CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2356, 20 April 1899, Page 23

CASUALTIES.

A' visitor to the Chatham Islands, who returned on tlie 12flr, reports that Haupo Taiaroa, son of the Hon, H. K. Taiaroa, shot himsell with a gun shortly after the departure .of, the Kahu for Lyttelton on her previous trip. No reason has been assigned for' the act. An. inquiry was. field by the magistrate. A young man named Thos. Garland at-# tempted to commit suicide by jumping overboard from the steamer Weka on the passage from Awaita to Onehunga.

George Levy, of Auckland, fell down the lift shaft of W. S. Laurie's store, Customs street, and was found unconscious. He was sent to the hospital. It is not known how the accident occurred.

At the inquest on the jockey Philip White, at Mangawhare, who died from injuries sustained while riding the horse Starlight in the steeplechase at 'Mangawhare on April 1 10, a verdict of^cidental death wasreturned, no blame being attached to anybody:

Wulter Asher, a New Plymouth, railway porter, while shunting on the 12th, was run over and shockingly mutilated. Both legs, and one arm were Broken. It is only nine months since .Tash, another employee, lost both legs while shunting here. Asher died at the hospital about 3 o'clock, succumbing to internal injuries and shock. His injured arm had previously been amputated. The accident emphasises the urgent necessity for the extension of the railway yard, where the. cramped space causes great inconvenience and increases the risk to officfals.

On the 12tB inst. a train- ran into a cab on the level crossing' at Petone. The vehicle was smashed, and the driver (Pelham) sustained serious concussion of the brain.

Mr N. S. Ingle, ironmonger, was found dead in. bed at Wanganui on Friday. Death was probably due to heart disease.

A four and arhalf-year-old' boy, named Douglas Ross, died rather suddenly at Wellington on Friday. ItHs- supposed the child consumed some whisky lie found in a bottle. At the inquest the post mortem confirmed the evidence that the child had consumed whisky. It appears that tho boy, who was only four and a-lialf years old, was left alone in bed, when the parents rose in the morning. Subsequently he was heard moving about the house, and by some means became possessed of a bottle containing whisky, which "hud been left in another room. The child partook ' of the contents, and convulsions ensued, resulting in death. It is .supposed he must have consumed about 4oz. A verdict of death from alcoholic poisoning, the result of misadventure, was returned.

Mr John W. M'lntosh, a son of the manager oi the Allandale coal mine at Shag Point, was accidentally killed on Thursday evening. Mr M'lntosh, jun., whose duty it was to attend to the pumping gear, was, it is understood, riding on a truck which was going down the level, when the truck left the rails, and he was thrown off, striking one of the posts which form the wall of the drive, with the result that his skull was fractured. Mr Allen, on learning of tho casualty, left at once for the scene of the accident, and the mine was closed yesterday pending ,an inquest. We understand that Mr M'lntosh, the manager, was absent in. the north when the accident occurred, and only returned last evening on learning of the sad fatality.

Mr H. A. Engall, in charge of the note department of the Bank of N.Z.. Auckland.

died suddenly Art a 'bus- while coming froftv Worser Bay Saturday; He. leaves a widow and one child. Heart disease is supposed to have been the cause. . A chilcT named Edward Howett, whose parents reside in Wellington, died on Sunday from burns received on Saturday night. It appears the mother had just bathed the child, and while, standing- in front of the fire his nightclothes ' caught fire, and the little sufferer was burned to such an extent that he succumbed.

A man about 50 years of age, a German itinerant umbrella-mender, whose name has not been ascertained, though he is- known to many by sight, was found dead in a. shed , near ". Timoru on Saturday. He had not been seen alive since Thursday evening. The medical evidence on the post mortem showed that death was due to inflammation of the lungs, accelerated by exposure. There wus evidence that he was addicted to drink.

On Saturday a coloured man was found by a farmer named Butters lying dead on tha side of the road near Mount Cargill. The body, which appeared to have beeu dead for some days, was removed to the Normanby Hotel, there to await an inquest, tip to the present no one has been able to identify the body, but from what we can ascertain a man answering to the description given by the police of the. man found dend, was left behind when the American ship Norwood sailed in. November last from here. He was frequently seen about the wharf carrying a small bag similar to a 251b flour bag, very like a bag found beside the body,, in which were a fewpairs of socks and an orange. , The coloured man referred to visited the Sailors' Rest, but as- he could not speak English nothing is know,n of his name *>r his antecedents. He, however, mentioned the Philippines on one occasion, and as the Norwood sailsd frjbm Manila to New York prior to sailing for Dunedin, it is- just possible that he is a native of. those islands.

Hugh Kane, aged 45, a labourer, was fcund dead on the road near Howick. Ifc is supposed that a vehicle went over him. , An inquest was held at Napier on the body of Maud Payne, four years old, who died at the hospital from the effects ol bums through her clothes catching fire, a verdict in accordance with the evidence being returned^