ACCIDENTS AND INQUESTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9011, 26 March 1888, Page 9

ACCIDENTS AND INQUESTS.

WRECK OF AN ENGLISH VESSEL.

Wellington, March 16. The English ship Pleione, which left London on '23rd December last for Wellington, went ashore on the Waikanai Beach, between Wellington and Foxton.

On March 15 a heavy gale sprung up, and increased to hurricane-force during the night, and blew all March 16 with unabated fury. Until the haze of Kapiti Island was sighted no land had been seen since leaving England. The captain mistook that island for Stephen's Island, and shaped his course accordingly, with the result that the vessel ran ashore on a sandy beach at two a.m. At the time she struck the vessel was going ten knots, and was under fore, main, and mizzen topsails and jib, with a heavy nor'-westerly gale behind. Her officers speak in high terms of the conduct of the passengers and crew at the time of the accident.

The passengers were five in number—a married couple and single man in the saloon, and a married couple in the steer-

age. Finding that for the present the ship was safe, the captain decided to wait for daylight before leaving her, and at four a.m. an attempt was made to get ashore. The first boat that started filled at once, and a lifeboat was brought into requisition. The first that left was under the charge of Gray, the first mate ; the second was in charge of the captain ; and the third under Liddiard, the second mate.

About half distance between the vessel and the shore the captain's boat capsized, and the occupants were thrown into the water.

The mate put back and assisted in rescuing them, though the task was difficult. An A.B. named G. Belshan was drowned before he could be rescued.

Captain Culbert suffered considerably from the shock and exposure, and Mrs. Foster, a passenger, was in a bad state through the bufferings of the waves, but both are now recovering. Tho vessel is making no water, and is almost high and dry. The seamen's personal effects and the ship's papers have been brought ashore, and there is every probability of the cargo being saved, but little likelihood of saving the vessel, as she is settling into the sand. During the voyage a seaman named Haynes was washed overboard in the Bay of Biscay and drowned. The value of the cargo is estimated at £35,000, and the vessel at £15,000. The insurances have not yet been made up. THE WRECKED VESSEL. The I'leione is one of the well-known Shaw, Savill, and Albion Co.'s fleet, commanded by Captain A. Culbert, and is an iron clipper ship of 1092 tons, built at Glasgow in 1876, by Messrs. A. Stephens and Sons, and registered Al at Lloyd's. She had made a splendid trip—taking but 84 days from London, from which she had sailed on December 21, 18S7. She brought a large general cargo, valued at £26,800. The Rons. Fisher, Fergus, and Richardson visited the wreck on the 19th March, a special carriage having been placed at their disposal by the Manawatu Railway Company. A large number of people were passengers to the scene of the disaster by this train. She has shifted fully 300 yards north of the spot where she first took the ground. She looks none the worse for the recent storm. The cargo is reported to

be safe. Captain Babot has been directed by the Underwriters' Association to proceed to the wreck and report as to the best course to be adopted.

EXTENSIVE FLOODS IN THE SOUTH.

Westport, Friday, March 9. This town has been cut off completely from telegraphic communication with the outside world since Wednesday night. For three hours on Thursday morning there was a burst of the heaviest rain ever experienced since settlement of the town. The greater portion of the borough was flooded, especially the low-lying portions, to a depth of several feet. No great damage was done in the town, but much discomfort and inconvenience was caused. The Buller River was in high flood, and it was found that telegraphic communication had been interrupted. The Reef ton coach made an attempt to go up country yesterday morning but at one place on the road, the Overflow, the horses had to swim and the coach was compelled to return to town. A second start was made this morning, the telegraph men being passengers. Five mites out of town the coach stuck in the middle of the road. The driver endeavoured to rush through on horseback with the mails, but after crossing the Buller River, nine miles from Westport, he found the road completely blocked with heavy slips. The whole hillside upon which the road was constructed appeared to have slipped into the river. Several telegraph poles were down, and wire twisted or entangled, and wrecked with debris. Monday, March 12. The Buller Road is completely wrecked. It is estimated that it will be three months before it is open for wheel traffic. A surfaceman named O'Brien was killed by a landslip. Telegraphic communication has been temporarily restored. The rain was severely felt at Osborne's accommodation house. A portion of the house was smashed by- the rush of water, and the hall and stables were carried away, with the harness, horse-feed, etc. The stableman and horses narrowly escaped. O'Brien, the surfaceman, who was at Little Ohika, was smothered by a slip while he was in bed. A boat has been, sent up to bring down his body. At Files Creek, in this district, a miner's house and property were entirely washed away. He just succeeded in escaping from bed and climbing a tree. The Westport county engineer estimates £4570 as the cost of repairing the Buller Road. There are 116 slips in 13 miles, and five bridges either injured or carried away, besides the road being carried away in 17 places.

