FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE RAILWAY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 323, 7 May 1877, Page 2

FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE RAILWAY.

It is to-day our painful duty to record the occurrence, on Saturday evening, of a fatal accident on the northern line of railway, by which a man named John Stilling Arthur lost his life. The accident occurred some 500 yards north of the Town Belt station, as the S o'clock down train was coming to Oamaru. It appeal's that when at the spot indicated the engine was felt to puss over some object, but at the time 110 heed was paid to flatter, as it was supposed that the object run over was only a stray sheep. When the train arrived at the Oamaru station, the circumstance was reported to the Sta-tion-master, who at once dispatched a man to the place to ascertain what had been run over. On arriving there a most ghastly sight met his gaze. Laying along, side the track was the body of a man, face downwards, nearly severed in two. Information of the sad occurrence was at once given to the police, and Sergeant O'Neill, in company with Mr. Smith (the station-master) and others, at once pro ceeded to the spot, and brought the body in to the Northern Hotel. Upon examination, the body was found to be nearly severed into two pieces, while the left side of tlie head was considerably battered, and the left wrist was partially severed. Death must have been instantaneous. The unfortunate man was about 20 years of age, about sft. Sin. in height, of fair complexion, and possessing a short beard and whiskers. The body was dressed in light tweed clothes, but was miner's coat, boots, and socks. His name was ascertained to be John Stirling Arthur, from visiting cards found in his pocket, bearing that name. In the pocket of his coat, which was discovtrtd about a mile up the line (where, owing to some circumstance or otiier, lie had taken both it and his boots and socks oft' and left them), a pocket-book was found, containing the following memoranda: —"Left Glasgow for New Zealand, p-r (ship) Auckland, on November 22nd, ISTG. Arrived in Dunedin February loth, 1577. Went to work in Anderson and Co.'s City Mill, Dnnedin, or. Monday, 2Gth February. Wrought there one week, till March oal. Went to Anderson and Co.'s, Kakanui (about SO miles north of Dnnedin), on Monday, sth March. Wrought two weeks night shift, five weeks on day shift. Wt-nt to Oamaru Races on sth April. On night shift again, April 19t' What the unfortunate man was doiw up t.ie line cannot of couise be definitely ascertained. iSeit'icr is it possible to"arrive at any conclusion as to why he did not hear tie train coming and get out of its way. It would seem that he must have been struck the engine some distance above wheie 1 is body was eventually discovered, as a gold waleh, shattered to pieces, and a locket, were found about a doz 'U yards higher up the line. It is surmised that he was walking alongside the line when overtaken by the train, and that, being struck by the step, he fi'll, and was caught by the brake, and dragged along until cast aside a lif - less pi.ee of frail humanity. The deceased, according to the statement of a fellow-passenger. app"ars to have at least one relation in the Colony—a cousin, who is second mate of the ship Auckland, now lying at Lyttelton. An inquest was held this afternoon, but had not concluded at the tiuu wo went to press.

THE INQUEST. The official inquiry into the cause of the death of John Stirling Arthur, was held this afternoon at the Northern Hotel, before T. W. Parker, Esq., lI.M. and Coroner, and the following jury Messrs. Martin Taylor (Foreman), A. Macpherson, I>. English, W. Barber, M. Rooney, J. Ridden, William Harper, P. Noonan, J. M'Guinness, J. Sullivan, J. Thomson, W. Boyle, and G. Crockett.

