STRATFORD NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 July 1915, Page 3

STRATFORD NEWS.

(From our own Correspondent.) The adjourned inquest on the railway porter, Henry T. .Johnston, was resumed at tin; Courthouse yesterday morning, before Mr. 0. D. Si,le, Acting-Coroner. SJr. J', Thomson appeared for the relatives of deceased. Mr. Bennett, stationmaster at Eltham, represented the Department. I'eter Keegan, driver of the train that ran over deceased. said tile train arrived at Eltham about 1 p.m. They had to shunt a waggon off at Eltham. The truck was attached to the engine. Deceased and Porter Harvey assisted to shunt the truck off. Deceased uncoupled the truck, and gave witness the signal to shunt.. It was a flying shunt, Porter llarvey being at the points.- Deceased gave him instructions to give a good shunt so as to carry the truck to the spot desired by him. After getting the signal, he went fairly fast and then eased up a (ittle so that deceased could lift the hook, and on looking back witness saw deceased lying in the track about live yard* clear of Hie points. Deceased had uncoupled the truck alright, and the speed it would be travelling at would be about eight miles an hour. Witness did not see the truck go over deceased. Jln did not see deceased on the cow-catcher at all. and could not explain how the accident occurred. Witness did not remember dej ceased having carried out previous shunting operations, at least as far as his trains were concerned. He did not think the easing up would jerk deceas--1 ed off the cow-catcher, because there was a hand rail there to hang on by. There was no rain on the night of the. accident, and the rails were dry. Deceased was carrying a lamp. Walter Harvey corroborated the previous witness, adding that after giving deceased warning that he (witness) was waiting for the "kick off," the engine came forward and passed over the points. The truck passed on to the cattle yards, and as soon as it had passed witness heard deceased call out. Doceased was lying on the opposite side of the line to where witness was working. From the time he saw deceased in front of the engine till he heard him call out he had not seen him. As soon as the accident occurred witness immediately ran to deceased and saw he was dying. Deceased asked witness to inform his mother, but did not tell witness how the accident, occurred. Witness considered there was plenty, of room to do the shunting required. It was impossible for deceased to have caught the points because he had not reached them, falling off some five vnrds short. Deceased had assisted witness before in doing similar work. After the accident he examined the truck, but could find no mark on it Deceased had never complained to witness about the work he was doing. To Mr. Thomson: It was in accordance with the regulations for porters to } assist in shunting at country stations.

To Mr. Bennett: There was no need for. deceased to have left the footplate in the operations he was, doing- at the time of the accident.

Dr. Steven, superintendent of Stratford Hospital, said deceased arrived at the hospital at fi p.m. JJe was suffering from a crushed leg from below the knee to the middle of the thigh, and had very slight bruises about the head. Witness operated o,n him, and amputated the. left leg about'the midle of the. thigh, The deceased suffered severely from shook both before and after the operation. Deceased tried to explain how the accident occurred, but witness could not understand him, but he gathered it was a pure accident. Deceased did not blame anybody. He died shortly after midnight on the 7th. .He considered death was due to shock. '

Oeorge William Bennett, stationmastcr at F.ltham, said deceased had been at Kltham seven weeks as a. porter, part of his duty being to assist in shunting. There was a qualified shunter at Kltham. Deceased was junior to the other porter. He gave Porter Harvey instructions to put off a truck. The first lie knew of the accident was when deceased called out, and fitness found him lying in the yard about five yards from the points. Witness considered it was an absolutely safe method of shunting. Deceased told witness that he had slipped off the cow-catcher.

To Mr Thomson: As soon as deceased was injured, witness sent Harvey tor a doctor, and he arrived in seven minutes, ;ui(l the Nation ambulance was immediately provided, and on the doctor's recommendation deceased was sent to the Stratford Hospital by the same train. . The jury returned a verdict that deceased died from the result of an accident at Kltham railway yards on (itli inst., and that 110 blame was attachable to any person. The jury expressed their sympathy with deceased's parents, and also complimented the station officials on the way they had attended to deceased at the time of tin■ accident.