On the 10th March a gumdigger named George Cassells had his leg broken, under somewhat peculiar circumstances, opposite the Albion Hotel, Hobson-street. According to the statement of Mr. Patrick Gleeson, licensee of the hotel, who witnessed the accident, Cassells was walking along the pavement, in front of him being a young man, followed by a dog. Cassells patted the dog on the back, whereupon the young man turned round and knocked Cassells down, at the same time making off. A few minutes before nine p.m. on the 18th March an old woman, residing in Newton, fell into the harbour from the outer eastern tee of the Queen-street Wharf. The woman, on rising to the surface of the water, clung to one of the piles, and a man named Rugg giving the alarm, Mr. Ellison, secretary of the Seamen's Union, ran on board the tugAwhina, and securing a rope, made a bowline and cleverly threw it round the woman, who was then brought on to the wharf, and accompanied home by the police. A man called Ben Buck, an expressman, met with an accident on March 16, by falling off the step of a tram-car. He was taken by a constable to Dr. Tennent's, and then to the Hospital. Dr. Bond, whose patient lie is in the Hospital, reports that the man has broken one of his ribs, the fractured end injuring one of his lungs, and that he is in a precarious state. On March 6 R. C. McQuade, Thames, was engaged carting chaff to the shed of Mr. Samuel Loughiin, coal, firewood, and produce dealer, and had a load of about a ton, the bags being piled up to some height. He was riding on one of the corners, when a couple of the sacks came away, and he was precipitated to the ground, falling upon his head and shoulder. When picked up by some gentlemen who observed the accident, he was in an unconscious state, and was conveyed to the hospital as quickly as f)ossible. He was examined by Dr. Wiliams, when it was found that his head had been bruised, and it is also feared that one of his ribs has been broken.

