CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2499, 5 February 1902, Page 44

CASUALTIES.

A drowning fr.tr-lity occurred in Monday at Waikatc, in the North Island, whereby Mr Robert Nelson Tennent, eldest son of the Eov. E. O. Tennent, Presbyterian minister <ti, Port Chalmers, lost his life. It is surmised that the young man must have su3tdaed some concussion upon diving into the river, of else have been seized with cramp, *a he was an excellent swimmer; ■- The deceased gentleman was a. divinity student, and had successfully laboured as a missionary in the district in which he has lnet an untimely end. He had also engaged in literature with some success, having contributed to a number of Australian paper*.' The flags at the Port Chalmers Town. Hall, the Signal Station, the Dock Trust • premises, and on all the vessels in port were hoisted at half -mast yesterday, in respect to the memory of the deceased. The R&v. Mr Tennent is universally tsstccmed and • respected in Port Chalmers, and very gravo sympathy is expressed for him and hifc sorrowing family.

A fatal drowning accident occurred at Ohiowa, Auckland, on the 25th, John Kelly, of Opotiki, being drowned. It appears that Kelly was crossing in a ferry boat with a" double-seated buggy, and the boat was £*?"... ried out to sea, being upset in thej current. ' The steamers Paeroa and Fingal,were botU' * in the harbour,' and rendered Cfevefy assist- , ance ; with difficulty rescuing Lush', the Ferry- '. man. Kelly seemed to be dazed, and gankV - The deceased leaves a wife and family o£ 3T. *

A eettler in the Oharau Valley, Wellington, Fred. Hook, was found dead on the 27th. He had bee-n' sitting ujk during tho night with a sick child, aud when he l«ft home, his wife apparently bfing asleep at the time, ho took his gun with him. It was thought on Monday that he had gone to his father's residence at Tawa Flat. That morning, however, a search party went out and found his body, with the upper portion of the head blown efT and with the gun lying alongside him-. One barrel waa discharged, and two cartrid g-es similar to that found in the remaining barrel were missing from the house. It is thought deceased, who leaves a widow * and cix children, took his life while in a melancholy state of mind.

While attending tho military sports on Saturday, Mr S. Farrant, of Queenstown, was thrown from his horse, and somewhat badly injured. On beinar taken to the Arrow Hospital it waa found that Mr Farrant had two ribs broken, besides a general shaking of the system. Mr Farrant is makine good progress towards recovery. — Lake County Press.

H»ury Bowling, caretaker of the Golden Chain Company's pontoons, at Anderson's Flat, Roxburgh, is missing. Ho has not been seen for a fortnight. Constable Foahy has made a diligent Rctrch^ but no trace has yet been found of the missing man. He was living in a tent 25 y&cds from the river, and it is supposed ho sxjust have fallen in. All his effects were loft as though he had intended returning 1 shortly. So far as is known, he is unmarried, and has no relatives in the colony. Ke was between 50 and 60 years of age, sft llin in height, with a full "beard turning 1 grey.

Robert Keeley and David Stuart, two men working in Napier roadstead, met with a serionß accident on Thursday. Whilst removing tho hatches on one of the frozen meat steamers some of the seotions fell on them. Keeley was badly hurt about the head, and Stuart injured on the thigh, while his ankle was sprained. They were conveyed to the hospital, where on inquiry at night it was elicited that both were doing favourably. Through an explosion of gas in an Inver- . cargill Jboarding house, one young woman., was considerably scorched and another in.^ lesser degree, while- both had their dresses destroyed. The landlady, Mrs Judge, was - rendered unconscious, and the house set on fire. It was known that gas wa? escaping, - but someone struck a match and caused the explosion. The fire brigade saved the building, which is a very old one in the vicinity of the First Church. It was formerly the Farmers' Arms Hotel. At Christchurch a man named James Gaston, a builder, was crossing the railway line at Opawaon a dray laden with timber, when a train bound for Lyttelton struck the pror truding ends of the timber, overturning the. dray and seriously injuring Gaston. Theman had liis collarbone broken, and waa severely bruised, but the full extent of his injuries is not yet known. Word was received on Thursday from tawrence that James Joseph M'Clusky, son of Mr G. M'Cluaky, of Wetherstones, was ac--' cldentally drowned during the morning at the Success dredge, Waipori, through the upsetting of a boat. Mr W. Hanley, the manager of the dredge, *was in the boat at the" time 7 ana had a narrow escape., A lad^ named John Day. 16 years of age, and residing at Maori Hill, -was admitted into the Hospital on Thursday, suffering frjun^tbe effects oj a f»U from a cliff *£

"Wh*re Flat. Examination showed him to be rather severely cut about the head and bruised about the hip, but no serious results are anticipated. A serious accident happened at Timavu on Wednesday to a labourer engaged in the Timaru Harbour Board's quarries. The man was working with, two others on the top of a steep face stripping, when, without a warning, a slip took place, and all three were carried away with a big fall of earth to the bottom of the embankment. One, less fortunate than the others, had hjs left leg and right thigh broken, besides having one foot very badly mangled. John Fletcher, aged about 25 years, against whom were pending charges of attempted murder (through disappointed love) and attempted suicide, died at the Gisborne Hospital at 9 o'clock on Friday night from the effects of a dose of carbolic. Mr A. W. Renall, one of the pionesrs of the "Wairarapa district, died on Friday ; aged 88 years. He was a member of the General Assembly when that body met at Aurkland, and had been a confirmed invalid for the past five years. The body of Mr R. N. C. Tennent, theological student, who was drowned on Monday in the Waikato River at Hamilton, has been found in the river between 'Ngaruawahia and Taupiri. At the Takapuna race? on Saturday one of the contesting horses (Rufus) fell, and his rider, Henry Berry, wco badly injured through the hor»e falling; on tcp of him. The unfortunate man died while on tie way to the hospital. On Saturday an accident occurred at Nelson in a shooting gallery, a young man named Ernest Charles Pridham being s*.ot in the He is now in a critical condition. It is stated that the propr.e+or was loading the rifle when someone jerked his elbow, and the rifle went off, with the result .'stated. Pridham formerly resided at New Plymouth. On Saturday evening a man named Samuel Griffiths left Addington and went to New Brighton with two friends to fish in the surf. They were dragging a trawl net, and when about up to their shoulders in water Griffiths, who was holding the spreader, •suddenly disappeared. It is supposed that he Rot into a hole and was carried away by the drawback current, as he was not seen again. The body was washed up on tho beach next morning, considerably mutilated by fish. The deceased was married, and leaves a wife and four youn«? children. At Waipori on Friday the jury, at the inquiry into the drowning fatality, returned the following verdict :—" That Jaroe3 Joseph M'Cluskey met his death on the 30th January. 1902. through drowning in the Success Company's paddock, Waipori, through the accidental swampina of a boat, manned by deceased and William Hanley (dredtremaster)." A rider was appended that the iury 'were of opinion that no blame attached to anyone, and that from the apparently cafe Jiature of the work in hand no special precautions were necessary. A boy named Miller, residing at DevonT>ort, Auckland, was missed on Friday from bis home. A search was instituted, and ultimately the child's hat was found on the end of ' the Stanley Point wharf, and ~bu Sun-. day the body was recovered. On Saturday two bova named Kennedy and Bell were drowned while bathing a* Lake Pukaki. Bell Rot out of his depth, and -Kennedy went to bis rescue. Both lads, however, were carried down the stream to the rapids, and were not seen again.