Stratford, Lust Kight. U/OKiXG KOR TROUBLE. 801110 pcopU? think they have a right to paint Stratford red just whenever they like, so thought a resident of K!tliam last night, First lie wandered round the different hotels looking for Germans, and finding three gentlemen who claim Switzerland as their motherland, promptly dealt pne of them a right on the nasal organ. Then he wandered about the streets, looking for more of Kaiser liill's men, and, seeing a restaurant close by, promptly put' his hand through the giass door, and then started to bombard the place with pumpkins taken from a greengrocer's alongside. The police, arrived on the scene, and gave this loyal gent a night's board. To-day at the court a charge of being drunk and disorderly and destroying property was preferred again him, with the result that it will cost him £8 to remember the night's fun. The Bench told him that if he really wanted to lia\'o a "go" at the Germans lu> should enlist, and then would have plenty of chances of getting even with the people he evident Iv so disliked.

SCOTTISH' SOCIETY. Another very large meeting was bold last evening, when the different subcommittees reported on the work undertaken bv them. H was decided to hold the sale of stock in Messrs Webster Dobson and C.'o.'s sitleyards on Tuesday next at 12 noon. Donors are requested to have their stock yarded by that time. It was reported that everything was ready for the mock court, and that aovcral prominent citizens had agreed to act as policemen, .judges, "persecutor,' 1 etc. An effort is being made to get a suitable building in the town to hold the court in. The first case will come on for hearing at 2 p.m. The Art Union tickets in connection with the valuable section are going off extremely well. The section is a really good one. and a nice houße could bo built on it. A reminder is given that, the tickets are 2* 6d, and in ca.* of anyone being unable to purchase these

tickets in their locality, a postal note to the secretary will be promptly attended to. It was decided to open the bazaar oil Tuesday afternoon at 2.30 p.m., concert at 8 p.m.. and, after the concert, gift auction sale and sale of Belgian flag presented by Mr. C. Bayly, to conclude with a dance. STREET LIGHTS. At the council meeting the ministers of all the churches in the town petitioned the council to reconsider their decision to put out the street lights at 1 a.m. They considered that on the grounds of morality and prevention of crime the street lights should be lit nil night. Cr. Hunter, in presenting the petition, stated that a very large number of people were" being inconvenienced on account of the lights being slnit off. He instanced the fact of people attending early morning services, and he moved that- the council meet the Electrical Sunply Company, with a. view to making arrangements with them to light the streets all night. This was seconded by Cr. Lawson. His Worship moved an amendment that the petitioners he informed that the council cannot see its way to alter its decision. Tie contended that females should not be out after 1 a.m., except accompanied by male escorts. lie, however, admitted it might be better, in the interests of prevention of crime, that the lights should be kept burning, but could not see how doctors could be inconvenienced, because they had their motor cars, which were, or should be, provided with lights. There were only five councillors and his Worship present at the meeting, and C.rs. Lawson and TTunter wanted the matter postponed till next Monday night, so as to get an expression of opinion from the full council, but this was not agreed tp, and the result was that the amendment was carried by -I vobes to 2. | There was one remark made during the discussion of this matter by his j Worship that should not be missed. He ; said: "At any rate, with the street lights ; burning, it was dark between the lights.'-' j Well, Stratford is not singular in this , respect, and if his Worship's dictum is j right, why light the streets at all during j any part of the night. The motor bye-laws brought forth a |

pood discussion, and instead of having different speeds fur different streets, i it was decided' to make them uniform rind have a speed of 15 miles an hour throughout the borough. I The cutting off of the town water , supply 011 Sunday, through the intake j being blocked, can ml sonic comment. . It seems the council litis no power to j go on the land from which the water is | run into the pipes that feed the town, ; except to repair or maintain the present' supply, consequently, whatever improve- j ments are required can only be. done '>y j tlie express permission of ihe owner, J and, by the tone of the discussion, the | owner refuses that permission. The j council discussed the question of taking the land under the I'uhlie, Works Act, | but finally it was decided to approach '• the owner again, with a view to getting 1 Home necessary repairs done. GENERAL. Mr. T ITouiason lias purchased too! premises formerly occupied by Messrs i Broekelbank Bros., and intends, so T ! understand, making it into an up-to-date . mart. I Constable Sweeney, ivho has been i transferred to Stratford, took up his duties to-day.