ACCIDENTS AND INQUESTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6662, 26 March 1883, Page 3 (Supplement)

ACCIDENTS AND INQUESTS.

:\n' inquest was held at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, Aratapu, on February 17, before Mr. 2'. S. Wubb and a jury, on the body of Andrew Bourke, guiut.lij.ger, died suddenly ou the previous day, out at a gum camp behind Arat i(,u. It appears from the evidence given that deceased and six or .ieveu other gumdigger.-*, on Thursday, February 1"-. started to to out to the gumfields. The party had some bott'es of liquor with the.-;'., and partook of same on the road out. A littif while aftLi" deceased fell down quite helpless. His Tna es weie surprised at th.s. as he apt»: red to be more sober cliau the rest. They earric.t him out of t!-.o sen. and had him in the shade. Deceased came out to the guuilield afterwards with two other gum-diggers. He see'ti. -i to be under the influence of drink, mid was singing a;.d telling yarns. He had some r.'.oie drinks oat ihere. On the follov/ir-." dav deceased complained of feeling verv bad internally. Deceased took a walk on Yo the top of a high hill for the sake of the breeze. He afterwards lay down m til J fern, and appeared to go to sleep. Oue of the covered his face over with a cloth. About an hour and a ball" af'er thij some dOjjs were seen playing about him. One of the witnesses went to drhe them awav, and found t..at the man was dead. The" jury refused to give a verdict without medical evidence. T--.0 inquest was therefore adjourned to tbe February, when Dr. Norton made a moi'O m examination. He stated that he found the heart diseased by hype> trophy, with dilatation of the .aortic va'ves. The liver was found immensely enlarged, extending nearly the wkoiu breadth of the body, pushing the stomach out of its piace. It was in a nutmeg state. Tiiere were signs of inflammation of the stomach. In witness's opinion the immediate cause of dtath was heart disease. The jury returned a verdict accordingly. An inquest was held i n February at the Luuatic Asylum, before Dr. Phils.m, Coroner, and jury, ou the body of Denis Boyle, a patient "or the institution. Alter hearing the evidence of the medical superintendent, and other witnesses, the jury returned a rerdict in accordance with tiie evidence. For years no freshet has raised the Upper ivaipara river so high as it was on Feb. 20. On that day a very rdghly-esteemed young lad, named Joseph Mills, about fourteen years of 3go : was looking at the rising river round the house, and on seeing a log of kauri, which was likely to be removed by the rushing water, ha remarked to his father that he would go and save it. He stripped, and being able to swim, boldly proceeded to tbo log, but, before reaching the same, the current carried him into the raging stream. His father, hearing his cry for nelp, instantly swam to hi 3 assistance, and succeeded in getting hold of him, but the current being so strong, he found it impossible to retain his hold of his eon, and with gr. at difficulty he reached a tree in the river completely exhausted, and was afterwards enabled to reach the bank. The body was recovered by Constable Naughton and others on February 2S, and an inquest was he'd next day, when a verd'Ct of accidental death was returned.

On the 27th February a milkman, whose name we could not ascertain, was violently thrown from his milkcart in Union-street through his horse bolting. His arm wa3 said to be broken by the fall. Drs. Dawson and Hooper attended to his injuries, and he was removed to his home.

It will be in the recollection of onr readers that an accident was reported at Mangonui by the capsizing of a boat by whioh a young boy named Lowe was drowned. This happened about sixteen months ago, and thongh the harHour was dragg'.'d at the time yet no trace of i'.ie body coul-i be found. About a mouth ago some nati\-fs were fishing on the eastern side oE the harbour, when they discovered what appeared to be the remains of a human being in the mangroves. The police were at once notified of the fact, and Constable Moar went across and collected the remains and brought them over to Mangonui. There were only a few bones, the flesh being completely eaten off; the he.id was gone, and the only mean 3 of distinguishing it was by the clothing. The blacksmith for whom the boy was working before theaccident identified theclothiug. Itls supposed the body was washed up by the current and deposited at the top of high water at the place where it was found. All inquest was held before Mr. H. W. Bishop, R.M., the newly-appointed coroner for the district, when a verdict was returned of "Accidently drowned," by the capsizing of 1 boat fifteen months previously. The remains were interred in the Church iiigground. the service being read by Rev. Mr. Hawkes. Another sad accident from drowning has occurred at Russell. A little boy named Alexander McLeod, son of Captain James McLeod. of the loading-ground, fell in off the bank, near his father's house, on the 2Gth February, and was drowned. ' The body vvn3 recovered in the evening.

