CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2404, 29 March 1900, Page 20

CASUALTIES.

A serious accident occurred at the Waihi urine. Andrew Swan and Harry Hicks, miners, were coming off their shift, and, when the engine bucket was coming up the shaft to the adit level, by some means they fell out, and dropped 45 feet to the bottom. Hicks was unconscious and was badly bruised. Swan had one rib broken, which is supposed to have penetrated his lungs. The wife of Moren, a butcher, of Huntly, committed suicide by cutting her throat. She had been suffering from ill-health some time.

At the inquest on H. -Conaghan, killed by. a fall of earth in a ballast pit at Whang'arei, a verdict was returned of " Accidental death."

An inquest was held at Lyttelton on the 20th regarding the death of a man named Geo. Webster, who died in gaol while under commitment for medical treatment on account of drunkenness at Ashburton. The jury returned a verdict that deceased died from disease of the kidneys, accelerated by excessive drinking, and added the following rider: — "We strongly recommend that the Government be asked to withhold their support from public hospitals which have not made provision to receive men suffering from the effects of alcohol. We recommend that all persons remanded for medical treatment should be examined thoroughly by a doctor before being sent on a journey." A lad named Gainsford at Wellington is in a critical condition as the result of a revolver wound in the stomach. ' He, with other boj-s, was playing with a revolver on Sunday, when it exploded, and the bullet* lodged in Gainsford's stomach. A man named William Bailey, aged 'about 50, an inmate uf the Samaritan Home, died at Christchurch on the 21st from the effects of drinking carbolic acid by mis-take. , On the 21st inst. a van belonging to Messrs A. Thomson and Co. was run into by, some railway trucks on Evans and Co.'s siding in Crawford street. One of the horses was badly injured. Fortunately the driver escaped scathlegs, but the pole of the van was smashed. TKg driver complains that the trucks were run across the street unattended by a signalman and at a pace inconsistent with public safety. At the inquest at Huntly, Auckland, concerning the death of Mrs Mary Moron, who committed suicide by cutting her throat, the evidence showed that Mrs Moren had been in bad liea'Ji for some time. She was 65 years of age, and had been married for 4-1 years. She had lived happily vrtth her husband. A verdict to the effect that the deed was the outcome of temporary insanity was returned. An old man named John Poniatousld Macdonald, of Ngaruawhia, 75 years of age, being taken to the Auckland hospital in y tian in an unconscious condition, on ai rival at the hospital was found to be dead.

An old man named Walter Jennings, a bootmaker, was drowned at Gisborne on Thursday. He was picked up after being a quarter of an hour in the water, but all efforts to restore life failed. He had been drinking of late,' and it is presumed he walked into the river.

At the inquest on William Bailey, who died at Christchurch from taking a dose of carbolic lotion in mistake for his own medicine, a verdict was returned of " Accidental death," and the jury returned a rider deprecating the practice of dispensing poisonous lotions in the home without the bottles being marked by a distinguishing label.

At the inquest at Gisborne on Waller Jennings, a verdict of " Browned white! under the influence of drink" was returned. Deceased was a prohibited peiv.on. The jury added a rider that they deemed it a infttlei;

greatly to be deplored that the present liquor laws were ineffective in preventing liquor being obtained by prohibited persons.

A Native named Patara Timamo was drowned at Tikitiki, Waipa River, whilst driving a bull across. His horse got into a deep hole, and he was unable to swim. A Native girl, 17 years of age, named Tepora Terito, made a plucky attempt to rescue him, being dragged under several times by the drowning' man, who clutched her skirls, so that whilst under water she had to tear a band off her dress to escape. She was so exhausted that she was barely able to scramble af-hore. Deceased's mother, an old woman aged 70 years, dived to the bottom of the river, and recovered the body.

George Crawford, aged 14- years, was found drowned in the Wairau River, near the Maori pa. The lad went on the river in a punt, and it is supposed that the punt capsized, or that the boy became flurried and jumped out. No one actually witnessed the accident, which is the more inexplicable as deceased was a good swimmer. A telegram states that Arundel, engineer of works at Limestowf Island, was drowned when crossing from Grahamstown, Thames,, in a boat.

A fisherman named Fredk. Newman was drowned in Lyttehon Harbour on Saturday, by the upsetting oi a boat. Alfred Bilton, who accompanied him, tried to bave him, but almost lost consciousness, and was rescued by William Geyland. Newman's body has been recovered.

