INQUESTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3212, 24 July 1878, Page 3

INQUESTS.

An inquest was held yesterday, before Dr Coward, the District Coroner, upon the body of Wm. Fair bairn, who had died in the Hospital. Mr Augustus Pavitt was chosen foreman of the jury. The following evidence was adduced. John M' Wcllo'n said I am a carpenter, and was Avorking with the deceased in Mr King's store in Cashel street, on last. Friday. We were erecting shelves round the store to place cheeses on, and there was a stack of sacks of grain alongside, to the height of between eight and nine feet. Deceased was standing in front of the Facks, the pile being four or five sacks in Avidth. Whilst we were afc work men were removing tlie sacks at the back, and adding them lo the top, making the pile higher, and anarrower one. They did this as they wanted to get some sacks from the i lower part of one end of the pile. A gentleman who works in the office came into the store meanwhile, and drew the attention of the men to the fact that this stack was dangerous for us to be working by the side of. With that we picked up the most of our tools, and placed them on the shelves, and stood there for a little while. I said to the man on the top of the stack, " Look out there you'll be coming down on the top of us, stack and all, directly." He said " there is no fear, I have been on far worse looking stacks." As they were anxious for us to get on, we resumed the work. The old man was cutting a piece of wood, and I had j ust turned away, when I heard him call out, "Oh My God, I am killed." Almost at the same instant I heard the crash of some pieces of timber which were lying about. There was a nail keg standing beside deceased, with a few pounds of nails in it. He fell on the top of the keg, with some sacks upon him. I pulled five or six sacks off him, and got him raised up in my arms, when some people came in, and the two men who were working on the stack got forward by that time. Deceased complained fearfully about his leg, and I noticed a little blood on his mouth, which he said, however, was from a little cut on the lip. The gentleman who said the stack was dangerous ordered tho men to fetch some timber to prop it up, and they said they Avould do so directly. [By the Police : I saw no one bring any timber.] The men wanted to do something moro at the back of the stack before they propped it up. The gentleman who gave the order went away directly. Where deceased was killed was between a stack of grain and the wall against Avhich the shelves were being put. To the Jury : Both of us heard the warning and removed our tools, but as Mr King had been complaining about our being long over tlie job we went to work again. It was about twenty minutes afterwards that the stack fell. By the Coroner : We both thought the stack was dangerous. Was sure no props were put against the stack. By a Juror : We would not have gone back but for what the men on the stack said. Ebenezer Macrae said : I am a bookkeeper, employed with Geo. King and Co., grain merchants. On Friday in passing up the yard, I went by tlie open door of the shed in which deceased Avas working. Two men were engaged in building a stack with sticks of oats, and the deceased and ar.ol.her man were engaged iii other work, on the ground. I noticed that tho slack of oats avjis overhanging, and cautioned deceased and his mate that they were in danger. At. tho same time I told the men who were stacking, to get some timber and prop tho stack. I stayed looking on until deceased got up to examine tho danger for himself, and his mate gathered up the tools which were lying about. Then thinking thore was no danger, that the men

would not resume work until the stack was propped, I left. I went into the office, and to the best of my belief within a minute and a half I heard tho noise of the stack falling. The sacks wero piled in tho ordinary way. Jacob Vogt said : I was working at Mr King's at. tho time of the accident. I was earning sacks of oats, and another man was stacking them. When I carried' tho last sack but. one in, I noticed that the stack was not quite straight. One sack was sticking out a very little, and I went to get a piece of wood to prop it up. About a minute or so before, Mv Macrae had said the stack ought to be | propped. I laid tho wood on the bags, and went up on to the stack to help the other man pull the bags away from the front altogether. Wo had about four or so removed from tho front to tho back, and while I had tho last one, tho other man sang out that the stack was slipping. From 12 to 15 bags fell down, and I heard the old man singing out. When I got. down there was one sack on his legs. By the Police : Wo could not make use of tlie prop without first pulling in the bags from the top, the piece of scantling being rather too long. Dr Ncdwill gave evidence as to the reception and treatment of deceased at tho Hospital. Ho was injured from the knee to the hip- joint, and bruised across the loins. There was a slight cut on the upper lip. He remained under my care, and died yesterday morning. I have since made a post mortem examination There was a fracture through the femur, tlie right side, to tlie head of tho bone. There was extravasation across tho haunch bone, in the pelvis, and there was tho beginning of peritonitis. There was decided inflammation in that part of the bowel adjacent to the injury. Ho died iv consequence of the injuries he received. The j ury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death." An inquest was held at the Parsonage, East Oxford, on Tuesday, touching the death of Vivian Herbert Opie, before C. Whitefoord, Esq., R.M., and a jury of twelve, of whom Mr David Fisher was chosen foreman. The Rev F. T. Opie said that he was a clergyman of the Church of England, residing at East. Oxford, and father of Vivian Herbert Opie. The deceased was three months old at the time of his death, which occurred on Sunday morning. Between 12 and 1 o'clock, both Mrs Opie and himself were playing with the baby, which seemed then to be perfectly strong and healthy. The child was always at night, put in a basinette and kept in the room beside them, and when they retired to bed they took it upstairs with them in the basinette, and placed it beside their bed. About one o'clock in tlie morning Mrs Opie gave it its food for the night. About H in the morning Mrs Opie looked at the child, and saw that ifc had the appearance of being dead. She took it up, and gave it to witness. It. breathed ; witness then baptised it, and a minute or two after it shuddered n.nd seemed to expire. Mrs Opie placed it in a bath of warm water, while he ran for the. doctor, who arrived about, half un hour from the limo they first saw the child. By the Coroner : The child was very healthy, hut seemed rather nervous while being carried down stairs, which seemed to affect, it- like putting it into cold water. The food given to it by Mrs Opie before going to bed was untouched. By the Foreman : The food consisted of milk and water mixed with sugar. Mrs Opie gave corroborative evidence. Dr Weld, a duly-qualified medical practitioner, residing at East Oxford, said that he went to Mr Opie's house on Sunday morning, and examined the deceased. The eyes were glazed, the body limp, and the heart's action had ceased. There were no marks whatever about the body. He should consider that it died from convulsions, probably accelerated by a tendency to heart disease. After deliberation, the Jury returned a verdict of " Died from natural causes."