KILLED BY A TRACTION ENGINE.

NZ Truth, Issue 100, 18 May 1907, Page 6

KILLED BY A TRACTION ENGINE.

How Fergussou Met His Death.

T'b". cussed-ness of inanimate objects. Hen?/ Amfelius Coventry Fergusson was killed by colliding with a traction, engiaio wMoli had been; drawn up alongside of the read at Hal swell, Canterbury, and m winch the owner and driver, were camping for the night. Tih© deceased is stated to have been related to Sir James Fergusson, formerly Governor of the colony, who was 'killed at Jamaica during the earth'eduake there recently. t Fergusson was a very tall man, of commanding presence,, and was called "Lon<g Ferpgussan." by some, a>nd ' Gmtlenisan Fer^ussooi" by others. He was about 52 years of age, and lived v/utii his m other at Lanscicwne. She fe a lady of independent means % She icsidfts m a, large stone building at Lansdowne, which was built by Sir Edward Stafford, one of the firssfc Premiers of the colony. On ths day 'lie met his death, Fergtisson drove to town man express with his groom, and after putting' up the turn-out, the pair trained it to Lyl> telton., where -they bad a 'few whiskies. More followed m Christchurch, and they made rather a late start for hoane. "When they got to the Junction Hotel, Halswell, they essayed to get more! purge, but proprietor Maurice Kenaw saw that they hajcjl had enough, and refused to supply tihem, so they, made trades- It was a little further on they ran into the traction engine. Fergus-son was driving, and it was a foggy night, and the engine wasn't noticed until they were r-igiht on to it. Fergusson was pitobed' ou^ striking the engine with his <head. He never recovered consciousness', and died while 'being taken to the Ohristohuroh Hospital. The groom escaped unhurt, and next day, when the> iqiKju-est was held, he didn't turn up, so the enquiry, had, perforce, to be adjourned. He was on the boozerop, not having' 'got over the previous day's debauch. When he a-ppear-dd next day, the man explained that* hiD had been told that he needn't attend, seeding that he had gjiven his statenusn't to the police. His name is Albert Edyvean, and admitted having

TWO GLASSES OF WHISKY only, but saM that Fergussori bad more. Isn his statement to. the police, however, he said he had no liquor at all, and Sub-Inspector Dwyer remark* ed on the fact. The man then declared that this was wrong ; he told the police he did have drink. He couldn't account for being put down as intoxicated, seeing that 'lie only drank two whiskies. However/ Constable Moore swore that the groom wasn't sober at the time pf the "accident. He didn't make a statement, ami was m a muddled ooiudit/ion, besides being Uncivil. H-ans Henry William Busch, the owner of <bbc engine that caused the mischief, also testified that the man was. drunk. Bdyvean told the Coroner that they had sworn falsely ; he wasn't meddled, and knew what he was doing. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death. It seems to be the praotice of traction engine people to camp m their travelling van by the roadside when overtaken by daritness, and a very dangerous practice it is, as this fatality shows; and the Coroner told Busch that he didn't • know if he was within the law m putting 'his engine on the side of the road like that ; Buscli said that he had lights fore and aft, the groom deposed that there was no light- at all on. the engine, but after the accident one was placed there. This js pretty stifi if it is so, but ifc is a question of one man's word against another's. • However, if the groom was drunk and didn't know what he was doing, as deposed, his testimony must be discounted. The . dor oner told: the jury that he didn't know whether a traction eirgitte-own-er was justified m leaving his engine on the main thoroughfare. Everybody should- have thp free use of the highway, and thefact that Fsr^ ■gusscn -was oa the .wrong side of the

-oa.i u'ould not absolve the owner oi the engine from biame for leaving his engine there all night. The police are now making enquiries into the matter. Quite a number oi traction and oil engines come from that district, and if they were all camped out at night, that road would be a beautiful death-trap.