THE INQUEST.

Colonist, Volume XXVII, Issue 3880, 29 March 1884, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE INQUEST.

An inquest into the cause of the death of Charles Edward Braddock was held at the Court House, on the sth March, before Dr Boor (Coroner), and the following jury :— MessrsE. Snodgrass (foreman), James Smith,.1 T Leonard, A. H. Frank, H. Grey, James Hodgson, J./Leitch,. A... M|Gee, W. H., Alexander, J. Newman, G.. Shallcrass, Alfred Hitchinpugh, and F. C. Batchelor The jury haying first , proceeded to the Baths to view the body, the following evidence wastaken:—-^ ....,- ,t . ..:.-: ... James Hudson,, sworn, deposed: I am a duly qualified medical practitioner in Nelson. I was called yesterday shortly after five in the afternoon to the City Baths to see a lad. I saw him lying on the platform. I did not know him. He wa»: quite naked, and appeared to have just .been taken out of the water. Several persons .were rubbing him with towels, amongst them being Constable Levy. I found the body warm, but he appeared to be quite dead. ; He had a good color, hia cheeks being .pipk, with ;fe.et swollen, and froth, issuing from, his; nostrils, giving all evidence of having been recently drowned. I attempted artificial restoration for half an hour, and gave him a warm bath, but without success. The cause of .death was drowning. ; •■•■,: ■ i . Frederick Neve deposed:. I .am son of Augustus Neve, general laborer,; residing off Waimea Road.. I knew the deceased Charles Braddock. I. waswth him in the Baths yesterday, afternoon, having accompanied him there from school I went .there at ten minutes past .four.,, Had\ :been; there on several previous occasions with him. When we went into the Baths; Tiayirig v undressed, we made for the boat, which is .always there. I' could swim, but Braddock' only very slightly. Both of us got'to'the boat, and went in. nxh y water there: was' five feet. deep. . Braddock was about four *eet. high: ..The boat'was at the side'of the platform.*"; The boat ', filled while we were" in: it;' arid' turned over on, its side,-both of. its falUng otit.r-'l'said'tohimas we fell.out, "Lay your hands : on me, but don't ciatqh me, and I will ta,ke you.put."; Instead of" doing that he caught;,both my arms, fixing them to my ( side. 1 could, not then 'render much1 Assistance; 'The, boat, by that time h!a<l;got into the middle'of the, Baths I was 'under'the water nearly all the time. I cannot'ju^ge how" long;. I got to the steps some how,' but; I believe I lost my senses. There was io one in the Baths but. Braddock and myself.'" I saw nothing until I cot to the platform, when-I saw deceased ■plashing by one of' the piles on the deep side of the Baths about a yard away from'me. His face was out of the water. He-was not touching anything^ and was about one and a half yards from the platform. I stretched out my leg for him to catch hold of if he could. He caught hold of it, but his hand glippcd. I got out and ran to the side door of the house, and called for assistance; Mr Kelly came almost at, once, and returned with me to the Baths. This took about a quarter of a minute. I saw Braddock's( face on the surface of the water, but he sank directly. Kelly asked me to dive for him, but I said I could not as I was too exhausted. -I got a rail and jumped into the water with it, and went to where I saw him sink. I felt about for a minute .without 'touching the body, -I then got out, being very much [exhausted. Mr Caldwell, Mr Sadd, and another person then came in. I.then dressed. I.saw Mr Caldwell strip, and dive in. He was about a minute in the water, and then came put- I Baw some person using a rake. In about five minutes or a little more Mr H. Bradley went in, and with the assistance of a rake 'brought the body to the top of the water. He waded out with it and put it on the platform. I went, out to go fora doctor, but saw another boy go for one. Dr .Hudson arrived in about ten minutes or quarter of an hour. I heard the doctor order a hot: bath. Kelly,-from infirmity, is not able to do much. By the Foreman: I paid for admission. Mr' Butler took the money at dinner time for us to go in in the evening. Mr Butler was then in the Baths. I could not call out for assistance when I was in the water, as I was under water. My face was above the water only a short time. There was nothing in the shape of life buoys, or the like, that I "could throw to deceased. ',".. *, By the Coroner: There is a wire rope the whole lenght of the Baths on the shallow lide, and two cross wires with a"l66p depending from each, reaching to the water;: •. Braddock and I were in »the boat -between these loops. •■ ■'.•■\.-x-.--:: r;na ;'- ':'■ ,<■ >>■' By the Foreman: There is,.no rope,near th« surface of the water on the deeper side of the BatUi. When I went into the water to

