ACCIDENTS AND INQUESTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6830, 8 October 1883, Page 9 (Supplement)

ACCIDENTS AND INQUESTS.

A fatal accident to Mr. John Thredfall Boyd occurred while he waa working in the Corby mine. He iraa leaving his work at four p.m. on Sept. 11, when an empty truck was rung up. Some little delay took place in the start. Boyd thought there waß time to get in, but was caught by the cap piece in the chamber, and was crushed to death instantly. Great sympathy is felt for the bereaved family. An inquest was held at the Coromandel Hotel next afternoon, before Mr. P. Tierney, J. P., Acting Coroner, and, after hearing the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death. The funeral took place at two p.m. on Sept. 13, in the English Church Cemetery. A very large concourse of people attended. Business was entirely suapeuded. The deceased was accorded a military funeral—being a prominent member of the volunteers.

A man named Walter Davis came down by train from Huntly on Sept. 10, and was received into the Hospital with broken collarbone. It seems that on the previous day he was thrown from his horse, and received the injuries referred to. Benjamin Hosken, a single man, employed as a carpenter's labourer on the Kaipara line at Koukou, was brought into town and taken to the Hospital on Sept. 10, suffering from injuries received through being crushed between a railway van and an embankment. It appears that the van was being shunted at the time. Hosken was turned right round by the rolling van, and both of his hips were injured, the left hip being fractured. His body was much bruised. A man named Alexander McMillen was severely injured on September 10 by falling through a verandah. McMillen waa employed by Mr. Robson, of the Commercial Dining-rooms. He had gone out. of the window on to the verandah to place a flag bn the front to mark the place and occasion of the dinner in commemoration of the fall of Sebastopol, to be held there that evening. McMillen must have stepped on to the glass, which forms a' part of the verandah, just over Mr, Rattray's shop, for the people near were horrified, to see him come through the glass and fall

heavily on his back on the pavement. Somo of the bystanders immediately carried him into the shop of Mr. Haslett, chemist, where he was attended by Df. Evans, who

happened to be in the shop at the time. He never spoke. After some time, Dr. Evans directed his removal to the Hospital, where he was received and attended by Dr. Mackellar.

An inquest was held at Batley, Kaipara, on September 8 on the body found by the Maoris on Otea beach recently. The body was identified as that of James Welsh. After hearing the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death by drowning, caused by the upsetting of a boat." The body of the uniortanate man Harris, who was drowned in the Thames harbour, was found on Saturday, September 8, and brought to the Governor Bowen Hotel, where an inquest was subsequently opened, and adjourned, to obtain the attendance of necessary witnesses. The inquest was resumed on September 12. The jury could not agree, so were locked up from six to ten. At the latter hour, they were still digagreed, but at the suggestion of the Coroner, certain proposed riders were omitted, and the following verdict stated that "Deceased was acci- I dentally drowned from the pilot boat, while attempting to place the pilot aboard the I schooner Sea Bird." '

An accident occurrei on Sept. 10, in one of J. and A. McLeod'a bushes, near Helensville, by which a biishman named James Perry had his leg fractured ani severely crushed and torn. Another man, Thomas Enwright, was also injured, but not severely. They were engaged "jacking " a log up-hill when it undercut, causing the jacks to lose their hold. The log rolled on the two men, forcing them against another log. Perry was carried on a stretcher to Helensville, by his mates, where Doctor Stewart attended to his injuries, but waß unable to set the broken limb on account of the swelling. The injured man was forwarded to Auckland by the morning's train.

Our Kopuru correspondent writes: —A very painful impression has been created here by the news which has reached us that one of the very oldest residents on the river, Mr. Gregor McGregor, has been lost in the bush, near his own residence, for upwards of three we'eks without any trace of him having been found. A number of experienced bushmen have been searching for him continuously, but, hitherto, without the slightest result. All hope of finding him alive has now been abandoned. Mr. McGregor, who, is over SO years of age, has been in the habit of going searching after cattle by himself. He was a wonderfully hardy old man, and usually went without food or the materials for making a fire. He has on previous occasions been lost, but never for any length of time to cause anxiety. It is almost certain that he has overrated his strength, and has died in the bush from exhaustion. Mr. McGregor' has been a resident on the river for between 40 and 50 years.

