HAPPY VALLEY FATALITY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10812, 31 January 1921, Page 4

HAPPY VALLEY FATALITY

MR FREO .HULSE’S DEATH EVIDENCE REGARDING THE SAD OCCURRENCE. THE CORONER’S VERDICT. On Saturday Mr W. G. Riddell, S.M., held an inquiry into the death of Fred Hulse, of Hataitai, whose dead body was found near his motor-car in Happy Valley road on Wednesday afternoon. FINDING-OF DECEASED. Evidence was given by Andrew Robertson, owner of Happy Valley station, to the effect that while walking alone Happy Valley road in the direction of the city at about 1 p.m. on Wednesday he came upon the dead body of a man lying alongside an Oakland car. At' first the man seemed to him to be' asleep, but on going closer he saw that’ the man’s head had been badly injured,! and that the man was quite dead. He' thought the explosion must have of curved about five or ten minutes before he came along. Behind the car he found a large wooden match which had been used. He reckoned that deceased had been bending over the in-, let to the petrol tank (the cap of which was off), and had lit a match. There was evidence that deceased had looked all round the car for the cause of the stoppage. The condition must have been just right for an explosion, ae he had known others to use a lighted match when looking into a tank. HEARD AN EXPLOSION. Ernest Beavis, a farmer, gave evi dence that at five minutes to 1 o’clock he heard an explosion and thought someone might he out on the hills shooting. The previous witness came in and told him about the accident and they went together to tbe scene, which was about 300 yards from his house. The car was pointed towards Wellington. The description given by the witness Robertson as to the position of the body was correct. Witness sent his boy straightaway to notify the police, am from his home procured something to cover the body with! PERSONAL DETAILS. Richard Hulse, a returned soldier, oi' Wrigfiit street, Weßingbom, said the l deceased was his brother. Deceased: was 48 yeans of age, cund was a builder.; He was barn in Staffordshire, and bad been in New Zealand 18 years. Their parents were dead. Deceased was married about 20 years ago in Cheshire, England, and his wife was Evelyn' Ford. They had two children, a boy' of eighteen and a girl of seven years. Deceased was in quite good health. He had been driving a motor-oar for two months, and the oar he had was an OaMnnd. On the day of the fatality deceased *had been to Island Bay and, witness thought, was returning via Happy Valley to Wellington. Hie was a very careful driver. He was not a smoker, and it> was a wonder he had any matches with himf as he was hot in the habit of carrying them. He had, heard Mr Robertson’s opinion as to the cause of the accident, and he agreed! with it. He had viewed the body at 1 the morgue and recognised it as that of his brother. Constable Dick, who is stationed at Brooklyn, deposed that the scene of the fatality was about a m3e and a Half dawn the Happy Valley road from Brooklyn. He found deceased lying near the car. There wore some used matches on the ground. THE CORONER'S FINDING. In a review of the case the coroner said the evidence showed that the de-i ceased was temperate and did not smdke. He had purchased - a car re-< cently and had been, driving ’ it for about two months. In the -carcumstanoes, it was safe to say that he did not know as much about a motor-car, or what to do to it in emergency, as a person of greater experience. It seemed that -when deceased was found he way lying at the hack .of the car, near! the petrol' tank. The petrol tank was considerably damaged, showing that an| explosion had occurred. That there; was an explosion was clear, also from! the’ fact that Beavis heard a report. The verdict was: “Deoeaised was ao-i oidentaUly killed on the Happy Valleyi road on January 27th, 1921, through! an explosion winch occurred while tha| deceased was examining the benzine' tank of has motor-car.”