CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 37

CASUALTIES.

The Wellington correspondent of the I»yttelton Time 3 telegraphs: — "Singular circumstances surrounded th© death of a young

man named Pacey, who waa drowned at

■Levin on Sunday evening. For years past four young men, residents of Levin, including Ernest Paoey'andi H. Hall, had been in the habit every week of net fishing off the beach. The net was a small on©, and .the method of fishing was for one of the party to stand on the beach holding one end of the net, whilst'Wo others took the other *-ncl, waded into the surf up to their chins, and dragged the net ashore, thus completing a circle. This method of fishing proved ,yery successful, particularly during the present season, some big hauls having been snade. Last Sunday afternoon the party liad their net out as usual, Hall and Pacey doing the 'dragging.' It is surmised that (jihe earthquake which was recorded on Sunday caused something like a tidal wave to ibreak upon th© beach, and ail the four men,

jivho were In the water at the lime, were

washed- off their feet. Hall and Pacey lost iheir hold of the net, and the undertow tcok ihem out to sea. Hall was rescued with difficulty, bub Pacey, i>eing unabJe to swim, was lost." Th "body of a Native girl, aged 19 years, named Mate, was found hanging in a wharc at Tangihanga Station, Poverty Bay, on the 3rd inst. She had apparently been dead about thre© days. An inquest was held on th© following day, and th© evidence showed •that her mother reproved her for taking- a piece of dress material, whereupon she straightway went and hanged herself. A telegram from Whangaroa states that; a bushman named Edward Bramley was ■buried alive through an accident in the bush on the 27th ult. When his mates rescued 'him he was alive, and -steps were taken to remove him to th© Whangarei Hospital, .where he died upon admission. News has been received from Stewart ■Island-- that Arthur Morrison, Peter Han-

sen, and a man named Thomson were drewned" by th© capsizing of a boat off Ringa Ringa on th© Ist. All were about 23 years of age. Morrison's relatives live in Invercargill. Thomson is ' the. son of a widow ' resident on th© island. Morrison ■was one of the partners in a flaxmill at Mason's Bay. H&nsen was a fisherman. None of the bodies have been recovered, «, strong tide rip running at the place. •- A man named Joseph Hall, an employee of the j Tomoana Freezing Works, was run ■over by- ihe late train at the Tomoana Station on the Ist. No one witnessed the accident. . The deceased travelled by th©

train .from Hastings to Tomoana, and _ got " out there. "When tH» train moved on again the guard noticed- the van bump, and saw something ■ lying on. tho _raik. The train ■was stopped, 'and -Hall's body was found on the line >I( life being auite extinct. It is not "Ehown how^- deceased got on the line, as

the other passengers who left the train at Tornoana had got away before it started again. At th© inquest a verdict of 'Accidental death, with no blame attachable to - anyone," was returned. A little girl named Flossie Smith, aged three years and a-half, daughter of Mr Joseph Smith, of Alexandra, died on Tues-, day, 28th tilt., as the result of eating match beads. She had been staying for a holiday at Ida Valley, and appeared to have managed to get hold of the .match heads on Friday. An emetic wa3 administered rs soon as the symptoms wer© noticed, "*>'* ihe child appeared to get all right again, but ■was taken ill" again on Sunday, and was brought home to be attended by Dr Greg2 hut she gradually eank and died as stated. 'An inquest was held on Tuesday afternoon, .and the jury returned a verdict ..nat death ensued as the result of eating match Bieads, and that the person in whose charge the child was had done all that could le done under the circumstances. About 3 o'clock on Saturday, 25th ult. Andrew tater-fi, aged 5^ years, second son of Mr J. B. Paterson, of Gore, was found drowned in "the reservoir at the junction of Main and Lyne streets (says the Standard). Several boys had been playing on Saturday afternoon within the enclosure of the reser •voir sailing boats and sticks. The little

