CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 58

CASUALTIES.

A young man named Thomson, recently from Australia, was conveyed to the Gisbcrne Hospital from Motu yon the 17th. While bueh-fellin? lie had his leg 60 badly crushed by a falling tree that amputation was necessary. Jamea Robertson, a fireman, about *8 Years of age," who has been employed on the kiso and Shine No. 1 dredge for about four years, was found dead about 11.30 p.m. on the ]6th. His mate working on the dredge did net see" him fall, but as he has been .in delicate health for some time, and had heart disease, it is surmised that that is the cause. Deceased was a married man, but there i.re no children. His wife ha? relations in Uunedin. George- Brooks, the boy who was admitted to the hospital on the l*th inst. with a bullet in his abdomen, died ea.vly on the morning of the 17th. He was operated on on the previous day. Deceased, accompanied by his two •younger brothers and a boy of h,s own age (15 years), -went down Hanover street to have a shot out of a toy pistol ho had bought. He could not pull the trigger at first, and turned the weapon against his body, attempting with his hand to force back the hammer. The pistol suddenly went off. At the Avondale Mental Hospital, Auckland, a fomale patient was about to be given a bath, when the' door bell rang violently. The attendant left the patient in charge of another patiejit, who had b.-en helping the nurse. Unfortunately, the nurse, it is stated, lost her presence of mind, and did not lock up the bathroom. During her brief absence the second patient turned on hot water, and scalded the other patient. Evidently she observed that she had made a mistake, as she had turned off the hot water and turned on the cold, tor the cold water tap only was running n to the bath when the nurse returned after answering the call at the door. Dr Beattie, medical superintendent, was absent from Auckland at the time, and Dr MacKelvey was in charge. He immediately rendered medical assistance, but next day the patient died. At the inquest on the body a verdict of accidental death was returned by the jury, who added a rider that no blame was attachable to anyone. Mr Ghas. F. Purehas, of Wynyard and Purchas, solicitors, Auckland, died on the 17th, as the result of injuries .sustained Iv.o yeav3 ago when riding to hounds. An accident, which might have involved serious consequences, happened to .some Dunedin residents at Hillgrove on the 17th. As Mrs Finch with -her family, and two guests were proceeding from the Hillgrove railway station the horse they were driving went over an embankment at a nasty spot on the road. The occupants of the trap were thrown out with great violence, ard all sustained cuts or bruises. Dr Hislop was telegraphed for to Palmerston, and attended to the sufferers. No bones were broken,, but every member of the jiarty including the driver, received severe bruises. The accident might have resulted *nuch more seriously. Donald M'lntosh, aged 44 years, who was a passenger on the 16th by the evening train to Wairnahaka, fell from the carriage platform, on which he was standing. He was taken to the ' Southland Hospital, where it was found that ho had sustained concussion of the brain, a number of bruises on his body and a broken nose. He has regained consciousness, and is likely to recover. t A tad drowning fatality occurred at Napier on. Friday, by which ft lad named

Matthew O'Brien, about six and a-liaif years of age, son of Constable O'Brien, lost his life. The little fellow had gone to the Tutaekuri River, at the back of the Recreation^. Ground, to sail a model yacht, and slipped into the water. A little girl who had accompanied him went to the lad's home and told the deceased boy's elder brother, who at once went to the scene of the accident, but, though he dived immediately and searched the spot, it was net for some little time afterwards that le recovered the body, about 200 yards away from where the boy had fallen in. A man named Joseph Bourgeois, eniploved on the Waikaka dredge, was drowned shortly after 8 o'clc'ck a.m. on Saturday. Bourgeois and another man named Fred Green were coming off shift at that hour, and th? river being in high flood they used the boat to reach dry land. The boat got caught in a whirlpool, and was swamped within a few yards of the bank. The men were thrown ".into the water, and Green wj>"? caught and assisted out by two of the dredge hands waiting on the bank. Bourgeois, however, sank immediately, and did not again appear. • His body has not yet been recovered. Bourgeois was a man about 40 years of age, and had been in the colony about 14 years. He was well connected at Home, his people owning the palatial sixtstoreyed Bourgeois Hotel in Edinburgh. Several sisters are connected by marriage with influential business men in Edinburgh, one Vein;?, a city councillor. Bourgeois was an electrician by trad-o, at one time being employed at Edinburgh Station in the electrical department of the North British Railway Company. The body was recovered on Sunday. At an inquest held on tl'e ( body the evidence showed that deceased and his mat© were hauling themselves ashore in a punt by a bowline from the dredge. The bow of the punt dipped and shipped some water. The men lo«t their heads, and jumped overboard. A verdict of accidentally drowned, no blame being attachable to anyone, was returned. John Barclay Clibborn, aged about 72 yeare, was found drowned near the wharf at Gisbor ne, N.1., on Sunday morning. He ha.l formerly be-en an inmate of the Old Man's Home. John Madill, 41 years, was found dead on Saturday in a drain at Tuakau, Auckland, with his throat cut and a razor beside the- body. It is supposed that tho deceased committed suicide. Madill resided at Mercury Bay, and was pn a visit to bis uncle at Tuakau. H« teft the latteT's place abruptly early on Saturday morning. During the voyage of the lonic from London Mrs Jan© Pottpr. 76 years, died from heart failure. Deceased was a widow, and reeided at the Bluff. On Monday on board the 6teamer lonio I/i6tex S. Bach-dor, a second saloon passengeir, was found drowned in a bath. He was recently invalided from the army, and was coming to' New Zealand to settle on the land. Jonathan Lawrence, aged 12 years, " son of a, Blenheim builder, was accidentally shot at -Flaxbourjie on Sunday while out shooting with some other boys. Samuel Pomoroy, aged 19, was riding a. bicycle at Invercargill, when it ran into a horse, * which kicked him in the face. His skull was fractured, his nose broken, and he sustained a deep wound on the fore>had, but hope 6of his recovery are entertained. John Prestige, aged 63 years, died in Wellington on Monday from wounds alleged to liav« been inflicted by Thomas Goodger on the night of April 5. The deceased's depositions • were taken on the 18th inst., and ir the course of his statement he said that about 9 p.m. on the sth inst. he was looking for his son, whom he m-et walking with Goodger. The deceased said to Goodger : " Whatever do you want to lead Fred away to drink for. If you | want to drink, drink with a man, and not t with a boy." Goodger denied the charge made against him, and the men then came jto blows. In the course of the fracas j Goodger kicked at the deceased viciously, and then, according to deceased, stabbed him in the left arm and the left side with a knife.