HASTINGS RAILWAY ACCIDENT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 186, 25 July 1911, Page 11

HASTINGS RAILWAY ACCIDENT

CORONIAL ENQUIRY

An inquest •••>!!••-rnnig th*' ■ ■••■ th of < harlr-A William Timm*. wi «> was killed at Hastings as •»•- suh of a railway accident >•» Saturday night, was held by »!•<• District f/oroni.r i)lr. S. E. Me ar’-b.y, at the Hastings Con ti.>- "■ yesl- rday aftern >*>n.

Sergeant Hogan <• the enquiry on behalf of ri i-uiier anti Mr. A. Polloeh. st'ti* t i-a-' >r at Hastings, watched the proceedings •>n 0.-haif of the Railway Department.

Arthur Timms, carriage painter.' residing in King street. Hastings. I deposed that dei-eased was his I brother. Witness went to the r»n-| tmes with a friend on Saturday night and attt rwards had supper at Anthony's restaurant. Then went to see the late tr.-.m come in from: Napier. The train airivvd just be-[ fore he reached the station and the; stoker on the engine said that the| engine had hit something at the St.! Aubyn street crossing, but did not i know what it was. Witness ran down to the crossing and saw a man lying on the road, tin- light i from the lamp at the end of the! platform showing on him. Recog-! msed the man as his brother. Hef was then dead. Last saw him alive! on Friday afternoon when he passed witness' shop on a bicycle. Deceased was lying on his back about two yards from the rails, with his head towards the rails. J. (.’. Tosswill, medical practitioner. deposed that on the evening of July 22nd at about 10.45 he received an urgent message to go to the railway station as a man had been run over by the train. On arrival he saw the deceased lying dead on the road. He had two compound fractures of the skull with laceration of the brain. The wound on the left side was slightly larger than that on the right. Part of the left ear was torn off; the neck was broken and the jaw was also broken. Deceased smelt of alcohol. The injuries were such as he would expect to l>e caused by_ a collision with the train, and accounted for death. There were no other injuries. There were no indications of deceased having been drugged. John Henn McKennie. engine driver in the employ of the New Zealand Railway Department, and I stationed at Hastings, deposed: that he was the driver of the en-; gme on the train from Napier duel at Hastings at 10.53 p.m. on July! 22nd. After passing over the St. | Aubyn street crossing .the fireman, A. E. Macdonald. informed him that a man was lying on the side of the rails. Brought, the train to, a standstill and went back to inform the guard. Whilst on the platform looking for the guard he met Constable Brenchley and both’ went down to the crossing together Found the body of a man whom he! subsequently ascertained wasCharles William Timms. Summoned Dr. Tosswill who examined the body and found life to be extinct. Did not feel any concussion when! the train was passing over the! crossing. The crossing was aboutj fifty yards from the station. Was! travelling between 12 and 15 miles: per hour. Kept a look out when

approaching the crossing and gave an extra long whistle. Anyone with their wits about them would have heard the whistle and had plenty of time to get out the way. Did not see anything on the line from his side of the engine. Examined the engine after the acciAdcnt. and found one blood stain on vrhe left hand side of the cowcatcher .the same side on which deceased was found. This was the only sign of the engine having come in contact with anything. The cow-catcher of the engine extended about four inches above the rails. If the deceased had been lying near the rails the force of the compact would have thrown him to the position in which he was found. If he had been standing up the lower extremities of his body would have suffered rather than his head. If deceased hail been lying between the rails he would have been seen sooner than he was. Archibald E. McDonald, a fireman employe.! by the New Zealand Railway Department, deposed that he was on the engine with the last witness. Was keeping a look-out when approaching the crossing and heard the whistle sounded. The night was dark and wet. When the • 'urine was passing over the crossing he noticed something lying near the rails on the eastern side. Informed the driver, who brought the tram to a standstill. The object he saw was much like a irtw. He was lying parallel with I he track. Anhibaid -farm's Hodges. Govern n:lent electrician, employed at the Hastings Telephone Exchange, deposed that he was riding a bicycle along Station street about 10.30 on Saturday night. Saw a man on the right hand side of the road going towards the crossing and lurching along apparently under the in-

i fluence of liquor. Passed quite f close to him as he turned in the dii rection of the crossing. Returned I about ten minutes later over the I same crossing and saw a group of men standing over the dead body. Identine I th- deaf! man as the one he had previously passed. Mas sure there was no one lying on the crossing when hi- passed then* the first time. Had a good ascctxI lent' lamp attached to his bicycle. THE VERDICT. The Coroner s finding was as follows : That the deceased. Charles William Timms, was at about ten minutes to eleven on the night of the 22nd July It’ll, accidently kill- ’ efl at the St. Aubyn street railway [crossing, near the Hastings railway I station through his head coining in contact with the cow-catcher of the engine due at Hastings from I Napier at 10.53 on that night. Further that at the time of the accident decea-cd was lying close along side the railway track under the ini fluence of liquor and that no blame j is attachable to any of the railway | officers.