CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2685, 30 August 1905, Page 33

CASUALTIES.

A Kaitangata correspondent writes: —

" A rather narrow escape from what threatened to be a drowning fatality took place at Kaitangata last Friday afternoon about 4 o'clock. A young man named AVilliam Marsh, who was employed by A. Reid, livery slablo«, Kaitangata, went down to the river bank alongside the jetty to give the horso he was riding a drink. When doing so the horse slipped and fell into the river, falling on the rider. Marsh, who could not swim, made frantic efforts to reach the bank, but his exertions only took him far! her into danger, the water being abiut 16ft at the spot when rescued. The drowning man's cries reached the ear of Mr E. Lavcry, who is employed at M'Gruer, Taylor, and Co.'s store. He lushed to tho river bank, jumped in without a moment's hesitation, and rescued Marsh, who had gone down for the last time. Assistance being at hand the poor fellow was quickly brought lo terra firma. and stimulants being procured, the rescued man was, after a short interval, able to pioceed to his residence, apparently none the worse for hia immersion. Lavery deserves every credit fov his plucky and successful rescue, as a moment's hesitation on his part would have probably proved fatal to Marsh. I think this is a case for public recognition by proper authorities on behalf of Lavery.''

James Allen, aged 59 years, was found dying on the Makaraka, road, Gisborue, having fallen from his horse. He seemed to recover after being brought in by the i police, but during the night became bad, and was r&moved in • the morning to the hospital. It was found he had concussion of the brain. His condition is very critical. At half-past 2 on "the afternoon of the" 22nd inst. a Chinaman named Ah Choixg, from the Beaaimont district, visited the house of a countryman of his named Ham Sing Tong at Tapanui, and on opening the door of the hut found him dead. He repoited the matter to the local constable, who reached the hut sCbout a quarter of an hour later. Entering ihe bedroom, he found Bam Sing- Tong's hpdy lying on the floor •vvitih the 'feet towards the side of the bed. and his head face "clown against the leg of the tabl-o. On further examination he discovered that the man was quite dead, and had evidently been dead for about 12 or 14- hours. The body was badly burned, and the underclothing was almost burned off it. There was a bruise on the forehead and | several outs on the face, and there wag a J pool of blood, evidently from the injuries to the face and head, about the bed. The floor was strewn with fragments of a bottle, and there were some pieces of the same ■ bottle on the. shelf near the bed. Th« burning had evidently been caused by the I explosion of a lamp, which was found on I the bed, and which had eet fire to the bed- •' clothes, as these were partly burned. The constable called in Dr Hobertson, who examined the body at 7 o'clock in the evening. £ Stanley Williams, aged 15 years, died under chloroform while undergoing an operation for appendicitis in ihe Ashburton Hospital on Wednesday afternoon. Two doctors were in attendance. A painful and serious accident befell a little son of Mr Joseph Hooker at New Plymouth a few days ago. An elder 1 brother was chopping firewood, and. child- I like, the younger boy was "helping," when ; he got his hand under the axe, which ' almost severed it from the wrist. Thp j little sntferev, who is about four or five years old, was taken to the hospital, where I the hand was dressed. Dr Leatham thinks ho can save the member. A man named Devonport, while jacking alone m the bush near Taumaranui, N.1., was kiil-od by a log- falling on him. The accident must ha-vo happened on Wednesday afternoon, as the body was found on Thursday pinned to the ground by a log. The man wae unmarried, and had two brothers in tho district. Jamos Allan, who was found unconscious on the roadsrle at Gisborno on Tuesday, tiled in. the hospital next night. At the inquest the jury returned a, verdict that the J deceased met his death by a fall from a ' horse while he was in a state of intoxication. The police evidence was to the effect that when the man wae picked up he appeared) to be drunk. He had been visited in the cell several times during the night, and prior te> his being seized with ! a fit about 1 a. in. there was no indication thafc he had been injured seriously by the fall from his horse. A young Maori named Henry Hippolite was i ravelling through the bush on 'zbo 23rd ■ ati Croixelles, when he fell over a cliff and lay there all night. He was found next morning and brought to Nelson." He rereived some nasty gashes about the face and head, but is not seriously injured. A child named Mavis Lewis, four months old, died on the Eotoma'liana at 8.30 a.m. on tho 24th during the vessel's passage from I Wellington to liyttelton. Tho child had j been suffering from bronchitis, and took worse during the night. Flora M 'Donald, 84, an old-age pensioner, perished in a fire which destroyed her residence in. Kuaotuuu, Auckland, on Friday. Geoffry Road, employed at the Royal Hotel, Palmerston North, and a recent arrival in the colony, fell through the skylight afc tib& Now Zealand Clothing Factory's pre- | lilibSS on Saturday, and sustained a frac- i lured thigh and internal injuries.^ He was removed to the hospital in a, critical stato. * Word was received at Mangaweka that a.

