INQUEST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 303, 1 November 1864, Page 5

INQUEST.

An inquest was held yesterday afternoon, at. Palmer's Ivoyal Hotel, before T. St. Piiilson, Coroner, on view of the body of William livans, who lately lost his life in Orakei Bay, while pursaiug his avocation of a ti.-herman. The jury first, proceeded to examine the corpse, which had been under water for six days. llenry Ko«ors, sworn, deposed : lam a carpenter, residing in Givy-street. 1 did not know the deceased. Yesterday afternoon, about 3 o'clock, I was coming ashore from , tlie ' Ci.racoa,' in a boat with another man, when I found tlie body (touting between the Wynyard Pier and the 'Miranda;' aboilt 600 yards oil' the pier. I savi- the Corpse was Hie body of it man, ami I took in tOw and handed it over to the police, when it was conveyed to the deadhoiise. The body was much decomposed, and boi'6 marks of having been dead some. time. Sergeant Molloy deposed: The body .of the deceased was handed over to me by the last witness; between 3 anil -A o'clock yesterday afternoon, i cannot identify the body. The features are very much decomposed and swollen. I deposited the corpse in the deadltouse. T searched the clothes and found two shillings and a halfpenny, and a penknife. There were no documents or papers of an}kind. This is the same body the jury have just viewed. There are no marks of violence on the bodv with the exception of some blood ijsuiiiii front the mouth and nose. The right eye seems somewhat in- 1 jufed. There, are some marks of the attacks' of small fishes. The clothing consisted of « ji'air of- ioolcskiu ' trousers, llannel drawers, Crimean shirt next the skin, blue serge smock outside, and a small brown scarf round the throat, and worsted socks with watertight hootj. l snnvuu " t0 l ' ol T se had been under water about, six days. August l'rotvll: I am a sailor, and at present residing in Short land-street. On Tuesday last, the 25th ii.st., I -went from Auckland with the deceased rindanother ni.m named John liiirns to Orakei Bay for the purpose of fishing in a whale-boat. ThO bOnf. Was about six tons. We .-ailed to the bay, which is distafft about three miles,' and anchored the bis boat. Two of us, the deceased an'l myself, started on our expedition in'a small'dingy, takinsr. with..us the; fishing net. We set the net to Orakei Bay and ; went fiaek again on board of the larye boat. This ' was about eight o'clock. About eleven o'clock the ; deceased and I went back again in the dingy and lifted the net. We took about, twenty sharks, more Conituoniy callcd dog-iisli out of the net. We then went ashore,- taking ths net to make ready for our next attempt; After we had cleared it we set again aboitf, twelvfe o'clock, midnight,; and wo commence d to iliag it on siiote. 'ihC net gni fb'tjl against the bridge, when the deceased went in the dingy to gist it clear, I i-emainiiigashorc.Thp decease;! waSabOut six minutes a-.'av w!;en .1 heard tbe boiit:capsize, and a noise as if she was shipping water. The night was very dark. 1 heard a noise as of some one crying out at the time when the dingy went down. I went aero.-s the bridge and cried out to him, but I received 110 answer. The big boat was out. about half a mile off from where the accident happened. 1 then went to the Maoris, borrowed a boaf, by means of which I went on hoard mf own craft and reported the event to my mate John l>ailey. As soon as it Was daylight wfc Went again to the bridge and found the capsized and onp ] addle on the t-ip.ot' it. The o her paddle had not be-n found. Aftci making consderab e seal eh we rep u ted the matter fo tho police at Auckland. After that went in the police-boat w th the authorities and used,the day to discover the body, hut with no success. We wore, dragging for several hours. We were all sober. Deceased was a sailor about 25 years of age. Ido not know whether lie could swim or not. Deceased and I had been engaged in fishing together for about a fortnight. We had grog in the boat with us, but never ton lied it. The other man was not sober at tlio time, audit was his first inght with us. ■ When 1 got back John Kuril Wtis iisleup, anil I awoke him ; he was then pretty sober, By tne roreman : There was no dispute betwei'.fi the deceased and I. The depth of water where the dingy sunk aliout three fathoms.. We lived on good terms. 1 heard tlio 'other morning that the body was found. I went to the dead-house aiid identified the body as being that of Win. Evans, from his features and his general appearance. John Burn, sworn, st ite.d: I am a sailor, living in Queeri-street, A ijckland. Ihavn heard the evidence given by.-lust witnessj aritt it is correct aslanis I know. When the deceased and Prowll left the large boat, they were both sober, and appeared perfectly friendly towards each other. I had had some drink myself, but I knew what I was about quite well. There was no quarrelling or dispute whatever between anv of us. T was not in partnership with deceased and I'rowll, but was employed by Mr. "oh - son to assist, them in fishing. This was the first occasion I had gone with them, thrive seen the body, identify it as the body of Win. Evans. John Harford Johnson deposed : lam manager of the Auckland ( luh, and live at the Club-house in Oflicial Bay. I knew deceased. I believo ho W.-.S a Norwegian. He came out from Kngiand with me as seaman in the ' Lor.l Clyde.' We lauded here on the .Jlh May la«t. Deceased was a perfectly steady I man. I saw him leave the Wynyard Pier on 'J'ues- : day evening. I have bought the boat for them myi I self, and believing them to be honest industrious , j men, and I hey were to pay iue btiplt out of their . j earnings. Burn wis the worse for drink. The de- ( ceased and Prowll were ipiite sober. I heard of the ! deceased the next morning at !) o'clock. August ' | Prowll reported it to me. I have scon the dcce.iscd " i and Prowfl more like brothers together since Jt knew ' j tlieni. L • This concluded the evidence. After a siiort consultation the jury returned the ■ following verdict :—" That the deceased was acci- . dentally drowned in Oraki Bay, on the 25th instant, by tlic upsetting of a dingy, while ho was engaged in clearing a fishing net."