A CAPSIZED CANOE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14219, 17 February 1914, Page 3

A CAPSIZED CANOE.

□ RCWNINQ FATALITY AT KAiWHAIKS. STOHY TOLD AT THE INQUEST. A sitting of the Coroner’s Court w.as held yesterday afternoon, when the circumstances surrounding the death of Hert. Jones, who was drowned at Kaiwliaike on Tuesday, February loth, were investigated by tlie Coroner, Mr U . Kerr. The follow ing evidence was given : Timothy Hogan, a labourer working on a road making contract at Kaiwliaike, said that deceased, Hert Jones, was working with him. Last Tuesday they did not go to work, but left the camp for Dpokongaro Hotel, arriving there about 9 o'clock. The hotel was about three miles from the camp. Their object in going to the hotel was to have ji drink, and they stayed there until about mid-day. While in the hotel they had from four to six long beers, but both of them left iu a sober condition. They took with thcmNiwo bottles of beer and one of whisky, and on the way to the cam)), witness had a couple of ‘•pulls” of whisky, and deceased about half a bottle of beer. They got back to the lauding place just a: the men were knocking oif work. They were sober when they reached the hmdiup place. They had to cross the river to get to their camn, but they did not cross together. W it ness did not like the look of the canoe they I’.ad crossed over in, in the morning, and left deceased on the lauding while he went up to a native house to get a large canoe. Stanley McCallnm, whose father is a contractor working at Kaiwliaike, was at the camp on this Tuesday evening, and beard decased crying out for a canoe from the opposite-side ot the camp. Witness went across to bring him back. When be got near the shore deceased came down the bank. lie could walk alright. Witness wanted deceased to paddle himself across, but deceased said that lie was alright and would cross with witness. Witness was in the canoe ail the time. When deceased got into the canoe he knelt in it and witness had not gone very far before he began to rock it. Witness told deceased to stop it and he did for a while, and .then commenced paddling with his hands, and again witness told him to stop it. A few moments later he commenced rocking tin* canoe again and he had given it one or two good rocks when it filled with water and ,-axnk, and came up upside down. Both of them started to swim to the shore he had just left, and after going about half way snrf deceased hanging on to the overturned canoe. He cried out, to deceased to hold ou to Hie canoe, but received no reply. When- he reached the ‘shore he went for help and obtained the assistance of a native and his canoe, and when they had got near the scene of the '“Herald” Stationery Department for Sale Posters and Price Tickets.

accident, a Mr Smith from the opposite hank told them that deceased had sunk. They recovered the canoe and deceased’s hat, but a search for deceased was unavailing. This was about 4.45 p.m. To the Coroner: When deceased got into the canoe ho seemed “fairly jolly.“ lie could not say if deceased was tlie worse for liipior, but it struck him that from his antics in the canoe he was to a certain extent under the influence of liejuor. The canoe was 16 or 17ft long. The next witness called was ’ Joseph Smith, a cook in the camp. He was a witness to the accident and his evidence corroborated that of the previous witness. He added that'deceased stuck to the canoe for about two chains down the river and then sank.

Evidence was also given by Constable Larry, who found the body floating in the river on Sunday, about a mile above AraTnoho bridge, and about 8 miles from Kaiv.liaike. A search revealed that at the time of the accident deceased possessed IDs 6:1 and half a bottle of whisky. He made inquiries at the hotel at Upokongaro and found that they reached there about 9 a.ni. and left about 12.15 p.m. They were sober when they left and took with fhem three bottles of boor and one of whisky. He was satisfied the information, was correct.

The Coroner returned the following verdict:—“ From the evidence, given at the inquest, I And that the deceased Bert ■Jones was accidentally drowned in the Wanganui River, near Kaiwhaikc, on the afternoon of the 10th List., as the results of the, capsizing of a canoe, which was occasioned by his recklessness while ho wa.s under the influence of liqonr.”