Aa accident happened at Russell on Thursday morning, the Ist March, to a lad named Cleave, aged 12 years, who was a passenger by the s.s. Manapouri transhipped ex tlial.s. Wairarapa from Sydney. As he was walking ashore the sta.-e tell between the wharf and the ship, he falling with it, and .fortunately went clear of the falling stage ana wharf stringers, so that lie had a narrow eacspf. He was more frightened by being seized r,y his hair by two native boys wl.o immediately went to his rescue. He was not accustomed to seeing Maoris, having just arrived from Kngland. A fatal accident by drowning occurred to John Powell « hilst crossing the Mongakuama Creek at Kopua, near Alexandra, on lUrcli 3. The deceased, in company with Alexander Thompson, was returning home on horseback from Alexandra. The nurht w - 3 very dark, and the ford dangerous. Powell, aofc exactly following Thompson, who "\\tis in advance, lost the track, he and the ho>se being carried away. Thompson, hearing a cry for assistance, swam his horseback, but Powell .had disappeared, and he only succeeded in recovering the horse.' Next morning a auiaber ef natives endeavoured to recover

the body, Henry Turner, brother of Joseph Turner, diving constantly for some hours for that purpose. He at last succeeded, at great risk, in recovering it in ten feet of water under a log, some hundred yards down the stream. This i* the third body that Turner has succeeded in recovering, to your correspondent's knowledge. The body was taken to Council's Hotel in a canoe. At the inquest, held by Mr. T. Grcsham, Coroner, ■Mr. John Aubin being foreman of the jury, a verdict was returned of accidental death, the jury adding a rider that in their opinion the services of Henry Turner in recovering the bodies of the native Pumpi, drowned in Baskerville Creek, Ferguson's son, drowned near Kaipiha, and the late John I'owell, deserves substantial rocogmtion from the Government.

A Te Awamutu settler named H. C. W nitcfield, residing at Kangiaohia, when returning from Mr. Parson's sale on Feb. 28. at about six p.m., ne:ir Te Awamutu, fell off the heavily-loaded dray in which he waa sitting, it is supposed, in a fit, the wheel passed oyer his head and smashed his skull. He died instantaneously. At the inquest held before Mr, Grcsham on March 1, a verdict of accidental death was returned. Mr. V. hitefield was an elderly m>.n, 3nd formerly a member of Major .Jackson's Forest Rangers. ' The adjourned inquest on the recent lamented death of Captain Charles Baker by drowning, was resumed on February 21 at the Masonic Hotel, Opotiki, before a jury of twelve, of whom Mr. \V. M. English was elected foreman. Mr. R. S. Hush, R.M., was the coroner. Hone Mole, a half-caste, and (. harles Arghest described the details of the drowning. After a short deliberation the jury returned a verdict of 'accidentally drowned on the Opotiki Bar while in the execution of his duty.

Mr. Clendon being unable to held au inquest at Kussellon Messrs. Sawkins andßagley on S) arch 1!, the same was held by their late employer. A verdict of accidcntal death was returned. The funeral took place the same day, the stor. s :ill being closed, everyone attending the funeral. Captain McLeod bringing numbes frem theloadin.:ground. TheUnionCompatiy's i.ative labourers, headed by Meta te Tai, carried the bodies. Service was most impressively conducted by the Rev. Mr. Hawkes, the choir, after "The Dead March in Saul" was played, singing "Christ Gathers in His Own," and at the grave, joined in by all, ( Safe in the arms of Jesus," which brought tears from all eyes. The collins were covered with wreatlw prepared by the ladies. It waa a mo3t touching burial, their lives being so singularly bound up together, and at death and the grave they wero not parted, being buried in the same grave. Constable McGilp d- serves credit, having searched most diligently for the bodies, never spiring himself till they were safe at rest. About half-past eight a.m. on March 2 a horse attached to an express-cart bolted ill Victoria-street, and did damage estimated at £'JOO before it was brought to a standstill. A Maori had a narrow e=cape from drowning on Saturday, the 3rd March. He was somewhat the worse for liquor and was sitting on the reclamation wall, close to the watermen's house, when he suddenly tippled over into the set. At the time there were a number of Maoris at tho watermon's steps getting ready to preened to Orakei (Paul s Settlement) and steps were at once taken by them to recover the man. He, however, had sunk for the lecond time before he was secured, ar.d upon being brought on shore K. Keane, the W iternian, and others t. ok s'eps to "pump'' the "foreign" element out of the half-drowued Maori. After a short time the man was suiiiciei>t!y recovered to be able to bs put aboard one of the boats going home in oha-ge of his friends. A resident in Wiliiam-street met with a painful accident en Saturday, March 3. Ho fell amongst some broken bottle , and received a dangerous cut ou the thigh. Although he lost a great quantity of blood, serious conscquences are not anticipated. Dr. Piirchas dressed the wound. A terious accideut occurred on March S at Kden Terrace, in a collision between Mr. Grubb's butcher's cart aud the buggy of Mr. Malcolm, of Mount Albert, during which Mrs. Malcolm received some injuries. She was picked up r.nd taken into the shop of Mr. Martinson, chemist, and attended to by that gentleman till the arrival of Dr. Y\ ine, when it was ascertained thr.t two of her ribs were broken. Mrs. Malcolm, after having them set, was able to be removed to her residence in a cib.

