CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2688, 20 September 1905, Page 34

CASUALTIES.

A man named Arthur "Warren, carpenter, about 22 years of age, who ~esidcs in M'Glashan street, St. Kilda, was the victim of an accident while working for Mr G. Lawrence on a building at Cargill's corner on Friday afternoon. Warren fell from a scaffold a distance of some 14ft or 15ft, and sustained a fracture of the wrist and capiila, basides being slightly cut about the head and somewhat bruised. His injuries were attended to at the Hospital. A sad fatal accident occurred on the Mornrngto'ii tramway line on the 11th inst., whereby a youth named Thomas "Whyte, aged 15-A years, son of the janitor of the High Street School, lost his life. Deceased had been engaged for about six months on the tramways, bis duty l>emg to oil the cable pulleys along the line, and it was while engaged in this duty that the unfortunate young fellow lost his life. It appears the 8.15 a.m. down car was being run over from the up line to the down lin« 123 front of the car sheds, deceased being at the time down a manhole, presumably for the purpose of greasinga pulley; but no one mi the car was aware of the fact until ihe car was felt to strike against somct ung. The brake was immediately appl'Pu. and Mr George Thorn, manager of thr llornington tramways, who was on the car, jumped off, thinking the car had left the rails.. One of the passengers jumyvd off on the other side, and seeing the en<? of the footboard jammed against a man s body, he at onre gave the alarm. The car was immediatel)' pushed back, and the young fellow was carried into the tramway office to await the arrival of the ambulance, which had been hastily summoned. On his removal to the Hospital it was seen that the young fellow was badly crushed about his chest and body, his injuries being so severe that any chance of recovery was considered hopeless, and death released lima from his sufferings at 1 p.m. on the 12th. Deceased was a very tall youth, and this explains why it was possible for him to raise his body above the level of the manhole whilst in a stooping position. The car was in charge of Gripman T. Lowden, and it is stated that the usual alarm was sounded on the bell, the first intimation of deceased's whereabouts beins the stoppage of ihe ear. The fatality appears to have been purely accidental. At fch,e inquest the jury, after a short retirement, returned a verdict of "Accidental death," .and added a rider: "That we are further of opinion that there was gross neglect shown, no precautions .having- bee.n taken to prevent such accidents' occurring." George Piper was killed on the 11th at Mere-mer, Taranaki. He was on horseback, and collided with a threshing machine, having his ribs crushed on to the lungs. Ho died a few hours later. He leaves a wife and some young children. The police have received a telegram from Picton that William J. Elder, of Petone, committed suicide by swaUowing matches. At the inquest a verdict of '"Death from poison, self-edministered," was returned. The deceased had a good income, and was not worried financially, but suffered from despondency following on illness. On August 29, during the passage of the barque Elizabeth Graham from Newcastle to Lyttelton. a young A.B. named Robert Bull fell from the upper foretopsail yard, struck the side of the vessel, and went overboard. He caught a rope which was thrown to him, and supported himself till a bowline was passed round him. and he was hauled aboard. His right leg was broken, and he sustained severe bruises. A nasty accident occurred on Wednesday on the Junction No. 1 dredge, Cromwell, a young man named Robert Pritchard getting badly scalded through the valve of the steam pump blowing out. He was alone at the time, as his mate had gone ashore to get the engineer. He was suffering terribly, and took the boat and came down the river in it about a mile to the town. He was taken at once to the hospital, and is reported to be much easier since the wounds have been dressed. A serious accident befell a xnotorman named Leo. Allen, at the Ponsonby barn on Monday, 4th inst. He and a number of . other employees in the Auckland Tramway Company were practising gymnastics, under the supervision of Instructor Mcnzies. Allen attempted to perform a back somersault, and. instead of landing on his feet, he came down on his neck and shoulders. As the unfortunate man could not move, it was immediately seen that he was seriously injured, and Dr Bedford was summoned. The doctor, who arrived a few minutes afterwards, ordered the man's removal to the hospital, where he was admitted in a paralysed ftate. Evidently he had injured his spine, and his condition is regarded as very precarious. Allen is a married pan of about 32 years of age, and has a wife and young family i ¥ -esiding in John street, Poneonby. Charles Kirkland, aged 16 years, whose parents reside in Invercargill, met with a painful accident when employed at Moffett's mill at Waikawa last week. When driving a dog " into a log, a dead branch of a tree fell on one of his hands and crushed it e.o badly that he had to be taken to the Southland Hospital. Blood poisoning set in, and it was found necessary to amputate the arm at the elbow. A painful accident happened to the eight-year-old son of Mr Robert Baird, jun., at Drummond, on Monday (says ihe Southland Times). The unfortunate ?ad had just passed his first standard at school,- and, childlike, took the earliest opportunity of telling his father of the fact. The latter wa? engaged at the barn crushing oats with a horse-power when the lad arrived and jumped on to one of the shafts. The boy's foot was caught between the cogs and crushed almost to pulp. The father at once clroxe ihe. pnfo.rtun.ate Hitla sufferer £q

