INQUEST.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15183, 30 June 1911, Page 7

INQUEST.

An inquest was held at tho Morgno yesterday afternoon bcl'oro Mr C. C. Graham, coroner, concerning tho death of Daniel Fifllajson, aged 52 years, and employed on tho dredge Vulcan, whoso body was found in tha a t the end o£ tho Victoria wharf on Wednesday afternoon. Tho Harbour Board was represented by M r C. stepbens. Dr Williams deposed.that on tho afternoon of thfi occurrence lie was called to the end of the wharf wher« ho found deceased laid out on ttm wharf. Artificial respiration Was being carried on, having been commenced half-an-hom' previously. About two pints of fluid had come out of tho mouth of deceased, and this smelt of beer. He had a small abrasion —quite repent—on tho crown of the head. lie was quite dead. " Artificial respiration was continued for 10 minutes but without avail. From the appearance of the body he judgwl (hit tha man had died partly as tho result of shock whilo in an alcoholic condition, the shock being due to tho sudden immersion, and partly from drowning. _ Tho injury to the head was not sufficient to be fee likely cause of death.—-To Mr Stephens; The deceased had probably pitched forward and struck his head in fan'"williain Beeve, master of the Harbour Board dredge Vulcan, on deceased was employed, said that deceased was duo on board the dredge at 3.30 p.m.; his shift hours being from 3.30 p.m. to ll.au. Ho saw him on tho wharf at 3.15 p.m., but was some distance from him. n ltness was too far away to Judge as to his condition. Shortly after ho heard that deceased had been drowned and ho wont back to the storo and rang up for the doctor—To Station-sergeant King: Deceased was a man of sober habits and witness had never seen him tho worse of liquor in working hoars. He did not consider that the steps going down to the boat were dangerous. There was a hand rail on one side and a Avail on the other. He hsid never known of any accident occurring on these stops before. Stuart Reeve, also employed on the dredge, said that he arrived at tho steps at 3.25 p.m., his purpose being to go aboard tho dredge, and he noticed the body floating in tie water at the bottom of the steps. The dinghey was lying a little way out from tho steps. He immediately rushed down tho steps, got hold of the body and with tho assistance of his jpat-3 (Charles Dickson) got the body up on to the wharf. There was about a foot of water over the landing at the foot of tho steps. Lewis. Rose Gillanders, mechanical draughtsman in the employ of the Harbour Board, said that shortly after S p.m. on "Wednesday he came ashore from tho Vulcan by the dinghey and went up the steps. He met the deceased about 100 yards from the steps and going towards them. He got the impression that deceased was walking somewhat unsteadily, as if he were Somewhat under tho influence of liqjuor. Witness immediately went aboard dredge 404, which was moored alongside the wharf and about five minutes afterwards ba hoard the alarm given that a man had been drowned. The body must have been in tho water for a very short time. The Coroner said that the last witness had stated that ho judged the deceased to be under the influence of liquor at the time,, and when going down the steps he might easily have slipped and got into deep water. When in this state the sudden immersion in oold water might have caused such a shook as would have prevented any effectual result from tliio artificial respiration. The verdict was "That the cause of death was accidental drowning accelerated by shock produced by the 6udden immersion in eold Water."