Some commotion was *#used on Sunday afternoon at the Second Beach, St. Clair, by an occurrence which might easily have had a serious ending. 1 hree lads were scaling a very steep part oT the luli on the far side of the band rotunda, when one of them slipped. In his descent to the bottom of the bank he dislodged a large piece of 'rotten rock, which came bounding towards the large crowd of people kitting there listening to the Citizens' Band, which was playing at the time. Fortunately the rock broke into several pieces before it reached this section of the audience, many of whom, warned by the cries o± the spectators on the opposite side of the rotunda, managed to evade the rolling stones. Several persons, however, were struck. One little lad received rather a severe blow on his arm, but a young man named Fraser, from Invercargill, was more unfortunate, a large piece striking him on the head, and he received a nasty cut. Several members of the Christchurch \mbulance Corps were about, and Lance-corporal Finlayson and Corporal Moseby washed and bandaged the wound, after which Fraser was able to proceed back to town. The hills in the vicinity of the rotunda are of a loose, rocky nature. Some steps must be taken to prevent people climbing up the steep portions, else there will be a repetition of stones being sent down amongst people gathered there, and with a result probably more serious.

A young man named James M'Causland accidentally received a bullet from a pea rifle in the leg on Saturday morning,^iear Tahuna Park. He was in a paddock with a companion, with the rifle lying on the ground, when he kicked it witll his foot. It exploded, and the bullet lodged in tne calf of the leg. He was attended by Drs Brown and Be Lautour at Tahuna Park, and afterwards removed to the hospital. The bullet has not yet been extracted, but an attempt will be made to locate it this morning. The jaunting car, which is a familiar object about Mosgiel, was the cause of apparently more than one accident on Saturday. Going round the corner of one of the streets at Caversha-m, one of the wheels came up against the kerb, and .an occupant named Joseph Ballas was thrown out, and sustained slight concussion of the brain. He was unconscious for a time, but re covered, and went home yesterday. •

A man named Frederick Smith, aged 52 years, died suddenly at Lumsden, on Wednesday night. On Tuesday he was working in the harvest field and drank very freely of water, and oatmeal and water. He took ill that evening, and medical assistance was procured, but without avail, the man succumbing about midnight on Wednesday. A sad accident occuiTed at Midhirst on the 17th inst., whereby a little girl named Serjeant, about four years of age, lost her life. Her mother had put some hot' water in a tub and went across the room for cold water, while there she called her daughter to take some cough mixture, and the little one, without noticing, ran across the bath and fell in. Everything was done for the little sufferer, but she succumbed to her injuries and the shock on the following morning. News was received in Napier on the 19th that a half-caste Maori woman, known as Charlotte Sydney, was accidentally killed the previous evening through the upsetting of a ti'ap at Raungarehu, near Karaka.

Fred Arundel, engineer at the Limestone Island Cement Works, left Mason's boarding house, Auckland, on Sunday, for work, sailing a small dingey with Archie Turner. The boat capsized. The accident was seen from the island, and gangs put off and rescued Turner. Arundel was drowned. The body was recovered. Beceased was a native of Sheffield, and a single man. At the inquest a verdict of accidentally drowned was returned. Thomas Edwards, 70 years old, a vvellknown settler, was drowned at Motoa, near Foxton, N.1., on Monday afternoon. Beceased was crossing the river in a canoe, which took in some water. He sprang out, out failed to reach the shore. The body is not receovered. Deceased was the fathe^ of the Mayor of Palmerstor> North.

Edward Hackey, 15 years of age. fell from his bicycle whilst riding on Trafalgar Park trade, Nelson, or Sunday, in company with another boy. It is believed they were racing. Hackey's skull was fractured, and he died after removal to the hospital without recovering consciousness.

On Saturday last Mr C. C. Graham, S.M., and a -jury of six held 'an inquest on the body of Mrs Mary Austin Eraser (wife of the late Mr Hugh Eraser, saddler, George street), who died suddenly just after a serious operation had been performed upon her. The evidence went to show that Br Brown, assisted by Dr Marshall Macdonald, had performed a severe operation on the lady, who was 62 years of age. The operation had 'been completed satisfactorily^ wliea

the deceased suddenly died, death being due to failure of the heart's action caused by shock. The deceased lady's daughter, who is a certificated nurse, was also in attendance at the time. A verdict was returned that death was due to failure of the heart's accion, consequent on a serious

medical operation, and the Jury further found that every possible precaution was taken, no blame being attachable to anyone.

The Oamaru Mail reports a fatal accident which happened to Mr Patrick Mullin at Duntroon on Saturday. While alighting from a drag he fell on his head, and sustained a severe fracture as well as breaking his arm. He was taken to Oamaru in a semi-conscious condition, where he died on Monday morning. In the early days Mr Mullin (in connection with Mr Henry) built several railway and other bridges, and also the Windsor tunnel. He is survived by a widow and family. Some excitement was caused on the train which left Dunedin for the north at 7 o'clock on Sunday night when it became known that two men named Henderson and Duffy, firemen on the Wanaka, who were proceeding to Lyttellon to join their boat, had, fallen^ off the train near Shag Point. They were 'sitting on the step at the time and fell clear of the train. The guard could not be communicated with immediately the accident happened, and the train came op to Hampden, where the guard of the south train -was informed of the mishap. A party of ambulance men, including a Christchurch doctor, returned with the down train, and found that, with the exception of a few bruis.es, neither of the men weie injured.