ACCIDENTS AND INQUESTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7003, 28 April 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

ACCIDENTS AND INQUESTS.

Ax accident of a very painful character occurred at Kaiwaka cn Thursday, the 20th March, whereby a youth, 14: yearß of age named Melvin Turner JUowson, eldest son of Mr. T. W. Dowson, of Kaiwaka, received such injuries as to result in death the following morning. At the inquest held on the followingday, before Mr. J. Hurndall,Coroner, a verdict of accidental death was returned. The jury expressed their sympathy with the bereaved parents. A very large number of persons attended the funeral, which took place on Sunday, the 23rd March. A sad accident happened at Aratapu on March 26. A little boy aged one year and five months, son of Mr. W. B. Topp, fell into an open drain which runs along the back of his parents' house. He was out playing with his twin brother, and was not misßed tor a considerable time. On being missed, search wa3 made, and he was found in the drain quite dead. The jury returned a verdict of "Accidentally Drowned," but added the following rider :—"The jury think the parents greatly to blame for letting a child of such tender years go unattended, and for not fencing in or covering over snch a dangerous place as the drain close to the house," A-young lad named Edward Shields, son of Mr. John Shields, carter, of Mount Eden, met with a nasty accident at the Mount Eden gravel pit. He was bringing a loaded dray out of the pit, when by some means he got entangled in the reins, and thrown down. Before he could release himself and get out of the way, the wheel passed over his right foot and ankle, the ankle joint, and seriously lacerating the foot and adjoining tissue. Tho boy was taken to Dr. Tennent, who dressed the leg and foot. An accident of a serious nature happened on Sunday to a young lad, aged 14, the son of Captain W. Mincham, of the schooner Sea Breeze. He was riding a horse belonging to Mr. Joseph Craig, when at the turning off towards the beach at Farnell he was thrown off on the metal road on his head, causing concussion of the brain. The lad was kindly taken care of by Mr. and Mrs. Gray, who reside near at hand, till the arrival of his parents, when he was removed to tho Hospital. Information was brought to the Police Station on. April 2, that the child of Mrs. O'Brien, in Upper Symonds-street, was found dead in bed at half-past six o'clock that morning. Dr, Philson, Coroner, held an inquest at the Edinburgh Castle Hotel, on April 3, when a vordict was returned in accordance with the medical evidence, that death resulted from suffocation. On the arrival of the Ringarooma on April 8 information was given to the authorities by Captain Tozer that Mr. John Henty, a passenger from Sydney to Auckland, had died suddenly when the vessel was off the Island of Kawau. Mr. Henty has been in the service of the Bank of New Zealand in Sydney for some nine years, during a considerable part of which time he has been manager of the George-street branch. He has always been a delicate man, and had, to go for some time to Western Australia for his health. When- he came on board at Sydney ho was accompanied : by several friends. For about two days after leaving Sydney nothing peculiar was noticed in his manner, but after that his mind seemed to become affected, and he talked incoherently. On the Sth of April Captain Tozer went into his cabin, and said that he would soon be on shore, when he would get all right. Mr. Henty rose, and dressed himself, becoming somewhat excited. While he yraa in this condition, he suddenly fell back and expired. On the vessel arriving the authorities were communicated with, and next afternoon an inquest was held at the Thames Hotel, before Dr. Philson and a jury, of whom.Mr. John Ryan was chosen foreman. Captain Tozer (master of the B.s. Ringarooma), George Davies (second steward on board the same vessel), and Norman Frederick Giblin (accountant in the Bank of New Zealand), gave evidence corroborative of the above statement. Dr. Tennent, who had made a post-mbrtem examination of the body, deposed that there •was great congestion of tho brain, and serous .effusion on the surface and in the ventricles. -The lungs were congested, and £ull of tuber-

oles, in a crude stage. The heart was in a state of fatty degeneration. There was a quantity of bile, in. the stomaoh, which was to be .accounted' for by the statement of the steward that deceased vomited very severely for several days after leaving Sydney. Deceased was the subject of pulmonary consumption. The cause of death was serous apoplexy; resulting, from general debility of the system caused bv sea sickness and exhaustion. A verdict of " Death from natural causes" was returned. A coroner's inquest was held on April 4 at the District Hospital, before Dr. Philson, Coroner, and jury (of whom Mr. Charles Lavers was chosen foreman), on the body of Mrs. Mary Grannity, who died at the Hospital on the previous day of injuries received by falling from the top storey window of her bedroom in the Albert Boarding-house, Albert-Btreet, at two o'clock in" the morning of the 2Sth March. At the inquest the jury returned a verdict of " Accidental death," and that no blame was attachable to anyone in connection with the accident. Mrs. Grannity leaves two children, both of whom are in St. Mary's Orphanage. On April 3 a man named Frank Shardlow was brought to the Hospital who had had had his fingers badly crushed while working at a crane on the railway works at Newmarket. • Three of his fingers had to be amputated by the house surgeon, Dr. Bond. A Maori chief named Piripe died at Ohine ■ mutu on April 9, after forty-eight hours' He had fallen into the boiling spring Kuirau, and was dreadfully scalded. He is supposed to have been under the influence of liquor. At about eleven o'clock on the Ilth April a very serious accident happened to Mr. John "Grey, aerated water manufacturer, Eden Crescent, Mrs. Grey, and Mrs. McCormick, through the bolting of a horse and the upset of the buggy in which the party was seated. Mrs. Grey appeared to have fallen on her hands, and both wrists are sprained, besides which she is severely shakeD. Mrs. McCormick has escaped with a shaking, and having her face scratched, but Mr. Grey himself sustained a severe cut across the abdomeD, and became so faint that he had to be carried upstairs, and fainted when he rcached the landing. Dr. Haines was soon in attendance, and attended to tbe patients. It was found necessary to stitch up Mr. Grey's wound. We are glad to learn that none of the injuries are dangerous, but it is necessary that Mr. and Mrs. Grey must have perfect quiet for some time. A poor fellow named John Hendon, was on Monday, the 14th April, reported to the police by Mr, Newell, of Remuera, as running about in a paddock-near the Harp of Erin in a state of nudity. Constable Graham went to the place indicated and found the man in the state described. The constable dressed him, and was bringing him to Newmarket, when the old man Tell down in an exhausted state, and died in a few minutes. An inquest was held on April 15 at the Newmarket Hotel, at two o'clock, before Dr. Philson. A verdict of " Death from natural causes" was returned.

