INQUEST AT TUAPEKA MOUTH.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XL, Issue 5565, 22 August 1908, Page 3

INQUEST AT TUAPEKA MOUTH.

The inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of James Thomas Schrick adjourned from Wednesday, 12th inst., was resumed at the Tunpeka Mouth Hotel on Wednesday, 19th inst., before John Norrie, Esq., J.P., acting-Coroner. Sergt. Higgins, who conducted the inquiry, said he had only one witness to bring forward. He then called John Behan, dredgeman, Roxburgh, who deposed that on the 13th of May last he was working on the Alpine Consols dredge, Half-way House, between Clyde and Cromwell. He knew the deceased, James Schrick, and at 5 o'clock on the afternoon of the date named met him on the verandah of the Half-way House Hotel. After visiting' the^ bai* separately with Alexander Bremnev nivi Alexander Peady the deceased left -with the intention of going home and proceeded in the direction of the chair. Witness saw him apparently untie the chair and immediately afterwards saw it run out to the centre of the river with deceased clinging to the side and calling for help. He (witness) ran to his assistance calling to him to hang on but before he reached the scene the deceased dropped into the water feet first. On coming to the surface the deceased swam for about 150 yards when he got into a whirlpool and disappeared. When -deceased left to go home he was in witnes_s's opinion perfectly sober, there being not the slightest indication that he was under the influence of liquor. Witness had on former occasions seen the deceased set the chair in motion before entering it and had told him it was a risky practice but he merely replied "You get used to it when you have crossed a few times." It was, witness said, the opinion of the people in the district that there is too much sag on the wire rope and that it should be tightened. The jufy, without retiring, brought in a verdict that the deceased came b r hi S death throwgn acciaeirtally falling from the chair while crossing the Molyneux River near Half-way House and added as a rider: "That the attention of the Vincent County Council be called to the necessity of tightening the wire ropa carrying the chair."