SUDDEN DEATH ON A STEAMER

New Zealand Mail, Issue 422, 13 March 1880, Page 21

SUDDEN DEATH ON A STEAMER

On the voyage of the steamer Go-Ahead from Castlepoint a most peculiar and melancholy incident occurred. At noon, when the steamer was about ten miles this side of Cape Palliser, Robert McArthur, who had just come on deck, went to the wheel, as it was his trick ; at 12.20 he was relieved for dinner, and again resumed his duty about, 1 o'clock. Captain Dicker, several of the passengers, engineer, and mate were on the bridge waiting for the dinner bell. Mc Arthur appeared all right, and was laughing and joking with the party, when they were called to dinner The second course had just been served, when one of the watch on deck sang out to bring up some vinegar. Capfc. Dicker ran on deck immediately, as he thought something serious had happened. Mc Arthur was found lying dowu beside the wheel, ;'iid at first it was thought he had fainted, as his pulse was still beating. Vinegar and water was then applied to the man's head, and other restoratives used, to bring him round, but all efforts to restore consciousness proved futile, as all signs of life quickly disappeared. The vessel arrived alongside the wharf at 730, when the occurrence wareported.to the police, and the body removed to the morgue. An inquest will be today. Deceased was about 44 years of age, and was a native of Greenock, but whether married or single was unascertainable, as since he had been on board he had been very reticent as to priv ate affairs. He has be< n sailing with Captain Dicker since the GoAhead was purchased by Messrs. Johnston and Co., some 18 months ago. Deceased was one of the men injured some time ago on the Rangatira, when the chain-sling carried away, falling on deceased and another man in the hold, injuring them so severely that they had to be removed to the Hospital. An inquest was held at the morgue, Te Aro, at 11 o'clock on Monday. March 8, before Dr. Johnston, Coroner, and a jury of twelve, of whom Mr. Dutton was foreman, upon the body of Robert McArthur, who died suddenly on board the s.s. Go-Ahead on March 6, Evidence w£>s given which fully bore out the facts as narrated above. Dr. Kesteven deposed that he had made a past mortem examination, and had found that the body was muscular, well nourished, and without any marks of violence. The hear; an 1 lungs were healthy, but the pleura was filled with a large quantity of blood. There was a large aneurism of the aorta, which had burst, and which was sufficient to cause almost instant death. The jury found that deceased had died from aneurism of the aorta.