fellow had got near the reservoir

and was

sent home by his elder brother. The bigger k boys, returning some time afterwards, went to "play among the trees near by, and two other lads (named Joyce and Johnston) saw the" body floating face . downwards. At the inquest a verdict of " Accidental death by drowning " was returned,- and the jury added a rider drawing attention to the state of the fence enclosing the reservoir, and expressing a hope ' that the Borough Council would effectually remedy the matter without delay. An unknown man was brought to Auckland by train from Helensville on the Ist inst. and admitted to the hospital in a dying condition. He was found in Slateby's Bush (about four miles from Helensville)

on Tuesday by a settler in an unconscious

condition, suffering from revolver, wounds In the head and abdomen. A revolver with several empty cartridges was found . rlose *o the mail. He was about 50 years of age, and died at the hospital without being identified. A young lady whilo riding a bicycle along 'Wallacetown road to her work afc about a quarter-past 8 a.m. on Thursday last met with a serious accident which might have ended fatally. Sh© was rushed off her bike by an infuriated beast. Though luckily escaping into a hedge close by, sh© was not able to save- her bike from baing smashed (beyond repair. She sustained a good many iruises and a shock. A young "Victorian named L». S. Hamilton shot himself outside th© door of a friend h© •was btaying with at Invercargill on the 27th ult., and is in a bad way in th© hospital, th© ibullet from a small pistol having pas^d through the lung. He had been depressed, the cause being, it is conjectured, a growth on the brain. Archibald Todd, a bricklayer, a-geel 20. foil off a scaffold in Cumberland street on the 28th ult. The man was taken to the Hospital, where it was found on examination that he liad rrcfiv'Pc} a severe shaking. 'Irat beyond that th© injuries are not expected to b& of a very serious nature. David Flynn, 71 years of age, was taken to the Hospital on the 2£th ult., Bufferingfrom bruises about th© ribs, 6U3tainett through falling off a railway truck whilo ©•iloading timber at the South Dunedin jdding. " '(William Harrison Tinddiej an old man;

c'ied suddenly of apoplexy on Thursday. He was walking at Kopu, near the Thamvs, and complained of feeling ill. His companion we.it for assistance, and upon returning found Tindale dead.

A little, boy about six years of age named John Edwards, whose parents reside at Carisbrook, was admitted to th© Hospital on Thursday suffering from the effects of having got a piece of a green apple, that he had been eating, down th© wrong way. 4.U operation was found necessary, but the child was progressing satisfactorily according to the latest advice.

Lat© on Saturday week (says the Lyttelton Times) as Mr P. Kerr was driving horn© near the end of the Mile road, he was run into by a runaway horse, which had obviously escaped from a trap somewhere in the vicinity, as it still had th© harness on. The shaft of Mr Kerr's trap penetrated the runaway's chest and killed it. _ His own horse was thrown down by the impact and brok© its neck.

Mrs Law, wife of a farmer at Stratford, Taranaki, was the victim of a serious accident on Friday. Wl ile she was harnessing a ! horse the rearing of the animal crushed her against a post, the shaft breaking two of her ribs, and inflicting internal injuries. Her condition is critical. At the inqiest at Wanganui concerning the death of the jockey James M'Aleer, a verdict of " Accidentally killed " was returned. Evidence "was given to the effect that the deceased was riding Miss King in the Westmere Hurdles on the first day of the Wanganui races. The horse struck the hurdle and fell, displacing the rider, who was struck in the ribs, several of which were broken, by the hoof of another horse, xle was taken to the hospital, but succumbed to internal injuries. M'Aleer was a native of Rangiora. Norman M'Leo-J, aged 27 years, committed suicide on Friday last. He was living by himself on his own farm, some 19 miles from Wanganui, and his brother, on visiting the place on Friday, found him hanging. At th© inquest a verdict of suicide while temporarily insane was returned, -r-r , ! The inquest on Abraham Hart, who was killed in a blasting accident in th© road metal quany at Paro, Marlborough, when his two brothers also were seriously injured, was resumed at Picton on Monday. Captain Falconer gave exnert evidence to the effect that not sufficient caution was observed on returning to th© quarry when th© charge of gunpowder misfired. The brothers only allowed an interval of half an hour. The service regulation was 24 hours. A cheap and common fuse was used, such as he himself would not use for explosives, and he -attributed the misfire to a fault in this fuse. A verdict of death due to an explosion, no blame being attributed to anyone, was returned.

