FATAL COACH ACCIDENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 640, 22 May 1878, Page 2

FATAL COACH ACCIDENT.

The whole town was thrown into a state of excitement last evening on in-f-nnatipn of the vaguest description being received by the 'rain fro;n the south that ii, 0 co «cb accident, brelly v -carded in "ur last issue, had resulted fatally. Every means of obtaining information was resorted to. but without anything definite being obtained. Ciowds of persons gathered around the railway staihm, anxiously waiting for fuller pariieulars In 'no brought by the special train which was known to be coming on with ( 'ee wounded passengers. Many of those <.n the platform had friends on

ill-fated coach, and. to thorn j the suspense must have been terrible. | We h'.irriodh.- issued an extra containing the following pat 1 icuh.rs. -which we obi lined'fron, a geiidcmau who c-uno on by coming d e,..p the Hampden side of the iJ"i\se Range, t-ie driver and owner. Mr. "W. G'od.btrd, lost ail command over the horses, it is thought, through the king-belt coming out. The horses bolted down with the fore-part of the coach, leaving the body behind, which swayed and tumbled down a precinitoiis hill, which at this point is some 200 ft. high, but its r-ogres, was arrested, after gob'g some distance, by a wire fence. The each turned over several times, and the passengers were thrown oil' in all dhecpona. onlv a few escaping injury. Ma-. Nichols, of D:dgeiy, Nichols, & Co. .Dunedin, was picked up insensible, and expired shortly afterwards, from supposed, inff rn:tl injuries, blood flowing freoly frorn Ins innuM). Mr. Mhthiud, a K«- : of lb: .T. P. Mai Hand, Commissioner of Waste Lands, who. was proceeding to school at, Christehurc:;. was "frightfully injured, and is not ox-.si.-m of the biviin, ami had the flesh on one of his sid-.-s, from the ribs to | the hip, torn in a frightful manner. I Amongst the others who were more or 1.-ss injured were iw following, gentlemen : Mr. M'Nieol, hotel- : keeper, Dunedin. and formerly of ; iDemaru; Mr. Hunter, of Weiligton ; I Mr. Bishop. of the Shin news- j paper, Christehureh ; Mr. CuilisMidi, of i Melbourne : Mr. J. Cameron, of Timaru : Mr. Valpv.' of Dunedin ; Mr. Francis pulton, of Dunedin ; and Mr. V, illiam Ooddard (who was driving). In ::>initio n to the<e, several others received j slight injuries, only one or two of tiie passengers escaping unhurt. Inform-hot. of the accident was first ivc-i. ■■■d at Palmerston bv a telegram sent from Hampden by Mr. Bell, jun.. who was driving northwards in a buggy. Mr. Hack, on rce bring informati-m, at one--despatched a special train conveying Dr. Brown aim o.'hor a=sbtance. The train stopped opposite .hartigi, and the sufferers wwe brought up to the hotel at that place by mean; of _;■'■■"•_ availab.c description of vehiege. Dr. ih-owu at ..nee set to work io ascertain the ex in nr I uate via 'ins of the sad aeoidenl, and aroly ruah remedies re ' u-mporary h V-s of relief as were wit'iin his •.. ,v.- ; r. This having be-m (". i ■■:■■ ve phe d <>o ihe irain. and b=.. I Mr. .-'■ he: om.r )•'. ■•.■]• in :-!■ ■•'rapiiiug to • .ires were lighted and ail oiin c necessary I n.edic.il men. At -tlm s-np ; tune ex-m-es---s. v.-nh ma-tr, sses. end eahswer,hvr,v:n np at the P-iilway veajy to in" aitendance \c the station the iveiiiclas,' while ;4uh-in:spycl.or Smiih ha.d a bodsy of poliee present to keep hack the crowd of "p -.•.•■■■nis. a.nd to facilitate iiiaibes. At last, when tiie special train arrived with its sad freight, the eagerness for informa'ion reached its culmination. A rush, unseemly in its uaure. but. perhaps the carriages containing the injured persons ; hut, by dint, of persevcrar.c ; on the part of the police and rail-way offjeia's, a clear .-pace was olifaine.-l, anil the work of removing the suiferera to the various vehicles was entered upon. One by on they were either carried or assisted to cabs or expresses, a.nd driven away either to the Hospital or private reridences. As the dead body of Mr. Nichols was carried from the train, placed on an express, and. driven to the Northern Hotel, there to await an inquest, there was an almost breathless silence. The same silence was observed as the mangled and almost lifeless body of poor young Maitland was placed upon as express and driven to tiie National hank.