On September 10 whilst a fishing boat owned by W. Knox was coming into harbour, and when off the Railway Wharf, one of the crew of the boat thought he heard the voice of some one in the water near them. The boat was put about, and by the aid of the moon something was seen floating in the harbour. Getting close to it, it waß seen to be a man struggling for his life. Prompt steps were taken to rescue the man, and he was safely got on board and taken ashore at Freeman's Hay. From the man, whose name is Fredk. Andrews, it was learnt-that he had gone down the Railway Wharf, and not noticing he was so close to the edge of the wharf he fell over into the water. The current carried him out into the stream. Great praise is due to the fishermen for the prompt action they took in the matter.

About ten o'clock on September 15, a boy named George Clarke found the dead body of a man lying across one of the stringers of the Railway Wharf, where it apparently had been floated by the tide. The water police were at once informed, and the bo'dy was removed to the dead-house. Later in the day the body was recognised as that of George Morley, lately in the employ of Mr. Wright, shipping agent. ' It seems that deceased has been miasiDg for nearly a fortnight, but his family were not aware of it, as Morley was not living at home. Deceased was 50 years of age, and was a native of Harrowgate, England. An inquest was held on September 17, before Dr; Philson and jury (of whom Mr. Ferguson was chosen foreman). Frederick Stag deposed to having a glass of beer with deceased at the Waiternata Hotel, on Wednesday or' Thursday week, which.was the last date deceased was seen alive, A boy, George Clarke, gave evidence as to finding the body floating underneath the wharf, and Sergeant Clarke, as to searching the pockets of deceased, and discovering articles which Wtl to identification of t&e body. The jury returned an open verdict of "Found drowned, without marks of violence."

On Sept. 16, about eleven p.m., a respect-ably-dressed man, said to belong to the Penguin, accidentally tripped on the edge of the wharf, near the watermen's steps. He apparently could not swim, and was drifting away with the tide, paddling ineffectually with his hands, when Kane, the waterman, got into his boat and succeeded in rescuing the drowning man. It was fortunate the waterman was so prompt, as in a few seconds more the man would have gone down. As it was, it was some time before he fully recovered himself.

An inquest was held on Sept. 19 at the Asylum, before Dr. GoldsbrO' and jury, on the body of a patient named Robert Swingle, aged 56. After hearing the evidence the jury returned a verdict of "Died from disease of the lungs." The deceased was formerly a ganger in the service of the Bailway Department, and leaves a wife and' family, who reside at Newmarket.

On the passage from England a passenger by the Doric, named Ferdinand Warlich, met with an accident which resulted in fracture of the kneecap. He was attended to by one of the medical officers of the ship, but as he is still suffering from his injuries, which were received a month ago, he was on September 19 removed to the "District Hospital.

Shortly before eleven a.m. on the 20th September a serious accident occurred to Mr. Samuel M. Smith, foreman for Mr. J. J. Holland, contractor for the new store which is in course of erection for Messrs. McArthur and Co., in Elliott-street. Mr. Smith, who is a brioblaycr, was engaged fixing a block to a crane, which is let into the brickwork, and stepped on tho scaffolding off the ladder, to knock out the supporting wedges. Suddenly the whole staging gave way, and Mr. Smith was precipitated from a height of about 14 feet to the footpath. He fell heavily on his left side, and sustained a comminuted fracture o£ the left forearm of a very painful character, so much so that the bone projected through the skin, besides which he received an ugly cut on the forehead. The injured man was taken to the Hospital. There he was received by Dr. Bond, who promptly set the arm, and Mr. Smith then returned to his home, in Vincent-street. He died on Sept. 27 froir. tbe effects of the injuries received. There was a large attendance at the funeral, the members of the Bricklayers' and Hibernian Societies mustering in full strength.