On the Oth March, whilst a large boiler was being hoiste 1 up by the large new crane on the outer fast rn tee, the chain suddenly parted, and the boiler went down with a run on to the deck of the Rotorua, on board which vessel it was intended to be shipped. Fortunately no oue was in close proximity on boar.l at th-.- time, r.r some serious injuries might have been infl cted. Later in the day tl.e boiler was successfully lowered into the hold with th ■ ship's own winch and tackle. The mate of the s.s. Douglas (Mr. Calder) had the centre finger of his left hand cut off at M'-rcury Cay, ou the 7th March, it hiving been caught in 'he wiuch. The sullcrer was brought on to Auckland by the steamer for medical assistance. Rather a curious accident occurred at the Albert Hotel on March S. A man named Dkk, boots, &c., a- thy hot-1, was employed cleaning the windows of the second floor, when, "mis-dug his footing, he dropped through one o' the skylights of the verandah. He would in all probability have been killed, hut for falling on a man named Tobias, who was pansing underneath. This broke Dick's fall, and he escaped with slight injuries, but Tobias is severely bruised and shaken, and had to be tak<-n to his home by his friend 3. About twenty minutes to six a.m. on March 11 William Brown, mate of the Golden Isle, noticed the body of a woman floating in the vieinity of the Railway Wharf, and he at once acquainted the W r a ter Police of the circumstance. Sergeant Martin, with one of his men, weut down and secured tho body, which was at once identified as that of an unfortunate named Susan Duneen. The body was removed to the morgue to await an inquest. Shortly afterwards a dingy was picked up in the bight formed by the reclamation wall and the Railway Wharf, containing two umbrellas —those of a man and a woman. So far as can be ascertained of the movement." of the deceased woman, she was seen by Constable McLellan early on Saturday evening, while on duty at the Opera House, and was then partially under the influence of liquor. The dingy was identified as belonging to the Saxon. A coroner's inquiry into tne'circumstances was commenced at Gleeson's Hotel on March 12, before Dr. Philson and a jury. After tho evidence had been taken, the jury returned a verdict of "Found drowned."

On the 13th March W. Marshall, one of the employes of the Harbour Board, reported to the Water Police that a man's body waa floating iu the harbour near the steps of the Railway Wharf. The polico at once pro-cef-ded to the spot, aud found the body aa iudicated, and they had it removed to the dead-house. The body was shortly afterwards identified as that of Charles Baker, the seaman who has been missing from the schooner Saxon since Sunday, March 11. An inquest was held next day, at Oleesoii's Hotel, Hobson-street, before Dr. Phiison and a jury, .in the body. The evidence showed that Charles Baker had come anhore from the Saxon on the ICth March (of which he was sole caretaker), and had strolled about the town, calling at different hotels and getting beer. Shortly after midnight he had fallen into company with the woman Susa;i" Dunet n, and in the midst of the storm and rain, both the worse of liquor, they had proceeded to the schooner's dingy for the purpose of going on board. Captain McClymont, of the stated iu his evidence at the inquest his opinion that the mail had sculled the dingy to the schooner, and that they both were drowned in the attempt to get on board by falling out of the dingy. The jury returned an open verdict of " Found diowned." A serious and painful accident ocfel Mr. Win. Swanson, M.H.11., on the evening of March 21, at his residence, Liverpool street, which is likely to confine him to his house for some weeks to come. About seven o'clock he g 't upon the top of a high wall in his grounds, in order to examine the guttering on the roof of an outbuilding, when in the dusk he miscalculated hi;; distance, lost his footing, and fell a distance of 14 feet to the ground. Mr. Lumsden, who resides in tiie adjacent iiousc, heard the fall, and ran u'.'t to see what was up, when he found Mr. Swan-oil lying prostrate on the "round. It was at once seen -that one of his eyes was severely injured, and Mr. Lumsden hurried off for the ir arest medical man, Dr. Richardson, of Karangahape-road, who was speedily in attendance. On examination, it was found '.hat two of the bones of Sir. , Swanson'3 leg were broken, and his ankle { also dislocated. Dr. Richardson promptly set the injured limb before swelling set in. Some of Mr. Swanson's friends subsequently called iu Dr. Philson, but that gentleman found that Dr. Richardson had done every- i thing necessary in the moat satisfactory

manner. Mr. Swanson passed a somewhat restless night on Wednesday, but iB now doing as well as could be expected nnder the circumstances.

