ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1201, 8 March 1895, Page 34

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

A mm KILLED. An accident which resulted fatally occurred on Friday (March 1) to a man named Henry Parsonage, who was working- on Messrs Carmichael and Sons’ bonded store contract for the Harbour Board. It appears that deceased and his mate, George Mundle, were engaged in starting to draw cylinders by means of a hydraulic jack. Mundle was pumping, and Parsonage leaned over to assist him, when the jack canted. The result was that Parsonage fell to the ground, and before ho could move, the jack, which weighs about l i-cwt, had pinned him down, and inflicted fearful injuries to his head. He was at once picked up and, having been seen by Dr Henry, was conveyed by Constable Oliver and some fellow-workmen to the Hospital, but he was dead before his arrival at the institution.

Deceased was a prominent member of the Ilechabite Order. He was a member of the Municipal Fire Brigade for twelve years, and held the post of senior branchman. Parsonage was an excellent and conscientious officer, and was well liked by his comrades of the Brigade, who are to attend his funeral in full uniform. He leaves a wife and five children. One of his sons was working close by him when the accident occurred. It is only ten days ago since George Parsonage, a brother of the deceased, fell off a scaffolding at Bodley’s Buildings in Lambton quay, and received somewhat severe injuries. Mr Ashcroft, Coroner, held an enquiry at the Hospital on Saturday into the circumstances. Inspector Pender represented the police, Mr R. Levoi the New Zealand Accident Insurance Company, and Mr Geo. E. Smith the Public Works Department. Geo. Valentine Mundle, labourer, who was working with deceased at the time the accident occurred, said the only way he could account for the accident was that the. rope might have pulled sideways on the jack, but from the way deceased was leaning over he could not see it giving. Parsonage was the foreman and knew the working of the thing, and the men took all their orders from him. Parsonage was a sober, steady man and understood his work. The affair was a pure accident and did not arise from carelessness

Georgo Edward Smith, Inspector to the Public Works Department, said he considered the - jack was not in the right position for driving - the pile with safety. There was no need for the deceased standing in the position he did and leaning over to assist working the handle. Parsonage was a careful man with a great deal of experience. Thomas S. Powell, clerk of the works to the Wellington Harbour Board, who supervised the contract, did not agreo with the evidence of Mr Smith as to the position in which the jack should be on the pile. Thomas Carmichael, one of the contractors for the work, said they could not in practice work with more than 12 inches of staging under the jack, and there was a fair amount of scaffolding all round which would have assisted anyone if they had a chance at all. He did not attach bldmc to anyone. He thought deceased must have clutched the jack to proven c himself falling, and the spring of the plank throw both off.

Medical evidence having- been given, the jury, of which Mr J. Nash was foreman, returned a verdict of accidental death, and added a rider that there was no blame attaching to anyone. The funeral of the deceased took place on Sunday afternoon in the presence of a very large number of sympathising friends and relations. The funeral cortege,, which comprised close on 800 persons and numerous carriages, was headed by the Garrison Band, followed by the members of the Wellington and Petone Fire Brigades and a representative of the Nelson Brigade, all in full dress. The Wellington Brigade’s waggon was draped in black velvet, and on it were placed the deceased’s helmet and axe, while a large number of beautiful wreaths were hung round the body of the vehicle. About 50 members of the Bechabite Order, of which deceased Avas District Trustee, also attended ,in full -regalia. The two sons of tho deceased —Messrs Howard and William Parsonage—and Mr M. Murdoch, cousin of the deceased, were the chief mourners, and the members of tho Wellington Fire Brigade acted as bearers. Mr Carmichael, sen., Avas present as representing the firm of Messrs Carmichael and Son, in whoso employ deceased had been for a number of years. The Avroaths numbered about 60, and included handsome floral tributes from the Wellington Fire Brigade and the Order of Bechabites. The Garrison Band played " The Garland of Flo Avers ” and the “ Dead March ” in “ Saul ” en route to the Karori Cemetery. The Bev C. A. Tisdall officiated at the graveside, and Bro. EdAvard, District Buler of the Bechabites, read the funeral service of the, Order*.

Mr A. L. Winterburn, the manager of the State farm at Levin, on Tuesday Aveek had the misfortune to fracture the fibula or shin bone of one of his legs in getting out of his trap. A cab on the way to the Palmerston Bacecourse, last week, capsized, and the driver, B. Partridge, had his leg broken. A large dwellinghouse in Nelson street, Auckland, owned and occupied by Captain Amodeo, has been burned. Insurances: ,£525 on the building and £4OO on the furniture, South British. A farmer named Daniel Beane, Avho lives at Northern Wairoa, fell from a shop verandah in Ponsonby road, Avhile Avalking in his sleep, and seriously injured himself. Duncan Fraser, son of Mr Donald Fraser, of Parewanui, dislocated his shoulder badly on Thursday night.

