ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 278, 21 May 1912, Page 5

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

DEATH PROM A FALL. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Joseph Ellis, aged 36, a single man, a waggoner, died at Lawrence hospital this morning as the result of injuries sustained by falling under his waggon at Miller's Flat on Saturday. A BROKEN NECK. - Wellington, Monday. 1 A fatal accident took place at the Glasgow wharf about 11 o'clock this morning. A middle-aged man, named Charles Thorpe, was assisting to load the steamer Surrey, when he had his neck broken through a bale of tow being jerked on him and pinning him against the outside wall of the shed. Death was instantaneous. Thorpe was a well-known local resident, and stood for election to the City Council last year. FATALITY FROM CARELESSNESS. Blenheim, Monday. Some young fellows were shooting on Canvastown rifle range on Saturday afternoon, when one fired his rifle with the cleaning rod in the barrel. The lock was blown out and struek a young man named Sinclair Cowper in the stomach. He was removed to the hospital, and died this morning.

A DROWNING FATALITY. Auckland, Last Night. The Herald's Parenga correspondent reports a sad drowning accident. Five natives were out in a boat fishing, when a big breaker capsized the craft. Three of the natives were only poor swimmers, and in spite of the efforts of their companions to save them, one, a lad named John Cash, was drowned in sight of his friends. The others got ashore with great difficulty.

SUICIDE OF AN ENGINEER. Te Kuiti, Last Night. William Henry Adams, county engineer, blew his brains out to-day. The suicide is supposed to be the result of depression, consequent on the deceased being behind with his work. The Council will hold a meeting to-night, and allot several contracts which should have been passed by the deceased but had not been. Adams was seen at his office at two o'clock. He must have gone straight to Green and Colebrook's store, where he purchased a gun and cartridges, proceeding to Green and Colebrook's back yard, where he committed the s deed. Deceased was an old resident, and was widely esteemed. He was formerly employed in the Government Roads Department laying off district roads, and had been engineer to the Waitomo County since its inception. He leaves a widow and family of three children. DEATH FROM LYSOL POISONING. Cambridge, Last Night. Robert Coley, a prominent Waikato farmer, living at Pakerimu, was found unconscious on his farm to-day, with an : . empty bottle of lysol near him. He J died within an hour of his discovery. DeI ceased was in comfortable circumstances, / but had been suffering lately from nervous breakdown. He was about fifty years of age. He leaves a widow and three young children. j BEATH FROM HEART FAILURE. Wellington, Last Night. j At the inquest on the body of Arthur ■' Sidney Awdry, who was found dead ) in a bath on Saturday night, medical evi- : de'nee showed that death was due to heart failure, accentuated by entering a warm bath. A verdict was returned accordingly. A MISSING WOMAN. Auckland, Yesterday. No trace has been found of the missing j woman, Mrs. Maud Lynch, whose hat and coat were found on a ferry boat late on Friday night. The missing woman left a note of her baby's cot, in which she said "You will find my body in the harbor. Do forgive me and look after my little one." AN INFANT'S FATE. Wellington, Last Night. Mr. W. J. Kiddell, S.M., held an inquest to-day touching the death of the three-weeks-old male child of Mrs. , Kingan. The mother said that she lived apart from her husband, who was a jockey. The child was illegitimate. She had been feeding it on condensed milk. The night before it died she had given it a little arrow Toot and water. Dr. Fyffe, who made a post mortem examination, said that death was due to either gastro-enteritis from improper feeding or starvation. A verdict was* returned that death was caused by gastroenteritis, due to improper feeding.

SAD DROWNING FATALITY. A sad case of drowning occurred at the Waitotara Valley on Saturday afternoon, the victim being Miss Emma Gflligan, the 17-year-old daughter of Mr. Francis Gilligan, an old and respected settler of the district. From the evidence adduced at the inquest it appears that the deceased had been in a very quiet and moody frame of mind, and after dinner had gone into her bedroom and gathered together a numner of letters, which she read and afterwards burnt. At half-past two her stepmother noticed her leave her bedroom in tears, afterwards leaving the house by the back door. No notice was, however, taken of her absence at the time. Shortly afterwards one of the children told the stepmother that the deceased had gone towards the lake. Her stepmother looked ovit and saw her standing on the opposite side of the lake and asked her what she was doing there. Deceased immediately replied that she was going to throw herself into the lake. Mrs. Gilligan told her not to be so foolish, but the deceased immediately waded into the lake until she got into deep water, when she threw up her arms and sank. Mrs. Gilligan at once ran to Messrs. Emmett brothers, who live close by and told them what had happened. They immediately ran to the lake and proceeded to dive for the body, but without success. Afterwards, with the assistance of Mr. Cook, they dragged for it by means of a fishing line, and succeeded in getting the body ashore, where artificial means were attempted to restore animation, for over an hour, but with no avail. Dr. Harvey, who afterwards arrived on the scene,'could only pronounce life extinct. The jury returned a verdict that "the deceased had drowne : herself in the lake in a state of temporary insanity."