The jury having viewed the body, the following evidence was taken : David Hay, manager for Anderson and To., deposed : I know the deceased John Stirling Arthur. He was night miller in the mill at Kakanui. He had been in the employ of Messrs. Anderson and Co. about two months. I last saw him alive about half-past 10 o'clock on Saturday last. He was then in the store at Oavnarn. He npprared to be sober, but did not speak in his usual manner. He vr\s passing his opinion upon some samples of wheat which I was showing him. He said he was having a day's outing. He should have been at his duty at 6 o'clock. He was wearing a grey tweed coat. The coat and hat produced are those deceased was wearing when I last saw him. He was sent from the mill in Dunedin, and was sent by Mr. Anderson to the mill at Kakanui. The body, which I have viewed, is that of John Stirling Arthur. By the Foreman : I did not know deceased to be deaf, and do not think he was.

j William Jones Smith, Btfttion-mnstpri ' the railway at Oaniaru, deposed : I liJ seen the body of the deceased, wlkhiß am informed is John Stirling Artlifl From the clothes on the body, and tluß produced, I recognise deceased as a liiflj wlioin I saw on the platform on Satur.il last, at about a quarter to two o'cluil He was then laying down sleeping. B then told one oi the porters to wake lijl up. When the porter got hold of hiß by the coat and shook him a little, 9 opened his eyes and appeared very stu[i';H and would not get up. I saw him about a quarter to three, when one of t3 porters reported that the man would sist in g tin 1 .; into the ladies' waiting-root® I told i iin he must go off the platform, M lie would gut, it > trouble. I then s;,B t: at he was very drunk, and did not ktiJl what he was about. I heard somutliiiß on Saturday evening wliicli caused mc S go up the railway line. I then found til body of this same man about a mile undS half from the station. He was quite dca|B Frederick Galtwood, an engine-drive:!,® deposed : On Saturday I was driving til* (rain which left Tiuiaru at 4.50 p.m., uii||l which was due at Oamaru at 8.5 p,ir|l When the train was within about oti-jj yards of the Town Dolt platform, 1 ftjjjS the engine strike against something. ThJM night was dark, an 1 the train was trnvt "1 ling at tlie rate of from twelve to iiftuei-M miles per hour. The engine was titx'jl tlu'n came three loaded truck. At encj.* side of the engine there is a step, wliicij® w mid be about 1 Sin. above the sleepiirstw T iese steps pr"j'ct about 2ft. outside o® the rails. Tluy project further oujj| than those of any of the slops of the otlicgl carriage s. T.ie 1 umbler shaft of the brakl wonkf be about a foot above the niilif When I felt the engine strike something! I had not the slightest idea what it wits When the train stopped at the Town Bull I examined the engine, but could finj nothing to show what had been struct On arriving at the Oaniaru Station, almiil five minutfs after leaving the Town Belt, I reported the circumstance of the entjiiw having struck something to the loco l motive inspector. In company wit! Mr. Amos, I examined the engine, when we found a few spots <i[ blood on the frame between the driving and the leading wheels. The spots ot blood were ten or twelve feet in frontui the engine st ps. X cannot tell what putt of the" on trine was struck when I felt tlio shock. I am c: rtain the engine did not pass over anything. lx cause I did not foel the engine jump. From this I am of opinion° that' the ob ject which was struck was outside the rails. The greatest intimation T got of the engine having struck I something was the noise caused by tliol ballast Hying up against the plates, as if] something was being drugged along. 1 am positive that w' at I saw on the en<rine were spots of h'ood, but I thought them to be so. The last time that I blew t !| e engine's whistle was wh"ii I left the Junction, which is about or 4- miles from where I felt the s' oek. A lnntl named 13arraclough w;is oi'i the engine with me at the tim<>. I did not see anything whatever at the time of striking. I had'"my himd rp-.n the regulator at tliu time, and was h ol.in { through window. I have not examined the railway trucks since the accident. The engines have si ve-al thir s run over sheep, moro particularly lately. [Some, fnrt'-er evidence was taken, hut owing to the lateness of the hour at which the inquest was held, we cannot publish the whole of the evidence in our present

issin'J At fivj o'clock the hearing of the evidence was closed, an 1 the jury, after a brief consultation, returned the following verdict: Stirling Arthur met his death through drunkenness, and that there is no blame whatever attributable to the enginedriver. "