Accidents and Offences.

Otago Witness, Issue 1499, 7 August 1880, Page 10

Accidents and Offences.

Sergeant Routledge, stationed at the Bluff, on Tuesday forwarded to Inspector Fox a report respecting the losi of the master of the schooner Annie Hill (G. M.'Kay) on the 23rd inst... on her voyage from Greymoufch to the Bluff. Tbe first mate, John Metcalfe, states that on Friday morning, the 23rd iust., a strong wind was blowing aud a heavy sea running. The vessel was running before the wind. About 10 p. m. himself, two of the crew, and the cook were below. It was the captain's watch, and ho and two of the crew were on deck. Metc&lfe fell; the vessel struck by a heavy sea, and immediately afterwards John Cook, the man at the wheel, cried, " The captain is overboard." He inßtautly wont on deck, and found that tho top of the skylight ov<r tho cabin was washed away, and that there was about 4ft. of water in the cabin. He could not see or hear the captain. Tho sea. was ho rough that nearly half an hour had elapsed before the craft was hove to. The top of the skylight, the mate thinks, must have struck th« captain when being washed overboard, and thus caused him to sink at once. A boat was not lowered, as the sea was too high, and the mate avers that no boat could have lived in it. The fatality occurred about 100 miles from Cape Province. Deceased was a native of Oampbelltown, Highlands of Scotland, was 37 year of age, and unmarried. He has left a Drother, a publican, in Glasgow, but no relatives in tbe Colony. He usually made his home in Dunedin, and the mate believes that he lodged L4OO in th« Union Bank of Australia in that city. John Couk orroborates the above statement, and adds that he was almost a minute under watar, and (hat if he had let go the wheel tke vessel would probably have been lost with all hands. A man named Alexander Cameron, a resident of Maori Hill, committed suicide on Saturday uaomiug by jumpiug down a well and getting drowned therein. He rose from his bed at 4 o'clock for the purpose. He was a married man with a family, and was 49 years of age. For some considerable time he had been under medical charge, and the lengthened illness brought on a lowness of Bpirits, which, it is believed, induced him to act as he did. No in* quest has been deemed necessary, the circumstances under which the act was committed leaving no room for doubt. On Saturday a seaman of the ship Otago, named James Wilson, was charged with wilfully damaging a quantity of tho vessel's stores, and sentenced to be imprisoned for 12 weeks, with hard labour. A second charge, of stealing a bottle of sherry, waß dismissed. Mrs Gibb, the wife of Mr Edward Gibb, of Leith street, died very suddenly tn Tuesday afternoon. At aboub 4 o'clock she said she was unwell, and we/At to bed, asking her eldest daughter to keep the house quiet. Another of her childnin soon afterwards noticed that she was not breathing, and Bent for Mr Gibb. Dr Murphy wag &ummoned, but when he arrived tho woman was dead. Death is supposed to have resulted from fatty degeneration of the heart,

' The Bruce Herald states that a young woman named Lynoh, who has been for a length of time in the service of Father Lenehan, suffered a painful accident one day last week whereby she was severely scalded in the face. It seems that she had put down a tin of salmon to warm in a pot on the fire, but having forgotten to open the tin, it burst when it became heated. When she lifted the lid off the pot, it waa then the tin burst, and the scalding salmnn flew up into her face. It is feared she will lose her sight. She is receiving every attention. A labouring man named James Rhodes^ who was engaged in removing tbe face of a cliff at Port Chalmfrs for Mesars M'Gill and Forrest, was very ceriously injured by a fall of earth on Tuesday. The houee and billiard-saloon occupied by Mr William Cameron, Bendigo, was totally destroyed by fire on Weduesday, the > 21st ult. Tee building was cf iron, and comprised in all twelve rooms, in one of which was the billiard table. Mr Cameron was absent at the time of the accident, and had been from home two days previously. Mrs Cameron was engaged washing, her youngest child being in bed. On coming into the house from hanging out clothes, she heard the child crying, and after seeing to it proceeded to the kitchen to procure some food. On opening the door she saw the place in flames, and so quickly did they gam a hold on the building that she had only time to get out a box containing her clothes and rescue the infant before the fire had gained complete mastery. The building was owned by Mr B. R. Baird, aud, with contents, was insured in the National Office for L3OO. The police and insurance agent are satisfied that the fire was accidental. Mr Cameron accounts for ib in this way : Coal being an expensive item at Bendigo, residents are in the habit of burning dried speargrass, aad a good deal of this was consumed in Cameron's house. Mrs Cameron was lining it on the day of the fire, and was in the habit of leaving an armful_ of the material alo&gcidd the stove, from which the fire was replenished. It is thought that some of the burning end 3of the grass had fallen from the stove and set fire to the heap alongside, which oommunioated with the walls of the kitchen. Mr Cameron, besides other losses, had L6o] in cash destroyed ; aud a num. ber of valuable documents recently received from Home were also burnt. — Cromwell Argus.