FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE BREAKWATER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 305, 22 December 1900, Page 2

FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE BREAKWATER.

- INQUEST, - • An inquest iotothe death of Joseph Palmer who fell eff the breakwater pn Thursday eftraihg, was begun at tW Hospital on afternepn, at 3' o'clock, iftfore the Coroner, B. V L. Stanford, Esq:, S.M. and tha following jury *W>> v»UTeale : /(Poyeman), Harry Goldwator, C. A. Bullot, Alexander Puyson, Charles Good, and J. J. Hirker,

Bergt. Stagpoole conducted the enquiry on behalf of the police. The jury having viewed the body returned to the Hospital when the Foreman commented strongly en the delay in completing the post mortem examination.

, Sergt, Stagpeole called Dr. George Home, who, being sworn, said: 1 was sent for last night to attend deceased at the breakwator. He was lying about 5 feet from the «dge of the wharf. The bqdy shewed no signs of life. I tried to resuscitate the body without success. I held a post mortem examination to-day. The cau3e of death in my opinion waß shock due to emersion and the stoppage of the heart's apt ion, The heart was in an advanced state of fatty degeneration. I thick the man was dead when taken out of the water. I do not think medical aid would have been of any use hud it been available at oßca. I never attended him professionally. I did not see any fixed lights or any barrier at the place where the decoased fell io. I believe the man's life might have been saved if thore had been a hand rail or post* with a chain along there.

To the Foreman: I consider in tho condition of his heart that he died from tho shook. A person in good health might not have been injured.

Dr. Heme explained the dolny in [completing the post mortem and tho [jury oppressed thsmstlvos satisfied. I Elizabeth Palmer, being sworn, said: [ I am the wife' of the deceased; have been in New Piymauth about throj mouths. My husband was in business as a chemist in Devon-street. I wont to the breakwntc-r, with him last night by train at 9,30; we went to sea a friend off by the steamer. On our arrival I was attending to my baby, and heard a cry " A man ovorboard," and on looking round found my husband gone. He was 50 years old. He had no friends in Plymouth. Ho has a spn in Auckland and a daughter at Gisborne. We were married (5 years ago ai the Thames; about four months ago h* was ill and broke a blood vessel; Dr. Lapraik attended him. He recovered and we came here. A few days ago he complained of pains in the bick of the head, but we took no notice of it, as I had pains in my bead too. To the fqpeipn; I have no thought of any foul play. He bad not an enemy in the world. I do not know what made me go with him but I felt I had to go. He Eometimea took a glass of ale. I will not say he did not. He had had a glass last night.

To the Coroner: lam sure he wag sober last night. A, R Peddie, carpenter, said: I went with deceased last night to the breakwater. We wont to see a friend off, We were net in the same carriage, I did not see deceased at the wharf. On tha arrival of the train I went straight oo board the steamer with my friend, ! After I came off the steamer I w«nt to She train. I s*w two young ladies who said : " Did you hear of the accident ?" I replied " where?" They said "Mr. Palmer fell it. to tho sei off tho wharf!" I ran to where thore was a crowd, but could not got near deceased. I took charge of Mis, Palmer and her child. Tho police took tho body of deceawd. Tho night was not dark. The odgo of tb'o wharf is about 4 feet from the train at tliie pirt, I would like to make a statement afterwards. Thore is no hand rail or fixod lights on the wharf except she steamer's lightc. Boing allowrd to make a statement witness sjid I consider tho placo it simply u doath-trap to strangers boc«use the line is s > near the edgo of the wharf which is so narrow at ti.is spot and tharo is no prottction when gottiog off the train.

The Coroner: What ought to be doao what would make it safe?

Witness; To make it quito safe it would bo necessary to widen the wharf.

Two of tho jurymen here said they know tho dangerous condition of the wharf and tho want of lights at this : place. Ons of them, Mr. Goldwatar, sold ho had nearly fallen over himself. Waiter Bond Jones being sworn said [ am a police constable stationed at Now Plymouth. I went to tho wharf las' night by tho 9.45 p.m. train, The deceased went «u4 in that train. Whib on tho wharf a hoy told me that a mau | had fallen over tho wharf. C'apt. Hood and bis men lmd got bim out and were