contractor named Simms was killed whilst bushfellirtg on Gorringe's property, Upper Kawatu. A sudden death is reported from NorfchEa&t "Valley. Margaret Crossan, a widow", about 65 yciU's of age, who resides with her son in Carr street, ZSforth-Kast Valley, was found dead iji her bed on Sunday morning-. She had been with her son to the theati'3 the previous evening. Death is attributed to heart failure. Mrs Crossan was for some ycai'S a resident in the Beaumont district. A young fellow named William Nichoi, while engaged playing football on Saturday fell on portion of a broken bottle and cut his thigh so badly as to necessitate hia i-emoval to the Hospital, where his injuries were bandaged and attended to. At the iniuest held on Monday before Mr C C. Graham. coroner, Thornag Henry Crossa-n, boilcrmaker, residing with deceased, who was his mother, at Carr street, North-East Valley, deposed that deceased was about 53 years o£ age, and a widow. His mother enjoyed fairly good h-ealth, and ho had nol heard her complain of any ailment. She complained of a slight pain'in the head during the two days preceding her death. On Saturday night she was in good health and spirits, and went to the theatre, returning home at 11 p.m. She then had some supper and went to bed. and to all appearances was perfectly well. At 10.30 on i-h-c following morning-, wiiness went into her room, and found her lying quite dead in bed. She was then quite cold. There wero no appearances to indicate the cause of death. A doctor was telephoned for, and Dr Church arrived shortly after 11 a.m., antl after examination he pronounced lifo to be extinct. Deceased had not had medical attendance for years. Dr Church, said lie. ■ found deceased lying in bed hi a position ss though she had not been disturbed. The bodywas stiffening, and there was the usual posfc mortem diseolourisation on tho back and on the lower surface of the limbs, leading 1 him to believe deceased had been dead for about six hours. There were no marks on the body or anything to indicate the cause of death. Deceased was somewhat stout, and he was of opinion thafr death resulted either from embolism of tha brain or sudden syncope. By embolism he meant a clot of blood on the brain. " He was quite satisfied that death resulted fiom natural causes. A verdict was returned that- death resulted from natural causes, the cause of deat.h being probably, embolism of the brain.

While playing football at Opoho on Saturday a player named Charles Corbett had! his collarbone broken, and had. to be taken to the Hospital, where the injury was attended to, and he was then removed to his home.

A workman named Thomas Cubitt. employed by th© Drainage Board, while ongaged laying down pipes on the Anderson's Bay road on Saturday, m©t with an accident' to" one of his feet, which necessitated his removal to the Hospital. Owing to a chain slipping, a pips which was beingmoved fe>]lr.and crushed the foot, breaking oiie too and injuring another. ,i At Messrs Kempthorne, Prosser, and Co.'s^ works at Burnside on Saturday morning "one of the employees had tho misfortune to gets his foot crushed in th© machinery, and oa his removal to the Hospital it was found necessary to remove one of the toes. Mr A. Opie, of Winchester 1 , met with a very painful accident last week (says the Timaru Herald). H© was feeding some horses, when one of them bit at his fao© end took off the end of his nose, making a very nasty wound. The adioumed inquest touching the death of the oid man named Jas. Poulton, who died at his residence in Auckland en August 1, was resumed on Monday. The adjournment had bsen ordered in consequence of tlte evidence given as to the alleged visit of twb men just prior to tho death, and also to the effect that these* visitors, it was said, committed an assault on deceased. After hearing the evidence ih-o jury, after retiring for a quarter of an horn% brought in a verdict that deceased died from a diseased and fatty heart, and that he came by his death in a natural way. At an inquest on P. N. Young, drowned in th© Piako River, Auckland, evidence was to the effect that deceased's name was Percy N. Young; that he came from South Brisbane, where his wife and child reside; thafc he was a member of the Imperial Bushmen: Corps, and had served in South Africa. A verdict of accidentally drowned was returned. An invest was held at Ashburton on ±i-.& death of Est-ella May Atkinson, aged 20 months, who died on Saturday night as the result of shock from swallowing caustic soda, on Friday morning. The evidence showed that tho mother and tho child had visited! a relative's house, .and baby wandered into tho washhouse and swallowed a quantity of liquid caustic soda. The child's neck. lips, and mouth were badly burned, and Wood was vomited. A verdict that the death was accidental was returned.