CORONER'S INQUEST.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XVI, 2 December 1857, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held on the body of Timothy Donovan, who was supposed to have been accidently drowned through the recent fresh of the Maitai river.

The jury assembled at a room in the Depot, on Saturday last, the 28th instant, at one o'clock ; and having viewed the body, the following evidence was given respecting the untimely end of deceased. James Smith, labourer, said : I am engaged in making a road at the Dun Mountain Copper Mine. I knew deceased well; he was my mate. On Tuesday, the 24th instant, we took a job at road-making by contract, and on Wednesday, the day following, falling short of provisions, the deceased volunteered to go and fetch some for us ; he was to go down to the store near Mr. Daly's house, and if he did not find any there, he was to proceed to Nelson, if the river was in any manner passable. I went a short distance with him, and showed him the road; he left at about three o'clock in the afternoon. We were then working at Cork-screw-hill. After deceased left me, I heard no more of him until the following day at twelve o'clock. There was a great flood in the river on Wednesday, but I did not know that the tree across the river had been carried away. On Thursday, a man came near where I was working, and kept shouting out. I thought it might be Donovan, but as the noise still continued I went down, and found it was a man named Fleming, who had come to tell me my mate was drowned, and that his body had been seen in the river. It appeared that a man had

been across the river twice at the spot nearwhere deceased was drowned, and that the second time he had observed a blue shirt floating in the water, and yet attached to some substance ; he got assistance, and pulled deceased out of the water. When I went down, his body was lying on the bank ; we then moved him down to Mr. Daly's. The body I have seen is that of Donovan; we brought it to Nelson this morning, having had to wade through the river many times before we reached Nelson.

John Daly sworn, said: I am overseer of the works for the Dun Mountain Copper Mine. On Wednesday last, at about half-past four, deceased came to my house, saying he was on his way down for provisions. I told him not to go, as the fords were impassable. I ordered him back, on account of the then heavy flood. We were all at that time getting short of food, the recent heavy rains having prevented the passage of carts with provisions. While in my house I noticed that deceased was quite wet through, and I asked if he thought he could get safely back ; he said " Oh, yes." Deceased staid at my place I should say about ten minutes. I consider that the place he had to cross on his way back was one of the easiest parts of the river to cross, and certainly I anticipated no danger. I would not allow hitn to go below my house, because I knew the fords were dangerous. I came to Nelson the following day, and was, soon after my arrival, informed of the death of Donovan by two men who came down to tell me. I then waited on the Coroner and informed him. I think the Coroner might have gone up to where deceased was, to have holden this inquest. He would have found plenty of men from among whom he could have found his jury, and I think it would have answered the ends of decency had he been buried up there quite as well as bringing the poor fellow's body down here and putting it into an out-house. The deceased's body was discovered by a man named Muller, on the morning of Thursday ; it must therefore have been in the water all night. To show how the river had risen, I may state that where the river had before been only 25 yards wide, it was on Thursday 75 yards in width, and running at the rate of 14 knots an hour.

The Coroner said he presumed this was all the evidence that could be obained, and the jury immediately returned a verdict of "Found drowned."

With respect to this inquiry we must certainly say, that we think the witness Daly was correct iv stating that it would have been better had the Coroner holden his inquest where the body was found. The unfortunate man met his death on the evening of Wednesday the 25 th, and lay in the water all night. On the Thursday morning his body was discovered and placed by his mates in an unroofed enclosure. On Thursday the Coroner was informed of the fatal accident, and yet, did not hold an inquest until Saturday, and even then insisted on the body being brought into Nelson, which could only be done by a force of thirteen men, who had to cross the swollen and then raging river eleven times, up to their waists in water ; and, if we are righly informed, that the body, and the blankets covering the same, were fly-blown, we must say we think it would have far better answered the ends of decency, had the Coroner held his inquest where the unfortunate deceased was found, instead of leaving it in the hot sun for so long a time, and having it then brought into Nelson at so much risk to the men carrying it over such a dangerous route.