INQUEST.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2827, 15 October 1883, Page 2

INQUEST.

An lDqu^st wns held at the Hospital on Saturday morning before J. Beswick, Kfq., Coroner, touching the death of Alexander Sutherland, who met with an accident on the Fairlie Creek railway line on Thursday, dying from tha < ffeets of it the fame night. The followiag were sworn m as a jury :— Messrs H. Taylor (foreman), A J. H. Bower, W. Holnue, H. Ooxhead, W. Darby, W. O'Driscoll, T. Belous, G. Kay, H. Pitte, R. Edmieton, G. Green, J. McDonald, H. Clap, ham and J. Roilly. After the jury had viewed the body, th 6 following evidence wai taken : — 11. Whittaker deposed that he was oon« tractor for the Fairlie Creek extension, and that deceased wbb working m his employ t On Thursday last the deceased, who was one of the men engaged m getting etuff ready for the wagons m the gravel pit, which i§ eitu&to m McLean's paddock. Deceased, after noticing that tome wagons were coming into the pit, made two or three strokes with hii pick, loosening some gravel, which fell towtrdi

him. Thia seemed to startle him, for h hesitated and then stepped back, and th corner of ono of the adra'icinp wagons struel him and knocked him down, and two of then went over him. The accident happens about ten o'clock, and was a p lir< " accident. In answer t9 qu.-stions, witness end de oe»»ed was working about fire yards off tin line and that tbe tank oi shingle wa» abou 7ft high. Everything that -could possibly b done for the man was done. His leg wa bandaged and he was brought into towi without delay. There was a person at Albur; who was travelling with an insurance ngeLt who, witness was informed, was a doctor, anc he went to him and explained the nature o the accident. The person replied that thi best thing to do was to take the man to thi Hospital without delay. Two or three of thi jurymen asked witness this person's name but he could not tell them, and the Coronei laid it was no use discussing the mattei because they did not koow whether he was a duly qualified medictti man or not. James Warner, a fellow-workman of deceased, gave evidence corroborative of that of the first witness. Dr Drew, Resident Surgeon of the Timaru Hospital, said that deceased was received into the Hospital about 3.30 p.m. on Thursday, suffering from a compound comminuted fracture of tbe right thigh and compjund fracture of the leg, all the bonea of tbe instep were broken across and the soft pirts of tbe foot and leg were very much lacerated, and lit* bad lost a good deal of blood. After consultation with other doctors, it was decided to take tbe leg off, this being tbe on'y chance of saving the man's life. Thißoperation was performed about 4.30 p.m., Drs Macintyre, Hogg »nd Lovegrove being present. Witness had hopes at first of the patient's doing well, but about 10 p.m. a change for the worse took place, and he died m a few minutes. The cause of death was loss of blood and shock to the system. The jury, after a few words from the Coroner, returned a verdict of " Accidental death."