FATALITIES.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14869, 18 September 1918, Page 1 (Supplement)

FATALITIES.

HOTEL PORTER'S DEATH.

(From "The Colonist,^ August 23rd.) A single man named Frederick Biro-hall, employed as a porter at the Central Hotel, died early yesterday morning, and as he had not been attended by a doctor, an inquest was opened beforo Mr. Edmund .Davidson, Coroner, at tho Courthouse yesterday afternoon.

David Crushek, manager of the Central Hotel, stated that the deceased had beet) .n jus employ as porter for the past shu-teen mourns." About three o'clock E<i»t nmvmug lit* heard dec-eased coughHi^ .-ma groaning in his bedroom, and be n»oE r<> him. He was lying on his bat-K, aun no turned him on to His side, lie mils uuM> bronciung normally and apjK'su'vM in! mvik, so he left him. Witness :uiu iiaii to go into deceased's room on several occasions during the night, as lie had a'habit of calling out in his sleep and disturbing the boarders. About an hour after he returned to bed he was called again to deceased's room, and found liim lying on his back, breathing heavily. He tried, with other assistance, to rouse deceased, without effect, and came to the conclusion that he was unconscious. With a boarder he went for Dr. Bett, but the latter was out, and the boarder then went to Dr. Gibbs, who could not com©, and eventually Dr. Washbourn came, arriving about 5.30. After examination the doctor pronounced life extinct. Deceased enjoyed good health, and never lost a day's work through illness while in his employ. The previous afternoon deceased assisted him to lift a barrel of beer on the bar counter, and he was then apparently in. his usual health. By the Coroner: There were no signs of drink on deceased the previous evening. He was laid up in May last with a poisoned leg.

Ernest A. Sherwood, merchant, stated that about 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday an he was crossing 'Trafalgar street, he i saw deceased standing outside the private entrance of the hotel.. The next time he looked he saw him falling, and | went co his assistance. Deceased remarked, "It's all right, Mr Sherwood, J^J.l he. right in a minute. It's just a faint come over me." Mi-. Crushed then carrie uj>. and they carried him upstairs to his bedroom. Deceased remarked that he would be all right in a few minutes, as he had had the same kind of fainting fits before. He could not detect any signs of liquor on de-oe-ased. He offered to undress deceased, and asked if he would like a doctor, but he said no, he would be downstairs again in five minutes. Constable Crispin "stated that he arrived at the Central Hotel at 5.15, and found deceased in bed, fully dressed, and apparently dead. There were no signs of liquor about th© room. He examined the body at the morgue and found no marks of violence. He knew deceased by sight, and had never seen him the worse for liquor.

rrn August 24th. .The inquest on Frederick Birchall, a porter, who died suddenly at the Central Hotel on Thursday morning, which was adjourned for medical evidence, was resumed before Mr E. Davidson, Coroner, yesterday. Dr. Waehbourn stated that he was called to the Central Hotel between 4 and 5 o'clock on Thursday morning, and found deceased lying on a bod, dead, although the body was warm. As the ieault of a post-mortem examination ho had ascertained that the cause of 'death was apoplexy, imd tbat no treatment would have been of any avail. A verdict of death from natural causes vVas returned.

August 28th. A young man named Frederick Boon. 32 years of age, who resided with his uncle, Mr Harris, at Stony Creek, Kaituna, was foujid dead in a creek on Monday morning (says the "Pelorus Guardian' 5);. The young man left his ancle's residence at about 9 a.m. on Sunday to look at the sheep in the upper reaches of Long Valley. He was expected to return for lunch, and when at 4 p.m. he had not'returned, a search party of five neighbours went out to look for him. They being unable to find any trace of him, the matter .was reported to the police >at Havelock. Constable Douglas went out to Stony Creek at 7 a.m. on Monday morning and joined with, seventeen of the settlers in making a systematic search of the whole district. Within half an hour the body wna' found lying face downwards in- about three inches of wjiter. :It is stated that the deceased was subject to emleptic fits. He has a married brother living afc Opouri Valley.