WRECK OF THE STEAMER TUL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7789, 8 November 1886, Page 10

WRECK OF THE STEAMER TUL.

About two a.m. on Tuesday, November 2, Pilot Holmes telephoned from the Welling ton Heads that tho steamer Tni, which left harbour late on November 1, bound to Foxton, bad been wrecked at the northward of Chiffon's passage. Tho ill-fated vessel was under the command of Captain Pope, and shortly after she struok the water made very rapidly, and brought the steamer down by the head, so that she made little way. Finding that he could not beach the steamer before she went down, the captain lowered the boats and got the passengers and crew into them, Captain Pope and the mate, Mr. Forbes, remaining till the last. Some of the seamen jumped into the water and swam to one of the boats, but the others managed to get into them without much difficulty. The boat in charge of the oaptain landed near the present pilot station, and the one in charge of the engineer (Mr. Watson) made the beach at tho old pilot station, from which placo the crew and passengers walked to Captain Holmes' place, where they were treated with all hospitality. There was not much time to save anything exoept life. The ladies .were in their berths and were only able to got part of their clothes on before taking to the boats, but the captain, who had thrown off his coat and boots, landed in his shirt sleeves. With the exception of one passenger all on board lost everything beyond the clothes they landed

in. The Tui was built in Dunedin ten years ago by Messrs. Sparrow, and is owned by Messrs. C. Seagar, Joseph Joseph, W. and C. Bishop, and J. and H. Barker, She was not insured.

A serious accident happened to Mr. W. Mandeno, Te Awamutu, on Oct. 15, while attending the sale at Newstead. Two of the bulla commenced fighting in one of the yards, in whioh were several people, amongst them Mr. Mandeno. The stronger of the two bulls rushed the other one against the fence before Mr. Mandeno could get over, crushing him against the fence and causing a severe fracture of the bones of the leg below the knee. Mr. Mandeno was at once carried into Mr. H. Reynolds' house, and Dr. Muroh, of Hamilton, sent for.

A young man named Burrell, belonging to Ellerslie, while riding along neon-street, Onehunga, on the 18th October, came into collision with a cart which was in the road. The result was that he was thrown from his horse with great violence oa to the asphalt pavement, rendering him unconscious. On Dr. Eraon being called in he pronounced Burrell to be suffering from concussion of the Drain.

A melancholy accident occurred at Kingsland on Oot. 25, which resulted in the death of a floe little boy, named Robert W, H. Wright, son of Mr. J. Wright, of that district. The lad had been playing at see-saw on a plank, and had fallen off, hurting the back of his head. Inflammation of the brain supervened, and death ensued, notwithstanding the Attention of Dr, Lawry, who was called in,

An inquest was hold at the Hospital on Thursday, October 21, before Dr. Philson, coroner, upon the body of Patrick McAneny, who died on Wednesday, Oot. 20, from the effect of injuries received about a week before through a fall of earth at Newmarket. The medical evidence was that the deceased died from the effects of the shock to the system. The jury brought in a verdict of " Accidental death," and that there was no blame attachable to anybody. On the 25th October the body of the infant son of Patrick MacMahon, labourer, of Cambridge, was found in a small pool of water, not far from his father's residence. The little fellow had been in the habit of going unaccompanied to his grandfather's residence, and while returning home again, had apparently strayed from the path, or been attracted to the pool, as his body was found in a small pool among the ti-treo, with a depth of three feet of water. Dr. Moon, who was passing, attempted to restore animation but without success. A serious acoident is reported from Kamo to a young man named Thomas Babb. He and Messrs W. and G. Dent left Kamo on the 6th October, at ten p.m., for their homes at Kaitara, and when four miles distant from Kamo, and going down an uneven piece of road, Babb'a horse put bis foot in a hole and threw his rider violently on the side of the road, amidst some stones and stumps. As Babb was found to have received severe wounds on the head, from which blood waa flowing, his companions got a stretcher, and with the assistance of a settler named Going got him taken to his house. The wounded man was unconscious for two days. The unfortunato man John Swift, aged 55, who was received into the Hospital on October 26, owing to having received injuries at the Bastion defence works, succumbed on Ootober 29. It appears Swift was wheeling a barrow-load of earth on an 18-inch wide plank aoross a trenoh 12 feet deep, and floored with concrete masonry. He accidentally lost his balance, and fell over, barrow and all. On being pioked up by his mates he was found to be unconscious, and was removed to the Hospital, dying as above. On October 30, an inquest was held by Dr. Philson, coroner, at the Hospital. The circumstances of the acoident were deposed to by Charles Burnes and another labourer, who both saw the deceased fall. Dr. Bond stated that deceased had sustained a fraoture of the neck and of three ribs, and also an injury at the back of the head. The immediate causo of death was shock, consequent on the injuries. • A verdict of " Accidental death" was returned.

