CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2368, 20 July 1899, Page 40

CASUALTIES.

A settler named Arthur Nairn rode from Port Charles on the 11th to Coromandel to report that the house of W. Kerr, settler, on the east side of Port Charles, was burned to the ground early that morning, and Kerr was burned to death. Early in the morning Mrs Kerr and her son were awakened by. the flames, and, with her husband, managed to escape. Subsequently Kerr went back into the burning building to save some articles of value, and was not seen again.' His' son wanted to go in to the assistance of his father, but Mrs Kerr said it was useless, and prevented her son also sacrificing iiis life. Kerr was a very industrious settler, between 50 and 60 years of age. The building was insured for £150 in the North Queensland office. ■ John Dilloway, an old Canterbury settler, committed suicide by shooting himself through the head on the 12th.' He went into the office of Mr Seaton, Cashel street stables, and shot himself. He was a son of the original proprietor of the Riccarton Hotel. He was once a racing man, and then took up farming, but of late years retired.

At New Plymouth- on the 12th, Pearson left the Coffee Palace Hotel, where she had been staying, and has not been seen since. It is supposed she has , committed suicide. The police have been diligently searching some days, but no trace of her has been found. She left two children — one about 15, the other about 5. Her husband is an electrical engineer resident in England.

James Henry Harman, a labourer, about 54 years old, died suddenly in the Southern Cross Hotel at Cliristchureh on the 12th. Heart disease is thought to be the cause of death-. He had got a glass of whisky from the barman, and left to consult a doctor, but returned in a few minutes, and lay on the sofa and died.

It is feared John Spearing, steward of the barque Silverhow, lias been accidentally drowned- at the wharf. He was last seen alive on Saturday at about 10.30 p.m. by Mr H. Hopper, chief officer of the Silyerhow, in Rattray street, "near the Arcade. Spearing was then under the influence of liquor. When he did not return on board, the captain procured a key which turned the lock in the cabin door, and found all the missing man's effects intact. The captain thereupon gave information to the police, who have been unable to find any trace of him in the town. The police were dragging alongside the inner end of the Rattray street wharf yesterday, but without result. Spearing was 53 years of age, a native of Gravesend, and has a wife and child at Folkestone, England. He was one of the survivors of the ship Blengfell, blown up oft" Margate by an explosion of naphtha, and shortly afterwards joined the Silverhow at Liverpool for the round trip. A Native named Te Whatarangi committed suicide a few days ago at Okauia, near Matamata, Auckland. The evidence "at the inquest showed that he took a gun from a whare, went into a lonely part of the bush, tied his handkerchief to the trigger and also to his toe, shooting himself through the jaw. He left a letter to his sister, bidding her and his tribe goodbye, and slating that the tribe had turned "dark" on him. A verdict of suicide while temporarily insane was returned.

An accident, which terminated fatally, occurred at Hastings on Saturday afternoon to a lad named Crowther, 16 years of age. On the way from Maraekakaho to Owhiti, Crowther amused himself by jumping the horse he was riding over hurdles and fences. When he came to a six-wire dividing fence he was warned noL to attempt it. However, he did so, and was thrown violently. He commenced vomiting blood, and complained of great pain in the stomach. Medical aid was procured as soon as possible, but the lad died just as the doctor saw him. At the inquest the doctor said he had no doubt that the deceased died from rupture of the stomach.

The body of Archibald Stirling, 35 years of age, a seaman belonging to the trawler Waiotahi, was found floating in the water of Auckland Harbour on Sunday morning, in the vicinity of his vessel. He was seen near midnight in the street. He has a sister living in Fiji. Ann Brennan, a single woman, about 19 years of age, died suddenly in Wellington on Sunday. At the inquest a verdict of death from natural causes was returned.

The Rev. W. Rouse, a retired Wesleyan minister, fell dead at Greytown shortly before 8 o'clock on Saturday morning. He was suffering from heart disease. Samuel Eales, second mate of the barque Hiram Emery, fell from aloft on the Bth inst., and was killed. He was buried at sea the next day. An old man named Adam Brown was found dead in his house at Woodlands, Southland, at 3 p.m. on Sunday. He was well known to the older inhabitants of the district, having been in a responsible position under the New Zealand and Australian Land Company in the early days. He was unable to do much work for a number of years prior to his death, owing to rheumatism, but he was provided with a home by Mr James Strang, the two having been boys together in Lanarkshire. Mr Brown was granted a pension a few months ago.

A runaway from the Triangle on Monday afternoon , caused a little excitement. It appears that a couple of drays, with, single horses attached

to each, belonging to Mr Calder, of North-East Valley, were in charge of a single driver. One horse took fright at something, and bolted across Princes street and up Rattray street, but just when opposite the Government Insurance buildings the dray collided with a spring cart belonging to Mr A. Taylor, and the wheels 61 the two vehicles became so firmly locked that it took some little time to get them apart. ' The practice of allowing a* single driver to attend to a couple of drays is not a very safe one in the midst of congested traffic.

A Chinaman named Fin Shang was accidentally killed at Macraes Flat on Sunday by a fall of earth, occurring in a sluicing claim.