CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2389, 14 December 1899, Page 16

CASUALTIES.

. The inquest on the body of the young i man Turner, who was drowned in the Jlataura River on November 23, was con- . eluded at Gore on Saturday last, having ! been adjourned from November 25 at the request of Mi' Green, inspector of mines, .ivlicn the jury returned the following vei--dict: — " That Walter Turner came by his death by falling out of a boat in the : Mataura River and being drowned." They < added the following rider : " That they ■were of opinion that the method of passing to and from the bank and the dredge .was inefficient, and further, that at all times a boat should be attached to dredges working on rivers."

William Phillips, a sailor on the barque Erin's Isle, anchored in the outer harbour at Perth, met a terrible death. He was sent to fix a rope on the foretopmast, and had almost reached the top of the mast .•when he lost his hold, and fell a distance of 140 ft. He struck the ship's rail, broke his neck, and received other injuries. Death must have been instantaneous. The chief officer was standing on the deck at the time, and was struck by the falling man, but escaped with slight injuries.

R. West, an engine cleaner, 18 years of age, was killed through an accident on the railway at Mercer. He was formerly a Jfesident of Timaru.

Thomas Coughlan, about 50 years of age, yras thrown out of a milk cart on Thursday inorning while proceeding to his home at 'Anderson's Bay. The injuries sustained Were a wound about the eye, another on ihe head, and two scalp wounds, besides scratchings about the face by the gravel. He was conveyed to the hospital >nd attended to.

The Rev. D. Doddrell, Congregational .minister, Newtown, died rather suddenly

at Wellington after the effects of influenza. He came to Newtown from Richmond, Melbourne, 18 months ago. He leaves a widow and six children.

Mr Charles Scott, aged 82 years, died suddenly at Mosgiel on Saturday morning. While Henry Collctt, a dock labourer, was working on board the s.s. Taupo in the Port Chalmers graving dock on Saturday afternoon he fell and fractured his leg. He was removed to the Dunedin Hospital.

Mr W. H. Wake, a farmer at Fairview, was taken suddenly -ill while visiting Timaru on Friday, and died from an attack of apoplexy. Deceased was well advanced in years. He was a retired school teacher, who formerly had' charge of the Kaiapoi and Ashburton Schools. Several of his sons follow their father's profession. A bottle containing a piece of paper with the words : " Croshier dead ; boat sprung leak 27 miles off Cape Egmont — Peele," written on it is reported to have been picked up amongst some rocks on the south side of the Opunake Bay. Some eight months ago (Drossier and Peel were blown out to sea. Crozier's body was picked up at Mokau, but no tidings have since been heard of Peel. On the face of it (says ilie Taranaki Herald) the paper would appear to be a hoax, as Peel never spelt his nanife with a final " c."

Captain OLesen, of the barque City of Agra, at Kaipara, which was rcadj' to sail for LQndon, went fishing by himself in a boat on Friday, and no trace has since been discovered of man or boat. It is supposed that he was drowned or carried out to sea. Olesen was about 40 years of age.

John Cullinane, of Raglan, attempted to commit suicide by hanging in the Hamilton Hotel yard on Friday night. He found a rope hanging to a beam used for supporting the shafts of vehicles, and , standing on a box, tied the rope round his neck, and was about to swing himself off when the yard boy rushed at him and seized his legs^

which he pulled violently. This caused the rope to give way, and Cullinane fell heavily and was stunned. He was immediately taken in custody. Cullinane only arrived in Hamilton on Friday. He found a considerable sum of money awaiting him from Home. He had evidently been drinking heavily.

At the inquest on R. West, engine cleaner, who died from injuries received on the railway at Mercer, a verdict v of," Accidental death " was returned, no blame being attachable to anyone.

A narrow escape from what might have been a serious accident happened to Mr W. H. Inglis, of this city, while ascending the steepest pinch of Mount Maungatua at midday on the 6th inst. His spring van was heavily loaded with a stock of general merchandise, and while turning the first bend the horse swerved and backed, and the whole affair turned a somersault over a steep embankment. The van had one shaft broken and other minor injuries, but the horse escaped with very little injury. The merchandise was damaged to the extent of ;i few pounds, although at first it seemed that none of it could have been saved. Near this spot a similar accident previously happened, and the County Council should consider the desirability of erecting a substantial fence at this dangerous place. A fence would have saved the above accident.

Sevgeanfc Barlow, o{ Ashburton, sent ■word" to Sergeant Fraser at Timaru on Thursday evening that a man had been found shot in the mouth, a double-barrel gun lying close beside him. It is supposed to be a case of suicide.

A man named Henry Cowan was accidentally killed by falling over a face at Bannockburn on the evening of polling day. He was not found till midday on Friday, and was then alive, but died shortly afterwards. An inquest was held on Saturday, and a verdict of "Accidental death" was je-

turned. Deceased leaves a widow and family. He was 37 years of age. Respecting the disappearance at Auck.land of Captain Olesen of the barque Agra, his boat was discovered on Sunday on Fitzgerald's Spit, about three miles from the ship. Ihere cannot be any doubt but that he was accidentally drowned. He leaves a wife in Porsgrund, Norway, having married three months before his departure from ,Norway. His wife was to have met him in Liverpool on his arrival there. The boat had evidently capsized through *he main sheet having been made fast. When found the boat was half-buried in the sand. There were no signs of the body. The sea was too rough for the searchers to remain and look for the missing man. It seems only too clear that the unfortunate captain has been drowned through the capsizing of the boat. Frank Robinson, aged 16, son of a baker at Pahautaimi, ,was out shooting on Sunday, and while poking with his gun in the bush blew the top of his head off. He was killed instantly. * John K. Wilson, aged 60 years, who resided in Brunswick street, Soush Dunedin, and was . employed ' with Messrs Nimmo and ' Blair as storeman, died sud-;

I denly at half-past 10 o'clock on Monday morning. He went to work at 8 o'clock in the morning, as usual, and a little time afterwards complained of a pain in his ' chest. He subsequently, left the store, and took some brandy, thinking it would relieve the pain. On his return he complained of feeling worse, but continued his work. He had not been long engaged in this way, when John Downie, who was in the place, heard a groan, and, looking round, saw Wilson lying on the floor. He went to his assistance and raised him up,

but found that life was extinct. Dr Colquboun was called in, and gave it as his opinion -that death was due to heart disease. It has not been deemed necessary to nold an inquest. On Sunday afternoon a woman named Annie Pilet went to the hospital and asked to be admitted, saying that she was very ill. Examination showed that she was suffering from severe inflammation of the lungs, and during the night her condition grew worse. Death supervened about 3 o'clock on Monday morning. An inque3t has befn deemed unnecessary. Elizabeth M'Carthy committed suicide by hanging herself at Otamita, near Gore, on Monday morning. An inquest was held at Tinwald on Friday on the body of Harry Milner, who ■was found dead in a paddock on the previous day with a gunshot wound in his hea,d. The jury returned a verdict that the deceased died from the effects of a gunshot wound inflicted by his own hand while of unsound mind.