From on ft of the passengers on the illfated conch wo have obtained 'ho following particulars of the :u:cirlijnt : —The casualty occurred when the coach was about a third of the way over the Horse Range. Mo fur a:; can be asecrt-nned. there wore nineteen persona, including the driver, wi the coach—nine inside, six on the box (Master Maitland, on the outside. Messrs. F. Fulton and'Culiis Hill ! with tlio two Masters Strode sitting on i their and tin: drive-'), and Messrs. ! Nichols ami Hunter and two others on the outside seat, at the back of the coach. < ». asc'-'iidin:: the liill the majority of the I': iSeu.'evs fdiidiU-d and walked to the top i;. nv-h. r to ease the horses. On arriving at its SHKiiiii', the passengers resumed j th-.-lv seats, and the descent was com- | mai'vd. In going round v slight curve; ihe horses iioltod. and :h: fore-part of ; the coach became severed from the body, j and the c >aek ran at con:■iderable speed j down the iiiii. One or * :o of the pas-!

senders who were sitting on the outside back scat jumped oil', without receiving any injury : and Master Maitlami, at the bid fling of the driver, put his foot on the brake at the near side of the coach. Notwithstanding that the brake was applied '.vitli all force, the speed of the coach was so great, th it it was nIA-rlv impossible to arrest its downward progress, a d sworvin" round it fell over tin: hillside, a distance »f about 40 fee;, tumbling over several times. The passengers, whh the exception of those already mentioned'as having jumped oh. and Mr. Bishop, of the Sun newspaper, who was thrown on to the road. a-M 'hdriver, maintained their s-. ays um :! thrown oti' as the Coach rolled down the hill. Mr. Nichols was thrown violently on his lead, and expired about fifteen minutes afrerwa-'ds. Master Midland, who was found, lying on h : s fee- ■•n the hill-side, was eo severely briikeil and eut about tile lead and. face as to be ahur.-t unrecognisable, and on turni".' him over, it w;.s found that ho had ah-... received a severe wound m his side. Mr. Bishon, who was thrown on to the road, received so severe a shock as to render him for a time imensible, and a cut upon his forehea '. which was apparently occasioned by falling upon a stone. Mr. CnlKs Hill was badly cut on the knee-

can, and will piobably be eon lined to his roi)iu for a week or more. The two Masters Ktredo escaped with a few sc- tches and a. severe".shaking, and we !••■ ar that one of them dish eatad his arm.

Mr. Hunter was bruised and scratched, and severely shaken, one of his aims

being so badly hurt as to necessitate it being kept in "a sling. Mr. F. Fulton, of Dunedin. was badly shaken, and the small Ijolio of Ms kime ley was broken, ilr. M'Nicol was discovered under the couch, and_ those of the pns.S'"n_'ers who were able to do so j lifhjd it up a.id releasee) him, when it was found that ho, like the rest, was snii'erin:: from cuts and bruises. Another .iassenger, whose name wo have been unable to ha";-, was so severely injured as to necessitate bis removal to'tho" liospiia!. but we are yla.il to learn that he is_ progressing favorably. The driver (linddard) received some nasty wounds on the head, one of which is lather deep. These injuries and rim shock have caused "his mind to wander, but his recov-ry is looked for. Several I .(tilers were slightly iirjm-ed, while a f'-w escaped ;i..h.!OK- scatheless, the coach j having apparent!" bound-id over them, j The sight was dese, ihed by Mr. Iliil, who!

