ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10597, 18 February 1896, Page 2

ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

William Dawn, a painted, fell from the top of a tno-storey store in Wellington on the 28fch and fractured the b»ae of hie skull. Ha died in the hospital. The accident occurred through the top rung giving way. Dawn, who was 60 years of ago, leaves a widow and two children. • >

Three labouring men named William Mander, Alexander Main, and William Hooke, who had been fishing in an open boat off Kaiwarra, Welwere returning on the 29th when a squall caught the boat between Kaiwarra and the Thorndon esplanade, and cap3iaed ■ her. All the men hung on to the boat until she righted herself, when Main lost hi« holdi and was drowned. Tho others were picked up. Main, who w«s 45 years of age, Was a mechanical engineer, and secretary of the Wellington branch of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers.

A Maori lad named Nsaha, working in the hush at CJabbage Bay, Aucklaud, was crushed to death by logs which were being jacked. Edward Mabs, a labourer, of Maraekakaho, about 30, was drowned whilst bathing off the Marine Parade, Napier, on the 30th. Constable Norwood pluckily swam to the rescue, but on' being, brought to the'shore Mahs's Jife was extinct.- ■■'••.-

Tae body of a man named Charlsi Clearn, belonging to the steamer Nile, was found in tha Waitara river, Tarauaki, on the 29th.

Andrew Cassols, an old and respected resident of the Peninsula, was thrown from his horse near his residence at North* East Harbour on Sunday morning, 26th, aed a paralytic stroke following he died on Wednesday at midday. His age was about 65.

: On the 6th a girl five and ?a-half years old, named Thura Wookman, was drowned through falling through the' sleepers of the railway bridge into the Waimakaririj Canterbury. A girl 11 years old was with her, but could not save her.

. The body of. the young man, George Mandesley, who was drowned while bathing at Paremati, /Wellington, on New Year's Day, was found on Friday by fishermen in the Porjrua Harbour.

A young man named, John M'Dougall was drowned, bathing in a dam at Wokoia, near Hawera on the 3rd. : i

A sadden death occurred at Mosgiel on tho 25th nit., a member of a picnic party from Dunediu expiring in a fife at 6.30 o'clock. The victim was a married woman named Sarah M'Kenzie, who was about 48 yeara of age, hsr husband being Mr George Blaokwood M'Kenzie, a catter, residing in Bradahaw street, South Dunedin. The deceased arrived in Ifioagiel at 11.45 a.m.-, add when at Mr J. D. Taylor's residence, about 6 p.m., suddenly complained of a pain inthe.head. Medical assistance was summoned, and was shortly at hand, bat by that time Mrs M'Kenzie was unconscious, and without recovering sensibility she passed away. The Marlborough Times reports a singular fatal accident. , Tfle 12-rear-bld son of Mr A. Penney went out with his father to kill a wild pig seen near the house. They separated in thescrub. Mr Penney climbing to the top of a rise, while the lad remained at the bottom with a hunticg knife to stop the pig in case it' came that wayi The pig presently ran in the direotion of the boy, and when the father reached the spot tha lad was found ti have slipped and impaled himself upon the knife, which entered just above the groin. The boy wescatried home, but died the same night, apparently from loss of blood, ■

A youth named Robert Bryant, grass'seeding at Port Levy, was seriously burned on the 21st by a tent catching fire through a candle being left burning.' Solomon, the other occupant of tbe tent, sustained severe burns in rescuing his companion. Bryant was taken to Lyttelton next day in a precarious condition Bryant died on the night of the 23rd.

John' Belleii, employed as night engineer at the fellmongery at the Belfasb FreeziDg Works, waßifoundon the 23rd ult. lying across theengine dead. His right hand had caught in the machinery while in the act of oiling the engine, and the body had bsen dragged ' round the shaft). The deceased was aged about 26, and has a wife and three children in Dunedin.

William Macallum, a bushman, while jacking logs near Dargaville, was crushed, and died of the injuries before reaching the Auckland Hospital.

James Bain, a young man, engaged on tha Government survey party West of the Waiau, was drowned on the 27th ult. by the ofcpsizing of a boat while crossing the river. He was a good swimmer); but the stream was in flood and running very swiftly.

John Hewson, master of the coastal steamer Waitoa, was drowned at Wairoa South, Auckland, on the 3rd inst; He was formerly secoad matn of the ship Crusader. Captain Hewson was last sesn standing just below the bridge, and it is thought he started to go up the three steps which intervened betwesn them and the platform on'which the wheel stands. His usual custom was to grasp tbe rail alongside these steps and jump up, and as the bolt holding this rail wa3 found broken it is thought the strain having broken it it struck the ■ captain on the forehead just bstween the eyes, where a bruise was afterwards found. This probably partly Btnnned him, causing him to fall back into tha water. The night was particularly dark, and the accident was not witnessed, but tho splssh was heard by those on board. 'The captain's hat was quickly found, and after a few minutes a pair of arms were seen to rise above the water. . Mr Langley, a passenger, immediately stripped, jumped in, and diving for Captaip Hewison BUpportel him above tbe water till lie was taken ou board by means of a dingey.^ The time between the splash and the recovery is given from five to 10 minutes. Ho appeared to be breathing easily. About threequartets of an boar afterwards, however, he died without haviug regained consciousness. Hewison was 50 years of age. He leaves a widow and eight children. The verdict of the' coroner's jury was that the captain had been accidentally drowned.

A young man named Koran had a portion of hio arm battered to pulp at Foston on the sth through being caught in a flaxmill scutcher. The limb was amputated, but he died a few hours later from shook and loss of blood.

Mrs Bruce, wife of Mr James Bruce, tbe well-known miller, now of Wellington, on the night of' the 4tb, while on a visit to Timaru, jumped out of a buggy the horse of which had bolted, and,received euch injuries that she died at midnight.

The body of the man drowned at Wade, Auckland, has been identified as that of a farm labourer named Michael Butler, 67 years of ago. He was subject to fits. A verdict of " Found drowned " wag returned at the inquest.

A single woman named Annie Best, for some time housemaid at Tanner'a Hotel, and latterly at ,J. O'Shea's boarding house, Waihi, Auckland, died on the 3rd under circumstances necessitating an inquest. Drs Wright and Forbes were called in, but all efforts to save hor life proved unavailing, Important developments are expected before the case is settled, as it is rumoured tho. girl died from the effects of medicine taken to Birocure abojctina-

James Jones, second officer of the barque Corom&ndel, was washed overboard and drowned about an hoar after the tug cast off at Newcastle. The boats were lowered, but owing to the heavy sea running the search was unsuccessful. Jones was 22 years of age, and a native of New South Wales.