CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3403, 4 June 1919, Page 46

CASUALTIES.

Mr Joseph Vincent, aged 74 years, died in the Auckland Hospital as th© result of a fall' irom a cart.

An old man named William Stacey, who lives at Mount Albert, was found hanging in a patch of scrub about a quarter of a mile from his horn© on the 27th. He was quite dead when found. Th© deceased was 71 years old, and had been in delicat© health for some time. A visitor to Auckland named Wm. H. Kirtlan, collapsed in a tram car on the 26th, and died on the way to the hospital. He was a resident of Kaitaia, and his collaps* was due to a fit.

A fatal accident occurred at the Bunnythorpe railway crossings on the 27th ult. A spring-cart driven by Ronald Pederson, the son of a widow farmer on the Roberts line, was crossing tho line, when the New Plymouth train collided with it. The horse Was killed instantly, and the cart was completely wrecked. Jean, the youngest child, aged eight years, was decapitated, and Alexander, aged 14 years, fractured his skull and his left leg was fractured and nearly severed. Ronald, aged 13 years, had his skull injured' and his thumb fractured, while Phyllis, aged 14 years, was thrown clear. Alexander is not expected to recover. The crossing was an open one in full view of the engine. The driver says he blew th© whistle, and the children tried to back the horso off the line, but too late.

Henry Duprey Taylor, a well-known blacksmith and engineer, was found dead in bed in his residence, in Herbert, on the 27th. It was deceased's custom to visit his workship every morning at 7 o'clock, returning home for breakfast. H© was seen at the shop at the usual hour in good spirits.He went home, but failed to put in an appearanco later at the shop. His assistant, a lad, went to Mr Taylor's residence, and found him apparently asleep, but failed to arouse him. He tried again at 1 o'clock and at 4 o'clock, without result. He then went for assistance, when it was discovered that the man was foaming at the nose and mouth. A bottle containing poison was found on th© tabl© beside the bed. Medical aid was summoned, but failed to restore vitality. The deceased had been living alone at home for weeks, his wife and two young children being on a visit to Sydney, A collision between a motor bus and a stock train, which was returning to Christchurch, occurred on the 26th at the Black street railway crossing at Kaiapoi. The driver of the bus had no knowledge of the approaching train until just before it reached the crossing. H© swerved and struck the rear portion of the train, the bu 3 being extensively damaged. There were no passengers on the bus. The driver (H. Miles) escaped without injury. The Kaiapoi Borough Council recently drew the attention of th© Railway Department to the dangerous nature of the crossing. A man named John Hendrick Neinkie, 81 years of ag©, died suddenly at Ravensbourne on the 26th while proceeding- from the station to the Main road. The deceased who resided at Evansdale, intended to pay a visit to relatives at Ravensbourne but after stepping off the 1.4. p.m. train from Oamaru, he dropped in lhe .roadway and expired. It is understood that he has been in failing health for some time and, although the coroner has been informed of the matter, a doctor's certificate will doubtless be forthcoming. The body was conveyed to the morgue by Constable M'Kenzie, of Ravensbourne.

A labourer named James Duncan, who was lodging at th© Lyric Boarding-house when the fire broke out there on tho '27th ult., sought, to escape by _ jumping from an tipper window. _ He siistained injuries to his head, and bruised his body and arms, and In the afternoon was admitted to tho Dunedin Hospital, where h© was later reported to be doing as -well as could be expected. Dunoan is a single man, and his homo is at Burnside.

Mr Edward Bartley, architect, aged 81 years, was found dead in Lis bed at Auckland on tho 28th ult.

A boy named David William M'Cabe. aged two years and 11 months, was drowned fit Wellington in a pond at the back of his father's residence. It is stated that tho child was playing in tho back yard, and apparently crawled through a hole in the back fence and fell into the pond. George Riohard Willis, a returned soldier. aged 25 years, died suddenly at Wairakei on tho 15th ult. He was seized _ with haemorrhage of the lungs while starting a motor car. His parents resido in Grevmouth.