doing their best to resuscitate him. Tho place was neir tUo junction with the hioakwater. Deceased Ml in on the j breakwater side. It ia v. ry dark there jaudvery nmrow, not much mora than 12 feet from the edge of tho railway carriage step ta the edge of tho whqrf, and it is a deep drop of fully 2 feat from the carriage stop to the wharf. There h no band rail and the combing of the wharf would probably trip deceased up and over he would go. It was about 20 minutna before the Dr. Arrived. We had faked deceased to the shelter shod and later took him to the morgue, Thero is a fixed light at the shore end of the wharf and one on thn outer end. I could wot say if there is any on the wharf itself. The one at the outer eud shows no light back on the wharf, fbe rail way mon always have lamps and larches. To Mr. (joldMnier : The acSoident took pliice at the narrowest and darkest park of-the-wharf. The light it the end of tho wharf is, I believe, a signal light for vessels. In conerquence of the absence of several witnrsssa the inqnest was horn adjourned to the Courthouse at 8 p m, On resuming at 8 o'clock, John H. Tiplady, wharf labonrai 1 , said he was on the wharf nbiut 10 o'clock, when the train arrived, and was standing near the office Sua someone alight from a carriage step on the breakwater side of the wharf, it was not unusual for people to alight that side. Instead of coming down tha wharf he made to walk over it towards tho soa. Witness shouted, but did not think deceased heard it, as he went over into the sea. The drop wits about 14 feet. The man ssemod to walk alright. WitneßS was about 25 yards away. It wai not above 6 feet from the carriage step to the odge of the- wharf. The night was dark, but' th«re were the lights from the carriage's. There is generally a light at the junction of the breakwater and tha wharf and another at the stepi, about 70 or 80 yards away, The man alighted, about 60 yards from the junction. The nearsßt light was on the other side of the carriages. Witness raised an Alarm " Man overboard," picked up a rope and ran to the spot. Oould not see the deceased. Several persons came to the spat. Inch and Alleaby went down to the water and the body was got up. Not more than 4 minntes lapsed before the body was recovered.

I Te the Coroner: Was sure the lamp at the stairs was lit, but could not swear that there was a light at the junction. He saw two lights. Had nevsr saen anyone go over before. To the Jury; On the east side of the wharf there is a rail. The engine was on the wharf. Had there been a light on the south side the deceased would havo been able to see his way. It was where the curve is that deoeasei went over.

Richard Inch, wharf Jaborer, said he Wfts on the wharf on Thursday nigh*-, and wont to the office for a drink. A 'railway porter came rushing to the office for a light, and said a man was over the side. Witness went at once and found a man hanging over the sids trying to get his coat off. Witness went down the next pile and saw tho body in an upright position, his face bring bent down. Ho was sinking as witness got to the spit. Witness managed to get hold of his coat which was floating abovo tho head. Allenby came down on tho opposite sido. Witness lil ted deceased out of the water while Allonby tip ropo fist round the body which was then hoisted up. Life was extinot.

To the Coroner': There were fou: lights from tho foot of the breakwater to the end of the pier. To tho Jury: Tho light at the ond of the wharf was in tho centre, that by the steps was on a high pole, oce was on a stand and another on tho concrete blocks. On account of tho curve tho , lights were not sufficient. Had tho carriages been in tho usual place tho lights would havo been sufficient. Captain Hood, harbourmaster, stated that on the arrival of the tra ; n last night as soon as it stoppod a guard told him thorp was» man overboard. He went to the spot and then got a lamp [from the train and lowered it so as to enable the searchers to see the body. When the bedy was brought up|he saw, as ho though,t the man was in, a state of collapse and at once telephoned for a doctor and set to work in attempts to restore lif9. Thefts offorta were cobtinued for an hour and a quarter. There are five lights on the what! always lighted at sunset. They were all alight last night.

To the Coroner: On the wes*>,Bide. the rails are closer to the edge than on the eastern side. From the step of the carriage to the edge of the wharf on the eastern side was abeut 8 feet. That was amply sufficient. No R'.epi are taken to tell passengers which side of the train to get out. It was an unusual place for tha train to stop, but last night the train was fxoeptisnally long. To Sergeant Stajrpoolo: Tho railway guards place steps on the tide tho passengers alight. To the Foreman: The lights ai present are sufficient and if arranged in any other way pat singers would be more likely to be dazed. A rail would be cf service, but passenger? were not expeeted to go on that sido. To provide for all contingencies it would bo necessiry to rail in the whole wharf, and this would pre ?ent leading ihi.isbip. In answer to ono of the jury, witnrss could not say positively that steps were provided for all trains. It wits not his business to sre to

The Coroner, in summing up, said the duty of the jury was to return a verdict in accord with the evidence ol D.-. Home. There was a farther question which ho gathered was in their minds and that was whether due safeguards were used to preserve tht lives of passengers using tho whaif, As to the lighting arrangements Dipt, flood had put the matter very plainly, Too much light was liable to dazz't people, but whether thero was light enough was another mattor. If th> jury thought thore was not sufficient light they could add a ridor to thai •ifVeet, It was possible some sirt ■himl rail might bo provided, but !)« only effective romedy seemed to b ■ th.it >f widoniug tho wharf whioh was much too narrow.

The jury, after somo deliberation, t<iturned the Mowing verdict, 1 That

deceased met his death bjr incidentally falling oil'tlio wharf (it Xew Plymouth breakwater, tlio shod., .according t<> evidoneo, boiri>j fialßcient to <iause doatli," a rider to the following eflecfc, " that the existing condition of things on the whatf in a raenieo to human life, and tlio Board should at once take stops to widen it, and also place moveable posts and chains along tho west side and provide lights on same side as soon as possible,"