FATALITIES & ACCIDENTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 13 September 1909, Page 4

FATALITIES & ACCIDENTS

Pbess Association.— CopniiOHT. CHRISTCHURCH,- Suday. Shortly before five o'clock this l,---evening an elderly man was killed at the Sock-burn railway cro3?ing by the engine of the first express from South. It appears that on approachig Sockburn the engine-driver sounded his whistle as usual to warn any- < one in the vicinity of the crossing, t The road at this point crosses the.'t line at an acute angle, making it j . difficult for an approaching train to be seen from tie road, or an approaching vehicle from the railway. < When the train was within a few ; yards of the crossing a gig driven by an elderly man suddenly appeared, and nothing could be done to' avert an accident. The locomotive crashed into the gig, smashing it into matchwood. The horse was: just clear of the line; but it was] thrown down and considerably knocked about. The occupant of the ve- 1 hide was struck with considerable I force on the heafl, and was hurled ; across on to the next line of rails. When picked up he was bleeding from the nose and mouth. He .hadi sustained such serious injuries to his ; head that death evidently had been i instantaneous. The train ■ was I' promptly pulled up. The cushions of the gig were carried along in front of the cowcatcher. The body of ,' the unfortunate man was placed in a van, and was brought on to Christi church, where it was taken to the I morgue. Deceased appeared to be a '. farmer of about 60 years of age. A search of his clothing resulted in tho finding of a Savings .Bank deposit book, bearing the name of John MeTavish. CHRISTCIIURCn, Sunday. A loud explosion in Messrs P. Hayman aud Co.'s warehouse caused considerate sensation jn Hereford-st. about 9 o'clock this morning. It appears that when Mr Hayman entered the shop lie noticed a strong smell of gas, aud on opening the strong room door the smell became more pronounced. .Mr I-laymfln struck 'ft match to investigate, and almost immediately a terrific report occurred. A sheet of flame momentarily inveloped Mr Hayman, and he was thrown violently backward, but luckily was not rendered unconscious. His face and hands were rather badly churned, and he sustained severe shock. Soinej idea of the force of the explosion | may be obtained from the fact that | the back door of tho warehouse, which is about twelve feet away , from the strong room, was shattered into fragments, a new door having to be put in. About live feet in. front of the strong room, was shat-'. tered into fragments, which was badly scorched by the sheet of flame. DUNEDIN, Sunday. Yesterday afternoon a lad named . T ames Martin, employed by Messrs 1 A. and T. Burt, and working at the installing of electric light, received a bad shock. He did not know tho current had been turned on, and seized one of the wires, at tho same Lime clutching an iron rope. This completed the circuit, and the lad received a shock from tho alternating current of 230 volts. He was unmble to release himself, and when Mr Reynolds (electrician- answered his cries, and got the current switch- ' od off, and the boy free, his hands wore frightfully burnt and his face badly cut through contact with the floor, induced by the agony ho suf- , fered. He had sustained the shock for nearly two minutes, and a few seconds moro would probably have meant death. ' . „•_.'_'_?B :£ £} A Sydney girl the other day had a disagreeable* objoct-lcsso^ of tho folly of riding in smoking compartments in tlie train. She was sitting in one of tho open "tourist" cars, and . in tho seat behind her sat a man. smoking a cigar. As tho man rose to leave the car the tram stopped with a jerk, which threw him violently against the girl, but as apparently uo harm was done he merely apologised and left the car. Shortly after tlio conductor, coming round for fares, startlod the girl with tho remark, "Don't move, miss, you're 1 a fire. With extraordinary presence of mind, she sat quite still while tho conductor and another man smothered tho fire in her hat. The end' of tho cigar ha dfallen on to the broad brim of her hat, and burnt a largo hole right through trimming and straw. i i ■ ■ i j