A man named Gibbons fell off his trap on September 19 near the Asylum, and hurt his knee severely. He was taken to the District Hospital. Another accident took place on the same day to a boy named Collins, in the employ of Mr. Batger, who accidentally broke his arm. He went to the Hospital, where it was set by Dr. Bond, and the boy returned to his home.

The adjourned inquest on the fire which 1 occurred at Parawai on the 2ofch August were concluded at the Thames oa Sept. 17. One inquest wao held as to the cause of the burning of the building, and the other as to the death of the child lost in the conflagration. Messrs. W. L'avies and C. Windsor were examined, and in addition to that the depositions of Mrs. Woods, who now lies in the Hospital suffering from the result of her burns, were read. Mrs. Woods' statement goes to show that shortly after eleven o'clock on the morning of the occurrence her hußband put a kerosene tin, containing tar, on the kitchen fire, while j she was engaged in " washing up." He then went outside to clean a tank, which he intended to use the tar in coating. The baby was iu a cradle in a corner between the fireplace and the door. Mrs. Woods heard the tar take fire, and immediately afterwards it boiled over on the floor; she ran to the door to call her hußband, and to get a wet sack to throw over the flames, which | in the meantime had seized the cocoa-nut matting. When she returned the place was fall of flame and smoke ; she tried to get at the child in the cradle but could not, and fell an the floor ; her husband then rushed iu, pushed her out, and tried unsuccessfully to get the child. Thus it would appear that previous statements to-the effect that the baby was seized by one or both of the parents were incorrect. The verdict regarding the death of the infant was that it was

; accidentally burned to death; and concern- • lng the fire that i t was caused by accident. ■ I Mr. Matthew Moore, owner of tho boot ' factory in the Theatre Royal buildings, mot , with a painful accident oh Sept. 20. He waa ■ working the leather-cutting press, and atI tempted to adjust the knife without stopping ! the machine. The result was that the forej finger of the right hand waj caught and badly crushed. Mr. Moore went at once to I Dr. Tennent's snrgery, and that gentleman temporarily bandaged the hand, and directed him to go to the Hospital. He did so, and had his finger dressed by Dr. Bond. On Sept. 17 a son of Mr. Stewart Ror.ya, of Katikati, aged nine years, was brought to Tauranga from the Katikati settlement. He

had both his left arm and left leg broken by a dray wheel passing over them. The bones have been set by Dr. Ginders, and the little fellow bears his sufferings in a most manful way.

An accident occurred to Mr. Joseph GreenI wood, Omaha, through a horse takingsri"hr. The rope got entangled round Mr. Greenwood's leg, and dragged him on the ground for some distance, which put his elbow out of joint and bruised him considerably. MrMcMurdo gut the elbow right, and he is now getting better as fast as can be expected. A boy named Edward Megency was brought to the Hospital on Sept. 27 with his lip cut through, and several of his teeth knocked out. The cut was an unusually bad one. It seems that the lad is employed at one of the timber mills, aud works at a circular saw. The injury was caused by a * piece of wood flying np and striking him on the mouth. Dr. Bond, honse surgeon, dressed the wound, and the boy returned to his home in Nelson-street.

Mrs. Matthews, of Panmure, was brought to the District Hospital on Sept. 24 for treatment, having slipped on a wet board and broken her thigh. A lad named Johnston was also taken there for surgical treatment, having had one of his fingers completely crashed in «ome machinery at the rope factory.

What might have proved a serious accident occurred on the 27th September. While Dr. Teanent was driving in his baggy along Cityroad h cart belonging to Mr. Philips, "baker, came round the corner, and the street being narrow, ran with great violence into the buggy, the wheel of the cart passing completely over it. A man and a boy, the occupants of the cart, were thrown out and partially stunned, while Dr. Teunent-, and a youth who was also in the buggy, had a narrow escape. Fortunately none of the oocupants of the vehicles sustained any injury beyond a severe shaking. An inquest was held at the R.M. Courthouse, Ohinemutu, before Major ftl air (Coroner), on Friday, the 21st September, touching the death of Bedelia Feeny, formerly female cook at the ftotorua Hotel, who was found dead in the Priest's Bath (a Government bath) at Sulphur Point, but in ihe absence of the medical officer, whose evidence as to the cause of death was required, the jury could only bring in a verdict that Bedelia Feeny was found dead, and they added a rider to the effect that the medical officer ought not to absent himself from Ohinemutu without appointing a competent person to take his place and attend to invalids attending the Government baths; and, moreover, a female attendant is necessary there to attend to women patients. Mr. J. Gwynneth was foreman of the jury. C. -Edwards, schoolmaster, Coromandel, was thrown from his horse on September 22, and dislocated his collar-bone.