A young lad, about fifteen years of age, named Sinclair, residing with his parent-s in Symonds-street, met wi'h a very nasty accident on Wednesday, Mar;h 21, by which one of his legs was broken in two places. The lad wa3 riding home on horseback about eight o'clock, and when passing the burial ground the horse suddenly shied and threw tli6 lad. Shortly afterwards Mr. Smith was driving his JMount Eden omnibus into town when he heard cries for help near him on the roa I, and upon getting down otf the omnibus found ( the poor little fellow lying on the road in tiie I state mentioned, and very weak from pain. Mr. Smith carefully lifted the lad into his omnibus and drove him to his parents house. It is a wonder the lad did not meet with still further injury from passing horses aDd traps, as he could not he se> n by traveller-, the night being dark. We are glad to learn the lad is at the present time progress ng favourably towards recovery. A man named Thomas Stuart was kdled near Kamo, on Saturday, March 1/, at the Hikurangi saw-mill, through being pinned between logs while driving. A case of rather sudden death took place at Mauku on March ID, to Mrs. H. Aspden, junr. As she was in her usual health on Saturday and died on Monday morning, and as no apparent cause could he given for her sudden death it w;es considered necessary to hold an inquest, and the Coroner, Captain Jackson, having been communicated with was soon on the spot, as also Constables McKmght and Parker. The inquest was held at the house of tne deceased near the sehool reserve. A jury of twelve having been sworn, Mr. C. Kavanagh was eleetcd foreman. Dr. Dalziel made a post mortem examination, and state l that the cause of death was peritonitis. The jury returned a verdict " That the deceased, Fanny Aspden, die! from acute inflammation oi the bowels." Ihe funeral took place on March 20, and was veiy larjely attendee!. She was much respect-d by her neighbours. The ceremony in the church was conducted by the Kev. C. C. 1' ritli, and the final part at the grave by the Kev. Mr. Salter. A man named Thomas Wd.iams, carter, of Tauranga, was received into the hospital on March 17, fluttering from a severe ile*h wound in the The injury was caused by being thrown forward on to a hook on his cart. Mr. Superintendent Thomson received telegrams on March -0 from the constable us Otahuhu, and also from Sergeant Greene, of Onehunga, relative to a sad accideut which has occurred at Mangere. It appears that John Paul, son of Mr. Walter Paul, settler of that district, was accidentally drowned m a ahcep dip on his farm on March 10. Mr. Thomson communicated with Dr. Philson, coroner, but he was unable to go on March 20, and Mr. John Gordon, J.P., held an inquest. After the evidence was given, the jury returned a verdict of " Aecidently drowned. \ valiant rescue from drowning took place oil March 17. Two lads, sons of Mr. J. C. MacCornuck, barrister, nf Auckland, who are on a visit to some friends, were lishing at the Shortland Wharf. A lad beside thorn, who was similarly engaged, overbalanced himself and fell into the harbour. He appeared unable to swim or do anything towards extricating hinrself. Thereupon, without divesting himself of boots or any of his clothing, Master \\ illie M tcConnick jumped into the water and gallantly brought ( the youngster t * land. Nor did lie boast of , the good work, I* r lioneof his friends knew of ] his brave action until at tea time the lady <-t the house, observing his clotncs were net, , asked him the cause. A man nam ed McKenzie, sett'er, of Pnriri, , contractor for mail service between that district and the Thames, met with a fad aeculent on March 17. When vi'.hin two miles of Puriri he slipped ell' his tv.o-horse spring . cart, and the wheels passed ov> r his legs, ( one of which is broken. Mr. James Crai" yoing along saw the dray, and a little , distance benind, the man lying on the ioacl bleeding profusely, who informed him that his legs were broken. Presently the J> , Aroha coach aud Mr. Lhreufi'icd s diay fp peared on the scene. The cods in Mckenzie's cart were shitted by the passengers of the coach to the dray, which carried them on to Furiri. McKenzie was ihen lifted into his own cart, and one ot toe kindly undertook to convoy him to the hos- ( pital. Au awfully sudden death < ccr.rrcd on Mar' -h 17 in I'arneU, at Half-past one o'clock la the afternoon. The dec-ased, whose nan c is -John O'Xcil, was better known by t) e name of John Dargraves from the fact th:.t he was brought up by his stepfather, who .e name was ilargravis. Deceased wa.i an engine-driver, employed 011 the railway, t.i.d was about -12 ycjrs of age. He had been ailing for several days previous :o his death, but 110 serious consequences were apprehended, and on Saturday 'ore:.00:1 lie was down town to see Dr. Coomb- s, ihe doctor employed by ihc Railway Association. "He walked home, and was sitting in his own house drinking a cup of beef tea, when suddenlv a gush of blood is-ucd from his mouth, anil in a few minutes he was a corpse. it was not deemed necessary to bold an inquest as the deceased had been under medical treatment, and his medical attendant gave a certificate of the cause of death. lie leaves a wife aud seven chill ren.