-.'.'as able to look round while the coach '.•.as voiliii-./ down the liili, as horrifying, the bodi<-3~oi the injured being scattered here and there on the hill side. As we have already slated, the first information of the accident was telogranhed i-o 'Pahovi-sioi; I-y Mr. Hell, •;. son of Sir I' 1 . D. Tell, who an-ived in a bn.:re v at iae scene of tie-, disaster just in time to be oi sorvic. lie av one.: drove on to Haniodeii, the nearest teiegreoh station, and wired for a special train and medical assisiance. In 'answer to this call. Mr. .;■ n'.cvh:g Dr. Trow;' and Mr. &,)&•;- anxious to rem!.a- .-id, A r Knrti ji. tie- ! \e-i:;-.- 3'he;e.-er of the C.;ni o-!-, i; vy Raii- ' v.-,,-, ~ ; >s'oi ,- .-,.~i,i,. nil red-tapeism. be uet'b e-omodv ;n:d e-thy' To his j aithou-h the aco'deuv occurred in a 1 m.-Iy at a'-o-ii, roer o'clock, the suffer-rs were brought into ;-ovn shortly after nine, and '• v.h:c..:d in a p-rbion to u'-niin the medical aid so ur:,(;iH-!v required. The: mos' stnI gehiv thing Willi the aceidaie T"i' sev-"Ji or eight years he has been idciiii:;; on the due, and lias never met ; v. iii: an aceid-nt until just within t : -e last i f; -.-,- hours of Ids hitherto successful labours. He has long been known a« a c-re ; ul and trustworthy dri > er, and it is s:' is r aetory to be assured tlv.it the distressing accident just recorded was owing to no fault of ins. , o . THE INQUEST. An i'.i'.piesi on the bodies of Mr. Nichols aiid the young lad Maitland was commenced this afternoon at the Northern Hotel, b- fore T. VV. Parker. Kfq., P.M.. and District Coroner, and the folho/ing jur\-:-Messrs. T. Procter (foreJ T., )( '.e.:. ]?. T-T. To.vnsend, A. 0. Spier. H. .'i'. Edwards. M. Grant,'.]. hknslie, J. Markham, I). Took.-y, .1. ("!. Thomson. \Y. S:nbh. H. YYhekdi, Yv". 11. Itonayne, and A. J. 8. Headland. Tiie jury having vie>ved the bodies, The Coroner explained that the principal object was to take evidence of idenfi■iicatioii and the medical evidence. The inquest would have to he adjourned in .order io obtain the driver's evidence. lie also spoke- .of the confidence which had, always been placed in the driver, and alluded to the f;:ct- that he had not previously met with an accident. Tee iirsfc witness called was Alexander John Ferguson, a duly qualified medical practitioner, residing in Dunediu. who deposed that he had seen the body lying in the premises of the Northern Hotel, and identified it as tint of Mr. Charles Niehoh, of J he firm of D-iiU'et-v, Niohobi. and Co. hie had also seen the' body Iving at the National Bank. It was that of Javees Ernest .Maitb.ii.'l, a son of Mr. J. P. Manhunt. lie thoUefht Mr. Nichols between 50 and 00 years of age, and Master Maitland was about 1-i years old. John Hazard, dale <pa!:iied medical practitioner, at present- residing in Oammai, deposed that, he had made an examination of the body lying at the Northern Hotel, and which i ad been ide-iiiiied as that of Mr. Nichols. tie found a comminuted fracture of the hones entirely into the formation of the left orbit. The superior mavdlevy heme was :,:-oke:i in;o fra;.inents. The 'eft eyeball was disorc-aniscd. Thssc njurie were snificient to amount for death. He had also examined the body of Jam»s

I Ernest; Maitland, and found a very seyefre ! lacerated wound, commencing at the right ! eyebrow, and extending to the back of I tlio head and upwards over the head, j entirely denuding the bone of the forehead. There was also a very extensive I comminuted fracture of the frontal bone i ami right parietal bone. I). ceased | had also sustained a fracture of ! the right pelvis, wirli very severe ! laceration of the neighboring parts, and a i lacerated transverse, wound on I lie left j i knee, in addition !o .several minor con- j ! fusions in dliferent parts of the body. The j j injuries received were <uiite suUieient to j cause death. I Thomas Hunter, commission agent, ! residing at Wellington, deposed that he 1 ivas a passenger by the coach which left j j Pahmrstoii at about 'J p.m. for Moeraki. j j JIo could n.it say how many passengers I ! were on the coach. lie was sitting ;on the outside back seat with Mr. \ I Nichols. Two passengers sat below I ihem on the ruck, and two others on the roof, just above witness and ]\lr. Nichols. The inside appeared to be full. ; He knew the Horse Hange. Hp to the time of reaching the hill nothing, so far as ho was aware, was wrong wit,h the coach. The driver was perfectly sober, and had driven at a steady pace the whole

time. When the coach was about a quarter of a mile down the hill he (witness) became aware that t'-e horses were bolting. The two men behnv witness and Mr. Nichols, dropped off almost immediately, and'witness followed them, but llr. Nichols kept his seat. One of the passenger:; on' the roof also dropped down. The. coach then went on down the hiil at full speed for about j WO yards. When he got up ho could ' not see the conch, but the horses with both fore-wheels weiv some distance ahead of him. Three of the horses were standing, and the other was lying down, the pole being partly entangled with his l>gs." After walking on a little_ distance witness saw the remains of the coach down the embankment, about 40 <«r .Vj feat from the road. It appeared to have lieen stopped in its descent by a wire fence. When witness h-l'r, the scene of the accident, the dee. asod Charles Nichols was not dead, but. ho was frightfully mangled, and breathed with great diiii- | cub v. Ho (deceased) wis lying at the oott'om of the gully. The lad Maitland was lying .-J--S-.1 by him. To' the Foivm:.'i : There w-re ten or | twelve persons on the outside of (he eoach, including the driver, and, with tim exception of the two on the roof, they aeiieared to be. ail comfortably seated. To l'uo Jury : ''.'here were only a few parcels on tie- roof. He did not; know how many the coach was supposed to ji;i punping oh", ho (witness) sustained j some sight bruises on his left side aim 'arm. Mj Co-ik! imt say whether or not i i!io brake was acting. !'' |Uft j,:.': l^.L..