A man named F. Martin, employed at Mr. Lamb's quarry, Mount Roskill, met with a painful accident on Sept. 26. He was assisting to load a dray, when the forefinger o£ his right hand became jammed and waß severely bruised. He came to town at once, and had the injured finger dressed by Dr. Tennent at his surgery, Wellesley-street, and it is expected that the finger will be saved. The schooner William and Jane, sixty-nine tons, Captain Jones, laden with oats for the Waikato Company, went ashore at Port Waikato bar on Sept. 20. She left Duncdin on Sunday previous, and was off the Waikato bar all day on Thursday. There was a little breeze in the afternoon, and she attempted to take the bar about a quarter past four p.m. on that day. The tide was half ebb, and she got stuck on the bar. As she touched on her heel, she slewed broadside on, there not being much sea on the bar. She is injured very little, but having no steerage way on her she rolled on to the north head, and struck heavily, the sea breaking clean over her for five hours. She is making a little water. Had she not been a strong vessel, she must have gone to pieces. The captain expects to lighten her, and get her off shortly.. . ;

A boy named George Henry Basby, agett 10 years, son of Mr. A. N. Busby, of BusbyBrothers, Venetian blind manufacturers, Grey-street, was 'seriously injured at the corner of Queen and Durham Streets on Sept. 24. At a little past one o'clock in tho afternoon the injured lad and his brother were proceeding down Queen-street, and as they were walking over the crossing at Durham-street a spring-trap driven by a son of Mr. W. R. Smith, carrier, Brighton, came round the corner at a trot. The boys ran to escape it, but one cf them was knocked down, and the wheel passed over his chest. The injured lad was taken into the British Hotel, where he was attended to by Dr. Murray Moore. Dr. Moore, after examination, ordered Inin to be taken home. Drs. Goldsbro' and Moore, who are attending the lad, give hopes of his recovery, but state that the wounds are very dangerous, the chest having been crushed in, aud the lungs, and probably other organs, being injured.

An inquiry was held on Si;pt. 28 at the Provincial District Hospital, on view of the body of Michael Costello, who was found irr an exhausted condition in Keut-road, Kyber Pass, on September 25, and died in the Hospital on September 27. It was proved that the man bad been seen on Sept. 24 "like a man horrified with drink." Ho smelt strongly of liquor when admitted to the Hospital. The jury found that death was occasioned by exposure, accelerated by drink.

A young lad, named John Riordan, who lives in East-street, Newton, met with a serious accident on Oct. 2. It appears that he is working .for Mr. John Brown, contractor, of Freeman's Bay, and that, while getting hay for the horses, he fell over a box, a nail inflicting a lacerated wound, extending feom the outer part of the left knee to the inner part, leaving tho kneccap bare. Dr. Tennent stitched the wound up, and the boy was subsequently taken to his mother's residence.

One of the buggies of Mr. Irwin, the livery stablekeeper, came to grief on October 3, the horse in it bolting down Durham-street, and coming into collision with the Archhill omnibus of the Northern Omnibus Company. Both the buggy and omnibus received some injuries, but the passengers in the latter escaped. A serious accident ocourred to a man named Michael Cronin on October 3. While wheeling coals from one of the vessels on a plank he fell off,' sustaining a nasty scalp wound. He went to the Hospital, where his injuries were attended to.

A mason named J. Bourke had a narrow escape of receiving fatal injuries on October 2, while working on Mr. Gosgrave'a premises, through a brick falling from the scaffolding, and hitting him on the head. He received a severe scalp wound, which will incapacitate him from work for a few days.