An inquest was held at Te Aroha on Ootober 28—-Mr. Stratford, R.M., acting as Coroner—on the body of the female found in the river the previous day, Mr. H. McLiver deposed to having viewed the body, which he identified as that of his wife, who left Waiorongomai on tho Bth October to visit some friends at the Thames. Ho had not heard from her since, and did not know that she had left there until informed by Sergeant Emerson yesterday evening that the remains of a woman, supposed to be Mrs. McLiver, had been found in the river. The jury returned a verdict of " Found drowned." A coroner's inquest was held on Nov. 2 by Mr. Andrew Bonar, District Coroner, and a respectable jury of six residents in the Tupaki blook, Mr. Roe being chosen foreman, on the body of a girl of about nine months of age, who was found dead alongside of her father and mother in bed early on Monday morning last. The evidence of the father, mother, and mother-in-law being taken, Dr. Hall, of Helensville, was required to make a post-mortem examination of the body, and stated to the jury that the body on which he had operated was that of a healthy, well-nourished female child, and that there were no marks to show that it had been overlaid, or any sign of having had a fit, but he had no hesitation in saying that the child was accidentally suffocated. This might have been caused by a blanket which the father laid over the child, or by turning on its side whilst sleeping. The jury did not consider there was any blame attachable to either of the parent*, and returned a verdict of accidental suffocation, as expressed by Dr. HalL

The manager of the Mercer sawmill met with a serious accident on October 19 while throwing off the belt from the flywheel while it was revolving. He got drawn in and around, lacerating and breaking one of his legs. He was brought down by train to the Auckland Hospital, where he is now progressing favourably. Ad inquest was held at the Club-house, Mangawai, before Mr. W. B. Farrand, J.P., acting coroner (which occupied two days, the 14th and 15th October), on the body of a gumdigger named Henry Hastings, a native of Nottinghamshire, and a resident in these districts for many years. The foreman of the jury, W. MacCloskie, after consulting with his colleagues, gave in the verdict as according to the evidence, "Death from natural causes."

At last the mystery which hung over the fate of old McGregor McGregor, of the Northern Wairoa, has been cleared up. It will be remembered that on the 22nd of August, 1883, he was reported as lost in the bush, while out searching for cattle, and was never seen alive again. His remains have reoently been found in tho Mangapai bush, about four miles from his homestead, by a Maori, and tho remains have since been identified by Mr. John McGregor, one of the deceased's sons, by tho shreds of clothing and the boots. Constable Haddock reports to Superintendent Thomson that he went to the Mangapai bush and viewed the remains. All that was left was the skull, a few ribs, thigh bones, and the boots, matted together by roots and covered over by decayed vegetation, It would appear that deoeased had, while taking shelter, succumbed to exposure, the weather being at the time very severe. The coroner, Mr. Webb, decided to hold no inquest. Deceased was a native of Perthshire, Scotland, and nearly 80 years of age. He emigrated to New South Wales in IS3B, and in the following year left for New Zealand. He had been a settler on the Northern Wairoa for over forty years. The Maori who found the remains in the bush demanded £5 from the sons of deceased before ho would indicate the locality.

Mary O'Neill, wife of Benjamin O'Neill, farmer, Doyleston, was killed on the 23rd October, near Hockburn, Canterbury, by being thrown out of a trap through the horse shying.

Miohael Cleary, aged 78, farmer, Blenheim, was killed on the 25th October by a fall from a young draught horse. An inquest was held.

Alex. Sutherland, working manager in a claim at Ophir, Otago, was killed on Oot. 24 by a fall of earth. He leaves a widow and eight children. His life was insured in the Government office for £300.

Hosking, labourer, employed at Ripa Island fortifications, Canterbury, died on October 15 from injuries received through a fall of earth on October 14.

The deaths by violence in New Zealand during the month of September numbered fourteen, distributed aooording to the provincial distriots, as follows : — Auokland, 5 ; Wellington, 5 ; Christohurch, 1 ; Dunedin, 3. Two fell down stairs, three were run over, one fractured his skull by a fall whilst in a fit, one was drowned, three were burned, two were oases of asphysia, and there were 2 suioides.

While playing with a dynamite cap on October 31 a lad named McDermott, at the Waiotahi creek, had three of his fingers blown off and two others badly lacerated by the explosion of the cap. A fatal aooident occurred at Nelson on October 28. William Rowell, an old resident, when lying across the tramway in a state of intoxication, was run over by a 'bus and killed instantaneously.

Mr. George Gordon, manager of the Bayswater estate, near Otautau, Southland, was found drowned in the Jacob's River on the 29 th Ootober.

A settler named James Rayne, residing at Ngapara, was killed by the upsetting of his cart on the 30th October. The cart went over the embankment, and the side of the dray struok Rayne on the head.

On Nov. 1 a sailor named John Carnegie, of the Owake Belle, at Wanganui, rescued a lad named Tingey from drowning. The boy had fallen from the wharf, and was just sinking for the last time, when attention was called to the accident, and Carnegie jumped overboard as he was and succeeded in getting hold of him. After being brought ashore the lad was soon restored.

On Oct. 17 a miner named McGregor found the body of the old man McDonnell, or O'Donnell, in the bush on Longwood Range, near Invercargill. The man was last seen on the Ist Ootober, when he visited the Prospectors' claim on Merrivale Diggings, and on leaving took the direction of Longwood. He would appear to have got into the bush and lost himself, travelling in a semi-circle over heavy country. He had almost reached the open when he succumbed. A pipe and match-box were lying beside the remains, as if dropped from the band. O'Donnell waa known as the " Mo* Bird.",

Michael Cadigan was killed in his claim, Kumara, on the ISfch October, by the caving in of an old "jump." His mate Maurice Joyce also had a narrow escape, being partially covered by the fall of earth, but was rescued. _