■ The charred body of an old-age pensioner named Robert Gilmore was found in his hut near Stafford on -the 3rd. Deceased evidently had committed suicide, as he removed all his tools and clothing from his hut. and left a note on a stump of a tree with the inscription "I believe 'in cremation." A man named John Henderson, aged 58 years, a carpenter, was killed at the Dunedin Railway Station on Monday. Deceased, who had been employed in the railway service for about seven years, and who lived with his wife and three daughters at Rankeillor street, SSuth Dunedin, was instructed by Mr Pearson, on© of the foremen in th© Works Department, to adjust and robed a buffer stop post in the northern carriage shed, and he "commenced the work of excavation on Saturday last. Yesterday morning he resumed the work, and guyed the post with ropes on the western side, but the same precaution does not appear to " have been taken on the opposite side, deceased, who was working alone, was evidently in the act of coming out of the excavated hole, when from some unexplained cause the heavy post and strut fell upon him on the guyed side, pinning him to th© earth, and killing him, it is supposed, ii:stantly. Deceased was found at noon by a youth named Thomas White, a carriage cleaner, beneath the post, quite dead, th© post lying across his shoulders and crushing his chest against th© western embankment. Dr Gordon" Maedonald, who was called in immediately after the discovery, attributed death to a crushed chest, and the body was removed to the morgue. A 16-year-old girl rained Mary Ann King, residing in Auckland, swallowed the heads of a box and 1 a-half of matches. An emetic was immediately admii istered. and thej girl is now making good progress towards recovery. George Wright, a photographer, formerly of Christchurch, was drowned while bathing at Mangawhare,. Auckland, on Monday. John Rae, jockey, when returning from the races at Hamilton on Saturday, whilst crossing between the horse boxes on the train, fell between the carriages. His left foot, was so badly crushed that it had to be amputated at -the Auckland Hospital. Miss J. Lloyd slipped on th© ice near the top of Egmoiit on Sunday, and slid nearly 10 chains at a teirible speed. The skin was torn from portions of her arms, side, and back. She" had a miraculous escape from more serious injury. William Anderson, aged 64 years, shot himself through the temple on Monday at his residence in Wellington. Deceased, who was married, was in good circumstances.

Mr F. W. Flovrerdy, an old resident of Nelson and a retired baker, died suddenly at Stoke on Monday while chopping wood on his own premises. Heart disease is supposed to have been the cause of death.

George May, 45 years of age, unmarried, was drowned in the Wairau, Marlboiough. He was sailing up the river in a boat with another man, when a gust of wind caused the craft to capeize. May, who was wearing £ii overcoat, struck out for the shor?, and "sank. His companion clung to th© boat, and saved himself. May was recently a she op farmer in Canterbury.

A fatal accident occui rod at Roxburgh last. Saturday about three miles from town. An old resident of the district named Win. Peterson Westcott, a farmer at Moa Flat, driving- a cart loaded with coal and drawn by three horse*, when going down an incline put on the brake, and is supposed to have slipped while doing =o. He was found by the driver of a baker's r an with the wheel over one leg and the body pinned to the ground. Ho was conscious when picked tip, and was conveyed) to Roxl urgh, "but died in about three hours after arrival An. inquest was opened on Sunday before Mr Jabez Burton, J.P., and the evidence of the deceased's son and a bullock dm or had boon taken it was a.ljourned. The inquest was retimed on Mouday, wiiaii the jury returned a verdict that

the deceased met his death by accidentally ' falling- under the wheel of his dray whilst in the act of putting on th© brake.

A young man named Frank M'Mannis was received into the Dxmedin Hospital at about 8 o'clock on Monday suffering from a severe gunshot accident. He was out shooting at Evansdale on Monday afternoon, when the gun he was carrying exploded, and blew his left hand off at th© wrist. Th© sufferer is a seafaring man, and at one time was employed on the Woosung, but latterly has been staying at Clancy's Trocadero Restaurant in Rattray street.

A nasty accident happened to Mr E. Brown, of Gr&ymout-h, on Monday week. He was feeding his horee in th© stable, when the animal made a rush at him with its mouth open and bit half of Brown's ear off.