CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2666, 19 April 1905, Page 33

CASUALTIES.

At the inquest on a body found in the Waiomo, Auckland, it proved to he that <.f Samuel Parkinson, a widower with four children, who disappeared off a scow at Kopu. He was then suffering- from the effects of drink. A verdict of "Found drowned " was returned, there being no evidence as to how ho got into the water.

Mrs Campbell, who was injured in a trap accident on March 31, still lies in a- semiconscious btate at a private nursing home at Chnstehurch, and it is feared it will be seme time beforj she recovers completely.

A man named A. Dorsa was the victim of an accident at Gore on Thursday. He was engaged working in a gravel pit near the Gore Racecourse. The face fell iv on top of him, fracturing his thigh and possibly internally injuring him*, Dr Matthews attended the injured man, set the thigh, and sent him on to the Invercargill Hospital for treatment.

While playing cricket at Leoston on Saturday H. Neave was struck in the mouth by a ball, receiving injuries necessitating surgical aid.

. A c ad death occurred at Hamilton on Tuesday week. A young Jady visitor from Chri«tehureh was taken suddenly ill at a picnic, and died the next day in the hospital from internal hemorrhage. According to the Otaki Mail the infant child of Mr R. Ewarl, of Rikiorangi, apparently died on Sunday evening, the heart ceasing to beat and the body becoming cold and rigid; but about two hours and a-half later the nurse was astonished to hear the child crying. Next morning the infant again relapsed, and died. It was 10 days old, and had been weakly from birth. An old man, William Pike, was found d«.ad hanging to the rafter ol a cowshed at Cabbage Bay. Auckland, on the 11th. He had been left in charge of Jeffcoate's homestead.

The body of Samuel Parkinson, aged ajboufc 50 years, was found on "the beach at "\\ aiomo, near the Thames on the 11th. About a iorknighb ago x aricinson secured a passage io Auckland on a scow. He was theiii suffering from the effects of drink. During the night he disappeared, his. clothes being found on deck. He was a married man, bub the whereabouts ot his wife is unknown.

A man named Irving, 70 years of age. who had been in indifferent health, cut hi« throat with a razor at Oamaru on the 10*h, and died next day. Deceased was 76 yea/s of age, had worked for the corporation as a labourer for between 25 and 30 years, and latterly retired on account of failina; health. At t-he inquest a verdict of suicide while temporarily insane was returned.

Gertrudes Matthews, who fell from her bicycle at Rangiora on Sunday and struck her head against a stone, died on the 11th from internal hemorrhage. Mrs Guinness, a respected resident of Reefton, committed suicide early on Wednesday by drowning herself in the reservoir. She had been mentally affected for some time. She was sent to Hokitika- a month ago for medical treatment, returning last Saturday. apparently cured. She was missed from her home this morning, and search being instituted the body of the unfortunate lady was found in the reservoir. At the inquest held this afternoon a verdict was returned of " Suicide while temporarily insane."'

A young man, aged 27, of the name of Stephen Davis, a son of Mr Oscar Davis, of Island Stream, Maheno, died suddenly at his home on Sunday, 9th, after a scries of apoplectic fit?. A body was found in Wellington Harbour on Thursday. An examination showed it to bs the- body of a. man 33 years of age, and had been in the water about 10 days. Papers indicated that the deceased's name was David Flynu. and that he was born in Australia and had followed the occupation