A sad case of suicide is reported from Parewanui. Miss Georgina Moore, who had been living at the residence of her uncle, Mr D. H. Guthrie, took a number of match-heads on going to bed on Tuesday evening. The family seeing her ill, found out the cause, and did all in their power towards her recovery. Unfortunately, their efforts were unavailing, and the young woman died on Wednesdaj r morning at 11 o’clock. Miss Moore had not been in the best of health for some time, and in consequence had become depressed in spirits, fearing that she would be a burden on the family with whom she was staying. It is surmised that this is the only reason for the rash act. She was about 19 years of age.— Mercury. A fire at Creswick, Karori, on Saturday night destroyed a four-roomed cottage and dairy attached belonging to Mr James Henry Butler, settler. The building was insured for <£so, and the furniture for a similar amount, in the South British Office. The inmates were all in Wellington at the time, and the cause of the outbreak is unknown. A serious accident occurred on Shakespeare road, Napier, on Friday night. Two youths on horseback collided with a cab driven by David Donohue, and the latter was thrown to the ground and rendered insensible, while the horse dashed off with the shafts, overturning another vehicle in its mad career. A passenger in Donohue’s cab, named Worgrove, was thrown out and badly shaken.

A Dunedin bootmaker named Bohn is missing, and, is believed to have been drowned. A boy named Turnbull was drowned in the Kakanui River on Saturday. An old lady named Mrs Diana Hankins, a resident of Waimate, dropped down in a fit of apoplexy, and died almost immediately. Christchukc.fi, February 28. A serious shooting accident happened at North Loburn yesterday afternoon to a young woman, aged about 28, the daughter of John Ponsonby, farmer. Her younger sister, a girl about 17 years old, had found an old horse pistol in her brother’s box, and not knowing that it was loaded, placed a lighted match to the nipple. The weapon exploded, and the bullet passing through an open door in the kitchen, struck her sister on the left arm near the shoulder, shattering the bone. It was found necessary to amputate the arm, and the patient is in a critical state. Christchurch, March 1. A young man named Henry Barsham, a printer by trade, died suddenly at New Brighton this morning. Christchurch, March 4. At the inquest on the half-caste youth Daniel Kelly, Otten stated that when Kelly fired at him he was blinded and dazed, and that his own gun went off without any intention on his part of returning the shot. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the shot fired by Otten was accidental. A boy named Albert Southern, 14 years of age, was kicked by a horse at Riccarton on Saturday, and died in the hospital today. Gisborne, March 2. Mr James Shaw, of Whatatupoko, is just recovering from the effects of an extraordinary accident which happened the other afternoon. He was going to a tank with a kettle in his hand when a vivid flash of lightning occurred. The lightning struck the kettle and charged it, and the electric fluid ran through Shaw’s body to the earth.

The shock felled the man to the ground where he lay completely prostrate. Invercaroill, March 4. Word has just been received of adistressing boating fatality at Stewart Island, an artist named Allen, his wife and child being drowned. The only other occupant of the boat, Mr Broadbent, a resident of Gore, managed to reach the shore. The sheet had- been made fast, and a puff of wind catching the sails capsized her. Mrs Allen disappeared at once, and Mr Allen and the son sank after a hard struggle. Mr Broadbent was rescued in an exhausted condition. Mr Allen had purchased 170 acres and just built a house, with the intention of permanently residing on the island. Auckland, March 4. A child named Hilda Stewart, daughter of Mr Stewart, fruiterer, was pluckily rescued from drowning by Mr George Haswell, quartermaster of the Tasmania. The little girl, slipping from the gangAvay, fell between the Tasmania and the Aviiarf, and Haswell jumped overboard and held the child up till the haAvsers on the steamer were slackened and space given to haul up both him and the little one.

The bystanders cheered him on his being hauled up on the wharf. Napier, March 4. A nine-roomed house on Cameron road, the property of Alexander Davidson, and occupied by Mrs Bobertson, was destroyed by fire last night. The insurance oil the house was £450 in the Norwich Union office. The furniture Avas uninsured. Dunedin, March 4. The dead body of Christian Frederick Bohm, whose clothes were found yesterday, was found to-day by the police. Dunedin, March 5. At an enquiry held before Mr Carew, S.M., into the circumstances connected with the fire at Bobert Kennard’s, Port Chalmers, the jury returned a A'erdict that the place Avas Avilfully set fire to by some person or persons tmknoAvn. They added a rider that in their opinion the stock and furniture Avere over-insured. Kennard, in his evidence, said he could not account for the fire except by some person setting the place on fire. Evidence was given that a neighbour was present when Kennard left his place about 7 p.m.,

and that Kennard was at a Druids’ lodge meeting from a little after seven till the firebell rang, shortly before 10. The neighbour who had seen Kennard leave the Souse thought he heard someone move about somewhere near 9 o clock, but he could get no reply to his knocking.