CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3216, 3 November 1915, Page 64

CASUALTIES.

A man named John Wills, a shin’s carpenter. who arrived from Napier, slipped on Auckland wharf and fell into the harbour. A member of the a w ot tnc tug Awiiaia .-aw the body floating in the water, and it was recovered. L.fe was apparently extinct, but artificial restoration resulted in consciousness being restored. Wills was conveyed to the hospital, and his condition is slowly improving. Joseph Clark, aged 50 years, employed as a labourer on the Waiuku railway, was found drowned in the Waitangi Crock. His throat and both wrists were cut. At the inquest a verdict was returned that the deceased drowned himself while temporarily insane, through the result of alcohol. An ex-trainer and jockey, known as “Chum” Pearson, son of Mrs George Alley, of Cambridge, was the victim of a serious accident on Saturday (says the correspondent of the New Zealand Herald). Ho was acting as attendant on Mr Angus M'Kinnon’s horse Parsimony during the train journey from Auckland to Cambridge. The train was delayed several hours at Franklon. Pearson was well enough when the train loft there. On arrival at Cambridge a number of other horses were removed from their boxes, but an hour or so afterwards it was noticed that Parsimony was still in his box, and inspection revealed Pearson lying under the horse’s feet in a pool of blood, with his bead frightfully swollen, and his body showing evidences of flic horse having trampled on him. Ho was removed to a private nos pita!, whore lie lies in a serious condition. A collision between a tramear and a motor car driven by Dr Cameron Owen in Auckland on the 29th ult. resulted in the motor being smashed beyond repair. Dr Owen was thrown out, and suffered severely from shock, but no bones were broken. William Hancock, aged 31 years, a native of Cornwall, England, fatally shot himself in the mouth with a revolver in the public gardens, Wellington, on the 30th ult. Hancock is a non-commissioned officer in the Eleventh Reinforcements. He was a member of the Main Expeditionary Force, and had returned invalided and rejoined the Eleventh Reinforcements. It is understood deceased left a letter explaining the reason for the deed. An inquest was held at the Christchurch Hospital on the 31st ult., before Mr H. W. Bishop, District Coroner, into the circumstances concerning the death of Andrew Joyce, a single man, about 38 years of age, who died as a result of injuries received through falling from a window in the Waiau Hotel on Friday night. Dr Gordon Napier M'Diarmid, house surgeon at the hospital, said that Joyce was admitted at 7 o’clock on Saturday night in an unconscious condition. His loft collarbone was broken, and there were signs of a fracture of the base of his skull. There were no signs of external injury to the head whatever. His condition grew worse, and in a few hours ho died. The injuries- were such as would result through a fall from a window. John Joyce, farm labourer, residing at Hampden, said that he was a brother ot deceased, whose occupation was that of a farm labourer and shearer. He left Hampden on Thursday morning to go to Waiau for some shearing work. Witness had never known deceased walk in his sleep. Witness was quite satisfied that death was due to an accident. Bernard Gdanitz, farm labourer and shearer, residing at Hampden, said he had known Joyce since he was a boy. They went j,ip together from Hampden on Thursday, October 28, to go to the Clarence Estate for shearing work, and reached Waiau on Friday afternoon. On Friday night they had three or four pony beers each. Both were perfectly sober. Witness went to bed about 9.30 p.m., leaving Joyce in the bar parlour. Joyce was not drunk. Joyce was to occupy tho same room as witness. Witness went to sleep, and tho next he knew was when Joyce came in and woke him up. About half-past 2 the next morning somebody woke witness up and asked him to open the door. It was locked at the time, but witness did not look it when he went to bed. Someone told him that his mate had fallen out of the window. Joyce had slept in his bed and all his clothes were on it. He saw Joyce lying on the ground just below the window” of their room, and he had only his shirt on. Witness was quite satisfied that it was a pure accident. The coroner returned a verdict that deceased was killed bv falling out of a window at the Waiau Hotel. On the 29th ult., about 6 o’clock, Mr Drury discovered the body of a man at the foot of the incline on the road near the Underwood Milk Factory, near Invercargill (says the Southland Times). A bicycle was lying close alongside the body. The police were informed, and it was discovered later that the remains were those of James Pettigrew, a farmer residing at Mabel Bush, where a brother of deceased’s also resides. Pettigrew was a single man, and it is conjectured that ho was riding down the incline when ho lost command of his bicycle, which had no brake attached, and came to grief at the foot of the gradient. Deceased. who was a heavy man, evidently was pitched on to his head and his nook wa; broken. Charles Chadwick, aged 62 yoars._ a resident of 742 King street, Dunedin, died suddenly on the 30th ult. He had been ill for the last week, and suffered from a weak heart. At 9.50 p.m. on tho 30th ult. ho dropped in King street, near Dundas street. Two passers-by conveyed him to his homo, and Dr Fitohett was called, but ho died shortly afterwards. At the inquest a verdict was returned in accordance with tho medical testimony—that death was duo to heart failure owing to degeneration of the muscles of tho heart. KNOCKED DOWN BY A TRAIN. MAN KILLED IN RATTRAY STREET. A man named Frederick Williams, aged 58 years, residing at 370 King street, was killed at the Rattray street crossing on the 28th ult. through being knocked down by a train which was being shunted into tho goods yard. The Clinton train was being shunted backwards from the main passenger platform to tho goods yard, and was crossing Rattray street at a very slow pace, preceded by Pilot Campbell, who was walking about a dozen yards in front of it. So far as could be ascertained, the deceased appears to have been somewhat preoccupied, and while attempting to pass round the end of the train he struck against a corner of (Tie guard’s van and fell forward between the rails. His body was rolled along some little distance by the brake gear under the van. and by the time the was stopped and the body lifted out

life was extinct, deceased having sustained tearful injuries about, his head and body. An inquest was opened on the 29th u it. at the Morgue, before Mr H. Y. Widdow--3011, coroner. The deceased had been fi bing at the wharf, and on bis way back to town at 5 o’clock he was knocked down by a .shunting train and killed outright. Constable I.ipscombe, stationed at .North Dun-

ed:n, gave evidence of idcntilleat.on, after which the inquest was adjourned until a date to bo fixed by the coroner.