FATAL ACCIDENT AT ADDISON'S.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 278, 22 June 1868, Page 3

FATAL ACCIDENT AT ADDISON'S.

Another of the accidents which so frequently occur on the goldfields, happened on Saturday last, and we regret to say resulted in the instantaneous death of a miner named Garrett Barry. The facts will be gathered from the subjoined evidence taken by Dr Giles at an inquest held by him the same day. Michael Kanevane, deposed—l am a miner residing at Addison's. I was a mate of Grarrett Barry, deceased. I believe he came from Cork county. I do not know his age. This morning deceased worked alone an hour in the shaft. I and another hauled up the the bucket, and in coming up loaded it caught under the supports of the windlass. Glassheen, the other man, told me to relieve the bucket. I kept hold of the windlass, and tried to free the bucket with my foot, and when I was drawing my foot back the bucket fell. A piece of the lashing which lashed the bucket to the drop remained on the crook and was broken. Both of us called out to deceased, but we did not hear him speak. Some one went down the shaft, and in about a quarter of an hour deceased was brought up. I cannot say whether he was dead then or not.

In reply to jnrors, witness said he did not know whether the bucket was fastened to the hook. Five or six buckets had been brought up that morning. They did not unfasten the bucket each time it came up. He could have reached the handle of the bucket with his hand if he had feared any accident. The bucket fell immediately that he gave it a shove with his foot. He did not think the bucket would liave fallp.n if t.ho honk had been round the handle of the bucket, but he did not know whether it was or not at the time. They were always good friends and never had any dispute amongst themselves in the claim.

Wiliiam Glossheen, another mate of deceased, gave similar evidence. The shaft was forty-five deep. On going down to look after deceased, he found bitn dead, or nearly. He said the bucket was on the hook for the lashing alone would not have supported the loaded bucket. The accident happened between nine and ten o'clock.

James Else proved that he went down the shaft after the bucket had fallen, and found deceased with blood flowing from his mouth and ears. He was quite dead when witness put a rope round him to send him up. The jury returned a verdict, that the said Garrett Berry was killed by the falling of a bucket, and that the said falling was accidental. Yesterday the corpse of the unforunate man was brought down to "Westport for interment, and a very large number of miners paid him the last tribute of respect, by accompanying his remains to the grave.