A man named Thomas J one?, of Cambridge West, was selling fruit on February 29 at Oxford, and while in Mr. Henry Carr's house, he was taken unwell, and suddenly expired. At the inquest a verdict was returned that death resulted from heart and lung disease. A fatal accident occurred at Te Papa, Cambridge, on March 2. A loaded gun had been left on a plough standing in the field, when a Maori girl, six years of age, took hold of the gun, and letting it fall, the piece exploded. The charge shattered one of her thighs, causing almost immediate death— the femoral artery having been ruptured. News was received at Dargaville on Friday afternoon, the 9th March, that early that morning a sad accident happened to a man named Walker Morley, working for Gardener and Co., sub-contractors, in the railway works there. It appears he was asleep in his tent, and a high wind blowing, blew down a tree, which fell across the tent and smashed the head of the unfortunate man. Death must have been instantaneous. The body was brought into town by rail on March 10, when an inquest was held. It is stated that the poor follow leaves a wife and ten children living in the district of Kingsland. On Thursday, March 1, as Mr. James Downey was exercising Mr. Sarah's racehorses, he came across a dead dody lying on the beach at Mangawai Heads. The constable, Mr. Sturch, was soon apprised of the circumstance, and with some help he recovered the body, and brought it to the shed by Mr. Dingwall's old house. Mr. Farrand, J.P., acted as coroner. Upon examination of the witnesses, Mr. Peek, Miss A. Bree, Mr. Miller, Mr. C. Johns, Mr. Kelly and Mr. Deane, it was proved beyond doubt that the body was that of Thomas Jenkins, late storeman and clerk, who left the hotel on Sunday, the sth of February, immediately after breakfast, to fish at the Heads undoubtedly, as his satchel was found not far from the body and sworn to. The body was disfigured, bub not so much as to prevent its identification by Mr. Peek. The jury, without hesitation, returned a verdict of "Found drowned." The deceased was a native of Wales, a married man, and leaves a daughter, if not a wife, behind to deplore his death, also a brother residing in Chili. Mr. Charles Morgan, a saddler residing at Kawhia, while riding on the 10th March was thrown from his horse and killed on the spot. Mr. Rutherford, of the Armed Constabulary, will hold an inquiry, as there is no coroner living within twenty miles. A son of William Birch, Kopu Hotel, Thames, aged seven years, received serious injury by falling from the roof of the house. Another very sad accident occurred at Tuakau on March 7 to Mr. Perry, an old settler. He was returning from completing a job on his farm in a cart loaded with a plough and harrows, he sitting on the top of all. Driving over a lump partly hidden by fern, the cart upset, throwing the unfortunate man under the horse, which rolled over him, but fortunately he had sufficient strength left to extricate himself before the horse commenced plunging. Two or three hours having elapsed, his wife thought he should be home. She went in search of him, and found him helpless. Assistance was soon at hand, and Dr. Tilby sent for, who, on examination, found three ribs broken on the right side and a fearful bruise on the left hip, with, it is feared, some injury to the bone. A most unfortunate buggy accident occurred at Hamilton about eight o'clock on Friday night, the 16th March. A buggy and pair, owned and driven by Mr. C. Barton, proprietor of the Commercial Hotel,here, was returning from the Cambridge races, and when entering upon the bridge at Hamilton the horses took fright and bolted, capsizing the buggy at the sharp turn, about sixty yards from the end of the bridge. Mr. T. Wallnutt, of the Union Bank, one of the occupants of the buggy, sustained a compound fracture of his left leg, just above the ankle. A nurse named Mrs. Hewitt was found on March 23 drowned in the river she had to cross to reach a settlement, at Masterton. She had been missing since March 19. It is supposed that the fresh in the river carried her away. ]

A young man named Henry Angove, a well-known miner, left the Thames on Tuesday, March 13, and proceeded to work at the Paroquet mine, Waiomo. When.there his mates observed that he appeared to be suffering from the effects or drink. Next day (Wednesday) he disappeared, leaving without explanation. During the next two days, nothing being heard of him, his friends became alarmed. Searching for him was begun on March 19. About throe o'clock Geo. Brown, one of the search party, found his body about high-water mark on the beach opposite the Waiomo Creek. The corpse E resented the appearance of death having been caused by drowning. The remains were brought to the Thames by Constable O'Brien, who had been sent to look for deceased. At the inquest on the body, a verdict of " Found Drowned" was returned.