A man named R. Wills, living in a house in Chapel square, off Wyndham-street, died suddenly on the 3rd October. On the 2nd October Father Walter gave him a ticket for the Dispensary, bo as to get medical aid, but it does not seem to have been used that day. Deceased leaves a wife and two children. As the deceased had not been attended by a medical man, it was deemed advisable to have an inquest, and Dr. Philaon, Coroner, held it on October 4 at the Clanricarde Hotel, at two o'clock, when a verdict of *' Death from natural causes was returned." At an early stage of 'tho fire on the 3rd October a somewhat serious accident occurred ■ to fireman Stanley. Some glass or other material fell on his hand, inSicting a severe gash on the joint of his thumb, but after it had been dressed and bandaged by Dr. Richardson, to whom Mr. Stanley was taken by Captain Mahon, he returned to his duty, and rendered such assistance as he could.

A serious buggy accident happened on the Waikato Chuese Company's premises on October 2. Mr, and Mrs. S. S. Graham had. been visiting the newly-opened cheese factory, like sniray others, and the buggy and horses had stood quietly for nearly an hour in the paddock alongside the building. On leaving Mrs. Graham had taken her seat, the reins being still fastened to the lamp, and Mr. Graham was in the act of lifting a child l into the carriage, when asudden burst of

steam from the escape-pipe frightened the horses, and they dashed furiouply away, upsetting and smashing the buggy," aud thi owing out Mrs. Graham, who waa so severely shaken that she has eioce been confined to her bed •

A severe accident happened to Thomas Ray mood, a deferred payment Te Puke settler, on Sept. 27. When turning the corner of. Spring-street and Cameron-road, Tauraoga, ■ the wheel of his conveyance struck him, throwing him forward and passing over the fleshy portions of his left arm and leg, severely bruising and lacerating them, but breaking no bones. Raymond is doing as well as can be expected. On' the sth of October, a little before six o'clock, the cook at the Blue Post Dining Rooms, Leon de Perrit, discovered a man lying on his fice dead in the right-of-way at the rear of the building, whom he at once identified as Mr. Thomas Miller, one of the lodgers at the establishment for the past month. He informed the landlord, Mr.

Johnston, who acquainted the police of the oecurrenos. Sergeant Martin was speedily on the spot, and took charge of the body. Miller, who arrived in Port Chalmers by the British King on her last trip, came on to Auckland, where he has relatives, bringing with him his two children, his wife having died during the passage out. He has been drinking hard during the past three days. At the end of the corridor, on the upper floor of the Blue Post Dining Rooms, is a door over the right-of-way which is only used for purposes of ventilation. Miller was seen to go upstairs to his room on the previous evening by the landlord, and that was the last time lie was seen alive. It is conjectured that he got up in the night, mistook the turn in the corridor, unlocked this door, and fell over into the right-of-way, a drop of about nine feet, there beiDg a bruise over the left eye and the no3e flattened. An inquest was held on the body of deceased on Oct. 5,

before Dr. Philson, Coroner, and a jury (of whom Mr. Hugh Mcllhone was chosen foreman). MeEsrs. de Perrit and Johnstone deposed to the circumstances already statdd, and Dr. Honeyman, who made the post mortem examination, deposed that death was caused by rupture of a blood vessel on the brain, probably caused by a fall. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony, coupled with a rider as to the dangerous character of the window in question, and that the landlord's attention should be drawn to the matter.

An accident of rather a painful nature occurred at Hikurangi on Thursday, the 27th of September, to Mr. John McKenzie, settler, Otonga. He was driving a waggon, loaded with timber, from the Hikurangi Saw Mill, and when about half-a-milefrom the mliland going throughone ofthe numerous holes which abound on this portion of the road, Mr. McKenzie lost his balance, and fell off in front of the wheel, which passed over his leg breaking it below the knee. He was at once carried to his father's residence, Kaurihohore, where Dr. Sißsons was in attendance, and set the broken limb. He is doing a3 well aa can be expected.