feel forßraddock, I could not soe.liis body. The water was .thick.,l was noir- near' the bottom1 then1:' "I have' dived;td the bottom;. it is very muddy."" " ' ! . , By Mr Smith]: llf .I-had had a rake or long .stake,, I; think I could have saved Braddook 'as Ife'Md hold of my leg. rm !'!! PiitflclcKelly'aepbsed:' riive.ai the,Bitli3 in Htirclysifcreet} 'I am not 'Sin attendant there, I ani wea^(fin,dannrm.;() Yesterday>aftbrhopn atipi^Tfive o'clock I was,sitting in the kitchen in^tuehouseadj'bining the Baths.,. 'The last WiinesXcame'tothedbbr and called'out for Mr Bu tiler.- ■ I asked him what was the mat-; ter, iandjhe said Braddobk ;wasrdrowneduh the B^ths.j.jAsl was/going put off the,door to the Baikal called pdt at the top of my yoice for Mr Butler.'. I;did' 1 riot see'him.' I went into the Baths'with thelast witness^; : I saw. BraSdockfloatiiig^aboutjtwo.;feet;.;under the surface of the,water,-and abqut> fifteen or six.'teenfeeV'frqni'tiie side .of, the; platform. \ I sawh'im rnbye his hands'bnce and then ifmmediately sihk.'!'l asked hist witness to dive for him, b\it he looked i about 'anil found a r,ail, and jumped in, floating, -.with it,;ta where the deceas.edisank. : I,tp}d him to...dive,.,arid a? he! did riot do so','l' 'tan oiit'in front'bt the' Baths j towards Hatdy'^triet^'and 'saw- Mr Butler, along with Mr iCaldwell- and' aUpther gentleman;,, ; (Mr Barnesi) ; Itold:them.naf isid was drowning in,the Baths. .They .went! is immediately.' . Tuey were not awave of it till I told 'them: The. per'sfdri I did-hot know Vas on horseback'; '.< he got off-and-gave me- his horse to. hold;.. Mrs Hadfleld then, came land took hold of the horse, and.. I, went, intojthe ;Batlisf and poiiited out where Braudock sank ■Iliave bfte'n5 seen the boys .|liei;c UeWi'c/',: . • :>: By the Foreman: About; a uiiiiufe"elapsed from the. time I first! wdnfc, into tlSe Baths'1 till 'ai^ CaldweiLand the .others c.-unG..in; ..[Mr Cald^yell threw off his cpuf, &c. ,. as he, >vas 'goings'into the Baths. ,\ : ' ""' '/' %' '■ ■ . By Mr Frank : I ani not iii 'Mr Butler's employ, ,bufc; in his absence I assist. .) .The Bathsvare not left unattended. .'.,;; ;_ : ' ! Joseph Caldwell deposed : I-am assistant master at the Bridgesstreet school. -' Yesterday; shortly before 5 p.iii;, I left' the; 'school. When nearly < opposite ■■, the Baths I; met Mr Barnesron horsebacjj, and .while,l,;W£ls conversing with him,''|'he..iast< witness called put frohithe garden of the Baths that there "was a boy drowning; I threSv dff: my coat, vest, l andrshirt;)as I went1 along, aridt^when ■<1 got into. the. jplaths,l- .had on}y.rmy. trousers: and socks on. ;;I.sa\v nojevidence of. anyone being ,m.the 'water^ I dived in'Jwhen' oppositefihe door, ho'place hayii^g been poirited put to mci. I CQuld.not-seaiwhileiin'the'^vateri hot-beihg .able to i keep myj eyes open ;under water. ; I felt,'about, in ] they „which., was. .^yery thick. ;I Ws! under^ water about a minute; and' afterwards;saw J Kelly ''indicating ViritH a stick the ,plade|where the lad had gone'dbwn. I dived ; again, but.< could: feel; nothingi: and, .feeling .cramp, Igpt.out with gf^eat diffiputty. WheiT I'got to the ,platform, I v saw. Mr Br'daiey trying the bottom with a' stibk, trying to get the body out." Mr Bradley waded'into the water, and after about aiminute had. elapsed, he brought,, out the ,body ..of the, boy. ; ,' Mr Brkdleyj Mr Barnes, .Mr Sadd . and others rubbed the body.;' In about'four'minutes Dr Hudson ardved, and used the nifeans usually adopted to secure artificial respiration, and had him put in a hot bath.' I saw no movement after the body was brought out of the water. I saw the body removed to the room at'the Baths, where it was viewed by the jury. I.had visited the Bathsou one occasion previously, and found-the water, very1 muddy. After I had dived for • the; hdyi as. I stood on my feet, I sank in. the mud,; I could not judge of the thickness. When the/body was brought out of the water tliere was rio mud on it. I swallowed some water'when I jumped in ; it had a bad taste.;. I cannot say whether that was the cause, of my feeling ill. Mr Butler, in answer to a question, stated that the Baths were leased from the General Government. - -' ■ The jury, after a consultation, returned a verdict of " accidentally diowned," and added as a rider, "That the jury consider that the Baths are not properly kept, and that there is net sufficient protection for the lives of the bathers." ••■. '■■-■>