An inquest was held on the 16th March, at Mauku, before Mr. Thos. Jackson, R.M., Coroner, on the body of Mrs. Jane Quinn, aged 80. It appears that deceased had retired to rest in her usual health, and about midnight was taken ill, and died in twenty minutes afterwards. Dr. Dalziel, of Pukekohe, made a post mortem, and stated that death arose from inflammation of the stomach and intestines, accelerated by the fatty condition of the heart. Pahi has had a severe gloom cast over it) caused by the fatal accident which took place on March 19. Mr. George Haines, storekeeper, has recently leased the orchard of Mr. Thomas Coates, but was much annoyed by the ravages of wandering pigs. On March 19, in company with Mr. Swallow, he went to the orchard for the purpose of gathering fruit, taking a double - barrel breech - loader gun with him in case they should come across any pigs. On landing they saw a pig, and made chase. Mr. Haines fired, bub the pig made off, Swallow going one way and Haines another through the scrub, for the purpose of heading it. Swallow says he heard another shot fared, and Haines called out, " Now we'll have him." He then saw Haines with gun uplifted, butt uppermost, as if he was in the act of striking the pig (although he could not say for certain, as there was some scrub between them). He then heard another discharge, and running up, found Haines lying on the ground, quite unconscious. He lifted his , head, resting it on a tuft of rushes, and came to Pahi for help, obtaining which, he returned, bub Mr. Haines was, to all appearance, dead. They brought the body over to Pahi, and, in Dr. Mountaine's absence, called in the aid of Dr. Fisher, who pronounced life extinct. An inquest was held on March 20, presided over by Mr. W. W. Ariell, J.P. and Coroner, and evidence, being taken, a verdict was returned ot "Accidental death." The funeral took place on March 21. Much sympathy is felt for Mrs. Haines and family. The deceased was a general favourite on account of his kind and obliging disposition, and will be very much regretted. We have learned that the deceased had for six years been insured in the New Zealand Accident Insurance Company for £50!). Unfortunately for his survivors ho had allowed the policy to lapse about ten days before his death. A sad bathing, fatality occurred at Ocean Beach, Dunedin, on February 29. Three young women were bathing in the surf close to the baths. One got oat) too far, and on the other two reaching shore they set up screams, which attracted the attentio"of John McCutcheon, a painter, working close at hand. He at) once went in after the girl in the water, but was apparently stunned by a breaker. Another man named James Cannon took a life-belt and line, and swam out to the rescue of the girl, who was safely brought) ashore, but McCutcheon was in the meantime drowned. McCutcheon was married, and the father of three children. Cannon behaved with great coolness. The thoughtless conduct of those who bathe in the surf close to the baths is greatly condemned. At the inquest on the body of John McCutcheon on the Ist March, the jury returned a verdict, "That he was drowned while attempting to save life." They commended the conduct of Cannon, who saved the life of Miss Jeffreys, in attempting which McCutcheon was drowned, and drew attention to the danger of bathing in the surf. The Palmerston correspondent of the Wellington Evening Post sends the following particulars of a terrible catastrophe which occurred in the Flying Race at the Sandon Hack Meeting on March 17 : "At one part of the course there is a considerable dip, and in rising on the other side one of the horses (Songstress) tripped and fell, bringing down six others. A terrible scene tvas the result, the horses and riders being mixed up on the ground, and when the public arrived at the spot six of the boys were found lying about groaning, and some of them insensible. Fortunately two or three escaped with cuts and bruises, but one boy, named McKenzie, appeared to have been terribly crushed, and was suffering internally. His life was despaired of, and for some time it was thought that another lad, Hilsden, would not come round ; but so far as I can ascertain only his arm was broken. A third boy, Collelo, was badly cut about the head, but he is making good progress. Medical assistance was not immediately available, but subsequently a doctor arrived from Bull's. McKenzie's case was then found to be hopeless, and he died from his injuries on March IS. Two swaggers, marching through Mr. W. Douglas' run, Napier, on the 14th March, drew some water from a tank and made tea. Shortly afterwards they were taken violently ill, and when a shepherd discovered them he had them removed to the homestead. As he suspected that the men had been drinking from the tank, which had contained arsenical sheepdip, Mr. Douglas attended to them as best he could, and then sent them in to the Hospital, where they are now lying dangerously ill. A man named Thos. Buckingham was accidentally killed in a coal mine, near Glen Tunnel, Christchurch, on March 23.

On March 22 a settler's child near Stratford fell out of its cradle into a bucket of water, and was drowned. The child was seven months old, and the mother not being in the house at the time, was not aware of the accident till she saw the child lying dead in the bucket.

George Neuble, working at Chinnery's flaxmill, Rangiora, had his right arm drawn into the scutcher on the loth March, and was so mangled that it had to be amputated close to the shoulder. On the 18th March, Michael Murphy, Christchurch, aged nine, the son of a labourer, was accidentally killed while playing under the Montreal-street Bridge. A companion named Pearson pushed him against the abutment of the bridge. He struck his head, and died in five minutes.