T Winron, where Dr Green dressed rl.e foot and ordered the lad's removal to the Southland Hospital, m here immediate amputation was found necessary. The lad is progressing as favourably as possible." A rather serious accident happened about midday on Sunday last to a young man named Lawlor, an employee of Mr R. Kerr, farmer. Morven. It appears (say=; the Waimate Times) that Lawlor crossed to an. island in the river to skin some sheep cast up there. After doing so he placed tha knife (a very keen one) he had used for skinning purposes in the laft-hand pocket, of his coat, and in springing into the boat Ihe knife pierced his chest and by a very narrow margin missed ihe heart. So far no serious result is anticipated, but a great deal depends upon whether the knife was clean or" not, as if not serious complications might ensue. An Opunake boy named Litchwark had several fingers amputated at Hawera Hospital a* the result of a gunpowder accident. A little girl named Bonnington, aged 6 years, had a narrow escape from drowning at fuunner test week." While paddling on the beach the child was carried away by the current, and "would almost assuredly have been drowned but for the prompt action of Mr W. T. Riddock, who jumped i into th? water and rescued her with the utmost difficulty. Threu or :our weeks ago (says the Mount Ida Chronicle) Mr James Dugan met with. . a triflinsr accident which has had an un- • fortunate termination. While cutting scrub ! he pricked the forefinger of his right hand. j Blood poisoning set in. which eventualiv affected the bone; and on Tuesday ho had to got the finger amputated. It says a gootl teal for Mr Dugan's fortitude that he stood the operation tvithout an anaesthetic. i injections of some kind of drug being employee! to ease the pain. I A single woman named Elizabeth Jane Bennett died at Mt. Albert, Auckland. She complfinedof being in pain, and her sister j discovered a cup in the washhou?e fontain- | ing phosphorous. Emetics wero administered, but the woman died before a dortoi* 1 arrived. The coroner held an inquiry ' into the circumstances attending the I death. Tlie deceased's s'ster upon enter1 insr her bedroom noticed a stronu smell j of phosphonw. while deceased herself, who ' was in bed. seemed to be in a semi-dazed condition. Dr Robertson, was sent for. and an emetic administered, but be.ore the doctor's arrival the woman died. Dr Robertson said that on conducting a post mortem examination he discovered all the evidence of phosphoric poisoning. The cause of death, in witness's opiiiion. was acute phosphoric poisoning. Dr -Robertson. &aid that he had previously attended derea&ed, who seemed to be in a wild. , irrational state. She did not seem to bo nfc 1 all dangerous, however, either to he-self or ; to others. She appeared at times quite. i rational, and, although decidedly eccentric, was not sufficiently peculiar to warrant being* placed under any particular restraint. She seemed to be mostly in a worried, hysterical! state. A verdict was returned that " Dei ceased came by her death ihrouajh phos'phorons poisoning, the poison being selfadministered while" deceased was of unsound! mind." j At Matapouri. Auckland, while lowering a J totara pile down a -steep incline on a wira 1 rope, Chas. F. Ferguson, aged 23 years, let j the rope slip. Beth legs were entangled! j and torn off, and he died in a few hours. A 10-year-old boy named Nott was drowned in the- -W anganui" "River "on Saturday. He was playing with other children, when he slipped into "the Water. Albert Collins, a labourer at Taukau, attempted to commit suicide by inflicting three wounds on his throat with a razor, one just touching 1 the Vindpipe. He was taken to the Auckland Hospital, and will probably recover. The body of Edmund L. Tudor, of Marton, was found on t.h^ liillsido nea? Wellington on Sunday. The deceased was at one time a farmer near Marton, aged j about 30 years, son of the Rev. T. L. I Tudor, once of Wanganui. There were no ! marks of violence on the body, and, judging by its emaciated condition, death was due to starvation. The man had apparently heen df>ad two or three days. I Mr C. C Graham, coroner, held an in- | quest on Monday morning on the body of Miss Marr Helen Shore, aged 23. who died suddenly at Otokia on Friday ' last. The father (Jonathan Shore)", in his evidence, stated tfoat he was bringing in a heifer, when it broke away, and his daughter Jeannie getting frightened threw herself on the ground. The deceased, seem? what had happened, also got if rig-htened, and started to run to her sister's assistance. She ran about a chain, when she suddenly lay down. Witness and others ran to her assistance and found her quite unconscious. ' She murmured something, and then fel? ! back dead. Another witness said that th© j heifer did not go near /deceased. Dr Allans said that about two years ago deceased had! a severe attack of rheumatic fever, wbielw left a permanent heart trouble. The jury returned a verdict that the cause of death) was shock, the result of a fright, coming on a previously impaired heart, and that no blame was attachable to anyone. The body o>f the late John Drumraond ! Dow, who with hrs brother Robert was drowned in the Lower Harbour on August 3, was picked up on Sunday morning on the back beach outside Otago Heads by Walter Pickering and afterwards taken to Port Chalmers for interment. It will not be necessary to hold an inquest, the circumstances attending the death having already been elicited at the coroner's inquest on the body of Robert Dow.