CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 953, 25 April 1889, Page 16

CASUALTIES.

A serious accident, which is likely, to be attended with fatal results, occurred at the Dunedin wharf on the 18th. Michael M'Grath, the unfortunate man to whom the accident happened, was standing near the wharf, when by some means he got knocked down by a dray driven by William Fiddes. The wheel of the vehicle appears to have passed close to the side of M'Grath and gone over his head, causing a fracture of the base of the skull. He stated that he did not see anything of the horse and oarb until he was knocked down. Fiddes and John Robb, who were in the dray at the time, do not seem to have observed M'Grath until it was too late to do any good. The dray was being turned round preparatory to being backed into the wharf when the accident happened. M'Grath, who is a labouring man of about 64 years of age, and has a wife and family at South Dunedin, was conveyed to the hospital and attended by Drs Coughtrey and Barclay, who found that the base of the skull had been fractured, and that there were some bad bruises on the man's thigh. M'Grath died at the hospital at half-past - 6 on Saturday, and an inquest was held during the day. Sarah M'Grath deposed that she was the wife of deceased, who was born in Tipperary, Ireland. He had been in Dunedin about 25 years, and was a labourer by occupation. He was 64 years of age. He left a family of five children, the youngest being about 22 years old. Witness saw deceased in the hospital on Friday, but he was not then .conscious. Evidence having been given as to how the accident occurred, Dr Barclay, resident physician at the hospital, said he saw deceased when he was brought in. He found a severe bruise on his left temple, an effusion of blood on his left eyelid, a bruise on his right thigh, and the blood was flowing from the left ear. These indicated a fracture of the base of the skull. He received medical treatment. The case was considered serious from the first. Deceased died at 6.3.0 that morning from hemorrhage into the cranial cavity, the result of the fracture at the base of. the skull. The jury returned a verdict " That deceased met his death by accident, through the wheel passing over him." An accident, fortunately unattended with serious results, occurred about 7 o'clock on the 18th opposite the post office. Dr Stirling, of George street, was being driven up the incline in a buggy by his coachman, when an express, in which were seated John Trotter, expressman, of South Dunedin, and a woman, came down the incline in an opposite direction. The doctor's coachman, noticing that the approaching vehicle was on, the wrong — the right-hand—-side of the street, .attempted to cut across the street, when a collision occurred, and tbe occupants of the express were thrown violently to the ground. , The , woman, whose name we could not discover, was unhurt, but Trotter received a nasty wound on the head, from which the blood flowed copiously. He was, however, able to unyoke his horse, and in a day or two will doubtless be, none the worse for his mishap. A child five yeara of age, Harry Bezar, son of Sergeant-major Bezar, drill, instructor for the Wairarapa district, was accidently shot dead on Saturday at Featherston. A loaded carbine had been left within his reach, and it exploded while the child was trying to take it down from the rack. The bullet struck him in the neck and he died instantaneously. \ A very serious accident happened to a little boy named James M'Cord, at St. Clair, on Good Friday, about midday. The little lad, who was on the hill overlooking the beach next to the St. Clair Baths, was seen to fall head first down the cliff, a , distance of about 60ft. He was picked up in an unconscious condition, and Dr Lamb, who was on the beach at the time, was called to attend him, and later on he was. also attended by Dr Stirling. These gentlemen found that the poor little fellow had sustained concussion of the brain and had also received a fracture of the left forearm. The lad was re; moved to his parents' residence at South Dunedin, where he now lies in a partial state of insensibility. A man named James Bain sustained a fracture of the oollarbone through being thrown out of a dray on Saturday., He fell on his right hand, and th# dray passed over hi 3 right shoulder He was taken to the hospital, where he received surgical attendance. A young man named Daniel M'LauchJaa received a nasty contused flesh wound on the cheek at Pine Hill from an accidental blow with the stock of a gun. His wound was attended to at the hospital on Sunday morning, after which he Jefifc the institution.

William Hill, who was in charge of a dray, met with an accident on Monday in Manor Place. He was standing in the dray emptying it of manure, when the horse, which was feeding, put his foot on the rein, and in jerking his .head up palled the winkers off and bolted. Hill was thrown out in Manor place and sustained injury to one of his shoulders. The horse bolted along Crawford street and Anderson's Bay road, where it was stopped. , The advantage of bejng a member of an ambulance corps was amply demonstrated by an accident which occurred to a lad named Arnold Smith on Easter Monday. Mr Smith, clerk to JMr Sbacklock, went out picniekjng with his wife and family, in the neighbourhood beyond Cargill's -cliffs, .and while there Mr Smith's son, Araold-rra boy about eight yeara of age — fell from a tree and fractured his collarbone. Mr Smith, who attended the ambulance lectures in Danedia some months ago, then found that the experience he had gajned stood him in good stead. He immediately reduced the fracture, and bound the boy's arm np to prevent more perious complications, and the boy was enabled to walk, home without much pain.- He was afterwards attended toby Dr Gordon Macdonald, and is now progressing favourably. A young .pan named Henry Hughesi, was walking along < under thej face of -the Purakanai cliffs qn Tu.es.day,, when a large stone be-, came displaced abqve hjm, and in falling struck* him a violent blow on .the -head., Hughes was immediately conveyed, to the hospital, where his injuries Inos s4 » Tory 6W» $»&W) W e

attended to, and he was, shortly afterwards able, Ito leaws' the insiitution. * 4 ■ ' ■ ■-'■■• A man -whose name -is unknown* was ' drowned' at "Otira, West Coas,t,."on 'Monday,' f-Another man .whose name is also unknowh'met with an accident whilei shooting at Kaiwakaiwa which shattered his thigh. He was lying in the bush all last' night. It was freezing hard the greater part of Monday. During the proceedings at the sham fight at Aucklarid,'Hunter, a member of the Te Awamutu Cavalry, received a charge of powder in the Jaoe wtiilst Trooper Wetherall was also injured in the face by a discharge from ,a cannon. As the volunteers were returning from camp the train stopped at Drury, when two members of the Wairoa Rifles were arrested for firing blank cartridges without orders. They were tried by court martial and dismissed from the service.

A Kanaka seaman, belonging to the whaling ship Niger, has, it is supposed, been drowned at Bussel, Auckland, as the' punt in which he had put off to the ship has been thrown up on the beach.