Patrick Gregory was struck by a train at the Waltham road crossing, Canterbury, on the 28th. and died shortly after admission to the hospital. A fatality occurred at Wellington on Thursday, 29th, when the after-mast of the steamer Baden Powell snapped a'bott 18 feet from the deck and struck a man nameel Lepin, who was killed instantly. It ap« pears that Lepin moved away in order to .avoid a falling derrick, but in doing so stepped in the wrong direction. Lepin was about 26 yearsof age, and was a member of the Waterside Workers' Union and the Seamen's Union. At the inquest the evidence showed that the mast was decayed, but that it was impossible to detect the fact from the outside. The master of the Baden Powell said he considered that the masta of vessels should not be painted. The coroner returned an open verdict there being no evidence of negligence on the part of any person engaged in working tho cargo. John Butler, a single man, employed as a ship's steward on board the Remuera, which i 3 at present in dook at Port Chalmers, slipped on Wednesday evening and fell from a gangway. He struok one oi tho wooden shores used to support tho vessel, and was then thrown against the altar, and then rolled to the bottom of the dock, where he was found in an unconscious condition. He was conveyed to the Cottage Hospital at Port Chalmers, and subsequently to the Dunedin Hospital, where he 's progressing favourably. The body of the man who was found dead at Rakaia on the 27th has been identified as that of D. Stewart. He had been working some time ago for Mr T. Spence, at Mitcham.

At the inquest on C. J. P. Gregory, who died from injuries oaused by being run over by a railway truck, there was no evidence to show how the accident occurred. The coroner returned a verdict of accidental death, and added a rider that the deceased, not being a member of the railway staff, had no right to be on such trucks or to bo boarding them or alighting therefrom. At the inquest on the prisoner Peat, who died in the hospital, the medical evidence! was to the effect that the prisoner affected with basal meningitis, which was not infectious, and that until the disease was far advanced it was very difficult to diagnose it. Deceased was in a bad stage of the disease when admitted to the hospital. A verdict of death from basal meningitis was returned.

Mr George Arnold, of Hillend, met with a serious accident on Monday. He was working in a loft when he missed his footing and fell into the stable 'below, landing at the heels of a horse in one of the stalls. The animal kicked out viciously in its fright, and Mr Arnold received several severe lucks on the body. He is doing moderately well, but it will be some time yet before he will be able to be about. It was reported to the police at Westporfc that a body had been found on the beach south of Cape Foulwlnd lighthouse. Early on the 2nd two constables left for the scene. The body is supposed to be that of William James Hickey, who was lost in the Buller River some five weeks ago. A motor accident occurred at Napier on tho 2nd, Jack Fox, aged four years, a son of Conductor Fox, of tho City Band, was run over by a motor car on the Marine parade. His thigh and skull were fractured, and he is in the hospital in a serious state. A chapter of motor accidents occurred at Napier last week. Mr Dennis Crowley, .a, resident of Clive for over 40 years, was knocked down and killed by a car at Clive. He was crossing the road, and became confused on the approach of a car driven from, Hastings to Napier with a load of hockey players. On Saturday evening William Jas. Munro, a clerk in Niven's, was found unconscious in Napier terrace, having been run over by a car which had been driven off, leaving him lying on the road. He was taken to tho hospital, where there is a slight improvement in his condition. The driver of the car has not been discovered. Two other collisions were reported, but the effects were not serious. A motor car accident on the Ist at Waikari resulted in the death of a child named Hepzibah Kennedy, aged three years. No details are available, except that deceased was one of a party in a car driven by her father, and that she was killed by the oar overturning. James Cullen, employed by the Railway Department, was admitted to the Christchurch Hospital suffering' from severe lnto his head. Cullen, who resides at Little River, was returning from work on Saturday evening on a ganger's trolley, when a train overtook him and dashed into the trolley. He regained consciousness on the 2nd. . Information was received on the 2nd inst. of a fatal motor accident at Hillgrove, by which Mrs J. Mahoney, wife of a farmer at Enfield, was killed. It appears that a party of four were on their way to Dunedin in a car owned and driven by Mr John Mahoney. the others being Mrs Mahoney, Miss Mahoney, and Mr Duncan Cameron. At. a sharp corner of the Kartigi road they met a dray, and to avoid a collision the car was turned into a bank,where it capsized. Mrs _ Mahoney was thrown out violently and killed instantaneously. Miss Mahoney had her jawbone broken, besides receiving injuries to her hip. Mr Cameron received slight injuries. Mr Mahoney escaped unscathed. Mrs Mahoney was 61 years of age.