The Hon. Mr. Richardson received a telegram from Clyde on the 19th March, to the effect that a young man named Streetham, aged 27, was suffocated in a coal mine at Blackburn at 9 a.m. on the ISth March. The young man descended a shaft to ascer tain the depth of water, and after being below for some minutes, he was being pulled up by his brother when he fell out of the bucket. He made a second attempt to regain the surface, but falling to the bottom again, he was suffocated by the gas. A lad named John Walters, who met with serious injuries by a tram accident at Wellington on March 13, has succumbed. A boy named McGuiggan, whilst employed getting drift wood from Hokitika River, slipped in, and was carried down by the current. His body has not yet been recovered.

A little girl named Bergman choked herself eating an apple at Hokitika. A piece lodged in her throat, and despite the efforts of her parents and several neighbours, it could not be got rid of, and the child died before medical assistance could be procured. Mr. Jas. Billings, Wellington, who sustained a compound fracture of the leg on the 12th March by tripping over a stone, died in the Hospital at twelve p.m. on the 14th March, erysipelas having set in. Billings came to the colony as one of the managers of Messrs. Brogden and Sons, railway contractors.

On March 15 two boys named Hemer and Brown went out sailing in Akaroa Harbour about half-past three. Heavy wind came on, capsizing their boat. Brown held to the boat, and was saved by Maoris, who saw the accident from Onuku. Hemer attempted to swim ashore and was drowned. Several boats went out in search for the body, but it has nob been recovered.

A man, named LukeClaughton, was gored by a bull on March 2 on his farm near Inglewood. The bull lifted him on his horns and carried him some distance, and on dropping him the animal gave him a dig with hi 3 horns on the side, breaking a rib. Claughton, who is .some fifty years of age, was brought to the Hospital.

Jl •' A seaman named Charles Johnston wag ieriouslydnjured on board the s.s. Huia at Wanganui on March 10. The men were hauling a tank of malt, when the chain gave way, and the derrick came down on Johnston's head. The injured man was not expected to, recover. An inquest was held at Invercargill on March 5 on the body of a lad named Burtness, who died while chloroform Was being administered prior to an operation by two medical men. The lad was in a very weak state, but there was nothing to indicate that it would bo dangerous to administer an anaesthetic. The post mortem, however, revealed that n portion of the brain was engorged with blood, and the action of chloroform on this reacted on the heart, stopping its action suddenly. A verdict of *' Death from misadventure" was returned, the evidence being to the effect that the doctors could not have foreseen a fatal result, and were justified in attempting the operation. A child named Roderick Munro Goodwin, two years old, son of a man employed bv Mr. J. Deans, was drowned in the I Avon, Christchurch, on the 3rd March, near Kiccarton. It strayed from home, and was found dead in alio river, near Riccarton Railway Bridge. Alexander Kennedy, a very old settler, died at Napier on March 14 from the bursting of a blood vessel. A young woman named Julia Collins, employed at the Upongaro Hotel, Wanganui, was drowned on the 6th March whilst bathing in the river. A bey named Burgess was killed in Hill Bush near Invercargill on the -7th February by the fall of a tree. A boy named Walter, aged about 9 or 10. in attempting to get out from the front door of a ear, at Wellington, stumbled and fell beneath t lie car. When the ear stepped the wheel was found resting on the boy's tody. The latter was extricated and was found to have sustained severe injuries. He was at. once removed to the Hospital, but it is not expected he will recover. An accident occurred to Mr. Kennedy, of Jmekland, who in working a chaff-cutter lost three lingers anil part of another. At Whamrapoua, John Palmer, bushman, was killed on March 7 by the head of a kauri tree falling on him. Edward McN'ulty was killed near Cromwell by a blasting accident. Donald Hutton, his mate, was seriously injured. fcleNultv was a married man. On the '-.'ah of February, while H.M.s. Kelson was exercising her crew in torpedo practice in the outer harbour, an unloaded torpedo was discharged at the launch, which Was approaching the vessel at a high rate of speed, and so accurate was the aim that the projectile struck the boat amidships, and penetrated the iron skin, injuring the man in charge of the launch's engine. An old and much-respected settler, a member of the Kiiglau County Council, Mr. Barker, of Kaaiwh;inawha. expired suddenly on March S. On March 9 an inquest was held bv Coroner Searuncke, when a verdict of "Death from natural causes'' was returned.