A young lad, aged 15, son of Mr. R. Onyon, of Te Aroha, whilst engaged steering a barge which was being towed up the river by the Quia, was accidentally thrown off by the rudder, and drowned, on Friday, the 11th April. The place where the acoident happened is about fiva miles below the township. Every effort was made by those in tho Huia to save the poor lad, but without avail. General sympathy is expressed' for the parents. He was buried at Shortland cemetery on the 15 th April, The funeral was numerously attended. It is stated that a young man, said to be named Scanlan, belonging to Papatoetoe, received internal injuries while scrambling into a train on the 14th of April. Some statements aro to the effect that ho was either pushed over the platform between the carriages, or carelessly got between them, being jammed by the buffers. He was taken to his home, instead of to the Hospital, and died of hia injuries on the following morning. The following telegram was received on April 16 by Mr. Superintendent Thomson:—" Louise Prei, steerage stewardess of the Waihora, died suddenly on board shortly after leaving Auckland." An inquest was held, and a verdict of " Death from natural causes" was returned. A saddler named Charles King, Gisborne, after a drinking bout, swallowed a lot of chlorodyne, but the Btomach pump saved him. Information was conveyed to the water police early on the 20th April that the dead body of a man was floating in the harbour, a short distance from the end of Mr. C. Bailey's slip. Constable Mackay at once proceeded to the spot, and with the assistance of a lad brought the body to the Bhore and to tho dead-house. Enquiries were at once instituted, and it -was found that the body was that of Edwin Welcome, who arrived here from Taranaki on the previous Sunday, and that he had been staying at a boarding-house in Turner-street. Since his arrival in Auckland, Welcome, who is described as a commission and general agent, has been drinking heavily, and on Saturday morning he got 'out of bed about five o'clock, and went out, and that was the last seen of him until the recovery of the body as describod. An inquest was held on April 21, by Dr, Philson. The Coroner read a letter from Dr. O'Carroll, at New Plymouth, stating that ho had. attended the deceased for 20 years, :.nd that he was subject to epileptic tits.—Dr. J; Murray Moore deposed to having attended deceased professionally, and that he found him subject to epileptic fits.— The jury returned an open verdict of " Found drowned."

A man named C. White (who is a seaman by trade, and has tilled the position of secoud officer of various vessels), on Tuesday, the 22ud April, met with a very serious accident, by which the front part of the wrist of the left hand was completely cut open. The man was at once conveyed to Dr. Wilkins' Burgery, Queen and West Queen Streets, where his injuries were promptly attended to. It was found that in addition to other injuries, the muscles of the index and third finger wero severed, and it is feared tbat the band will be so permanently injured as to be next to uteless hereafter. Oiir Waipu correspondent telegraphed on. April 22: —The horses ran away with the Ka'mo Company's coach this morning. Miss Campbell was the only passenger. She jumped out and broke her leg, and was conveyed to Mr. Munroe's house, Marsden Point, waiting for a doctor. Our Opotiki correspondent telegraphed on April 22 :—The body of Thomas Grieves, bush man, was found washed ashore at the Heads. He was drowned in the Waiok'a River. An inquest was held, and the jury returned a verdiot of " Found drowned." . On Sunday evening, April 20, a serious accident happened to Mr. Aley, watchmaker and jeweller. lie was going to Mr. Dawson's, chemist, corner of Elliot and Wellesley Streets, when, in crossing from the Market entrance across Welleslev-atreet, he put his foot inadvertently into the trench of the tramway (it not being lighted), and fell heavily to the ground. He was picked up in an insensible condition by some passers-by, when it was discovered that his left leg was lacerated from below the'knee to the thigh, that he had sustained a contusion on the forehead, and that his trousers and coat were badly torn. His gold watch was also smashed. A lad named Evans, living with Mr. John Gifford, Morrinsville, met with a severe accident on April IS. He fell on a fern hook, and inflicted a nasty wound on the right kneecap. Medical assistance was sent for to Hamilton on Friday night, but was not procurable until next day, when Dr. Beale's services were secured. William Brimmer, the well-known Auckland jockey, was accidentally killed on Tuesday, April 15, at Kamo, by falling off a timber waggon going down a cutting. He managed to clear the near wheel, but rolled over behind the horse's heels, and the off wheel passed over his neck and head, causing instantaneous death. The driver, Thomas Cowan, was at the time managing the brake of the waggon. At the inquest a verdict of "Accidental Death " was returned. The deceased's mother resides at Newmarket. He was a brother-in-law of J. Chaffe, the well known Auckland trainer.