating down the stream. He took off coat, vest, and boots, and rah after them, but before he got very far they disappeared, and.-hw did not see them again. He then went to the assistance of Connor and the girls who were with him.

James McEnery, driver of the trap, deposed that it was in first-class order. The horses were reliable, and he had been across the same spot with one of them several times before, the one that was drowned. Apart from crossing the Petane river several times witness had not had much experience of crossing rivers. He had never been in a similar position before. On approaching the river he did not anticipate any danger. He did not take any notice of what Le Bas said, thinking he was only chaffing. Every time witness met lie Bas he had some jocular remark to make. At the Petane Hotel witness was (old that “two or three” had crossed that morning. He understood that to mean two or three traps. When tbe horses were six or seven feet from the bank one of them seemed to be sinking into the silt or sand and made an effort to get on to the bank. At . that time the horses would be in three feet of water only, the expresjfl being in shallower water behind. ffß believed the horses got mi to a sand. He used the whip and to make the bank. They plunged gradually swerved round, being in the current. When they passed the landing place, and it was impossible to get up the opposite bank, he tamed the horses down stream. When about threequarters round, the near front wheel and the horse on that side dropped into a hole and all in a moment the tail end of the express toppled over. AH were thrown into tbe water. He was thrown under the horses and it took him some time to get on his feet. He then looked around and found all the others had been washed away. He could not see any of them. A few minutes later, when in the middle of the stream, he heard Connor singing out for assistance. He saw nothing of the three girls who were drowned. When they got stuck he did not consider it safe to get oat and cany the passengers ashore as the water was too deep, fie was on the right ford until the horses were taken round by the current. It was owing to the horses swerving that the trap was earned below the enrrent. Before starting in the morning Crowther and McAuleVs Taupo coach passed the trap, and witness asked the driver what the rivers were like. The driver replied that they were all right. This was ail the evidence and the jury returned the following verdict: “That the deceased Elizabeth Connor was accidentally drowned by the rapriying of an express while attempting to cross tbe Petane river, and that in onr opinion there is qo blame attachable to any one.”

The Foreman said the jury wished to take that opportunity of expressing their sincere sympathy with the relatives of the three victims of the accident.