Jof waiter or steward on board different vessels. He had apparently belonged to the Argyle, at New York, and at one time had been in the United States army transport service. The body was very much decomposed, and gave no indications as to how deceased got into the water. 16 is feared that a man named William Moore, who escaped from the asyium, and was subsequently seen in an open boat in tbo Auckland Harbour, has been drownod. Margaret Wickham died at the hospital at Chri -tchurcli on Thursday v. hilst an ai aesthetic was being administered in preparation for an operation. At tho inquest it was stated that deceased was admitted to the institution three weeks ago suffering from the effects of pleurisy. On March 20 she was operated upon for the removal of part of a rib, and during the present week a second operation was decided on in order to remove one or two more ribs. Chloroform was administered, as ether could not be used owing to the deceased's chest trouble. Tho house surgeon had only just commenced to administer the anaesthetic when deceased began to struggle violently. He stopped administering, and reassured the patient. On resuming the administration of the anaesthetic she again struggled, and commenced to cough. Her pulse was very feeble, and stopped almost immediately, together with the breathing. E\ery effort was made for nearly an hour to induce respiration. The deceased took the anaesthetic very badly on the first occasion, but the only chance lay in performing tho second operation. The post mortem examination had revealed that the heart was in a healthy condition. The further medical evidence was to the effect that death was due to shock to the heart caused by the rupture of pus into the lungs and the stoppage of breath from the same cause. A verdict was returned accordingly, and the jury expressed the opinion that every precaution had been taken in regard to the intended operation. Mr John William Murphy, 62 years of age, a well-known brick and pipe, maker, was killed on ThursJay at his works at Wellington owing Io portion of the kiln falling on him. Death appeared to be I instantaneous. George Carvill. a widower, about 55 years of age, whilst returning to EUesmere, Canterbury, on Thursday night from Burnham Plains, was thrown from his hor-c and killed. Mrs Susan Dickinson, of Linvvood, Christchurch, comjnitteel sxiicide on ITriday. _A.t the inquest a verdict was returned that deceased hanged herself while in an unsound state- of mind. In evidence it was stated deceased met with an accident, and thotigh shs has suffered periodically from depression and nervousness, her family never anticipated that she would commit, suicide. William Fyfe. 26 years of age, employed at a flaxmill at Sandymount, was brought into the Hospital on Friday afternoon suffering from a severely crushed and lacerated arm. The injuries were received while he was attending to the scutcher. As the result of an examination, it was decided to amputate the arm, and this operation was successfully performed, but Fife succumbed to his injuries at about ha'f-past 9 o'clock in the evening. Attempts to board a train in motion aro always fraught with danger, and sometimes, end seriously, and even fatally : and unfortunately such an attempt terminated fatally on Saturday evening. A iraii named Walter Birmingham, belongs to Ashburton, and who, it is understood, M-as not quite sober at the time, made an attempt to board the south express as it was leaving Ihe Dunedin Station afc 5.45 p.m.. and in doing so fell between the moving train and the* Railway Station platform. Mr Gibb, coaching foreman, happened to notice what had occurred, and at once- jumped into the van and applied the Westinghoiwe brak*>. but the Irain wa-> not brought to a standstill before Birmingham had been seriously injured. He was extricated from his position, and Dr Gordon j^aedotialcl was sent for. The doctor, on his arrival, gave it as bis j opinion ihat no bones were broken, and • ordered the- man's removal to the Hospital, where he died about an hour afterward*. It is assumed that deceased was a =male man from the fact that r.o correspondence indicating that he was married was found ■ upon him. From letters in his possession it ' would appear that he had been following i the occupation of a shearer in the Nor 1 h ' Island and in Canterbury. An old man named Angus M'Donald, who was picked up in an unconscious condition in the street at Hastings early on Friday morning, died in the hospital that j night from an injury to the head. At the \ inquest a verdict of " Death from apo- } plexy " was returned. Fred Evans, aged 15 years, accidentally blew portion of his head off through slipping whilst passing through a gate while rabbit shooting at Bunnythorpe on SaturdaT. Deceased was subject to epileptic fits. James Keys, a platelayer, employed on the> railway at Upper Hutt, was run over by a truck near the station yard on Saturday afternoon and killed instantly. Keys was working on the line at the time, and the truck that ran him down was one of several that were being shunted. Deceased wa« married. The body of a young woman named Jeannie Barber was brought up by the buckets «f the Endeavour dredge- on Friday morning. The youug woman was about 18 or 19 years of age, and the daughter of Mr J. Barber, of Coal Creek Flat colliery, anil it is supposed that she committed suicide at Coal Creek, and that her body was brought down by the current, for five or six miles to where the Endeavour dredge is working. A little girl, two years of age. daughter of Mr John Coutts, of Pleasant Valley, nari'owly escaped being drowned in Pleasant River on Thursday last. It appears (says the Palmerston Times) that the child had vrandered away from home, and by pome means got into the river, which passes eio=e io Mr Coults's reside nc?. Fortunately Mrs Coutts heard the cries of the child, and j promptly rescued the little git-1, who was j taken oui of the water in an unconscious condition. No serious results arc antici- , pated. ] An elderly woman (Ellen Cato) fell over a 40ft sluicing face at Eumara on Wednesday might. She was discovered on Monday morning alive, with the ribs on tlu> right side broken and the body terribly bruised. , She was removed to the hospital, where lies in a precarious condition. At Cromwell on Sunday four men — named William Munro, Charles Williams, Joseph Orkney, and William Ruffell — were out driving, when the horse attached to the buggy bolted down Bannockburn Hill. Tlip men jumped out of the trap. Munro and Williams being seriously injured. Both j men were taken to the Cromwell Hospital. •

T where Munro died early on Monday morning The. deceased was winchrnan on the Electrio No. 2 dredge, and his parents re Mcle at Anderson's Bay.