CORONERS INQUEST.

Wellington Independent, Volume VI, Issue 506, 17 August 1850, Page 2

CORONERS INQUEST.

An Inquest was held at the Ship Hotel, on Thursday lasf, before J. P. Fitzgerald, Esq., M.D., Coroner, and a respectable Jury, on view of the hody of Mr. Donald Drummond.

Charles Luxford being sworn, states— I am a butcher, residing at Wellington-; on Tuesday last, August 6th, I left Wellington in company with Mr. John Drummond and Mr. Donald Drummoud, and a.half-cast chJl-fl about 2 years old, all for the purpose of going to * Wairarapa; -we arrived at the, Wairarapa Lake on Wednesday ; we made a signal for the canoes to come and take us across ; we saw Air. Ling come to the other side of the lake with a naiive, who went and got two maoiues ; the jcanoje then ciune across ; I go.tinto.it, hut went out again; Brigade Major OConnel then got in, and went across; the canoe had to wait,nearly one hour before it could return in consequence of the wind ; it then returned and took me over; when I got across, »the canoe returned for the two Mr. Drummonds and child ; they got in, and were nearly half way across when a heavy squall from the S.E. set in, and the canoe'filled; I saw the persons who wexe in the canoe rise beside it; I saw two natives leave the canoe and make for the .shore;; I then went to Turanganui, about 3 miles, for assistance-; I,returned with Mr. Ling and Mr. Murray ; when we got back, oce jiative had come on shore and h&i\ got his blanket on; he said he saw Mr.John Drummond, the child, and ,the -other native .go down ; we looked about for some time, and saw the canoe a long way up the lake, with some object on it; Mr. Ling then gave me iris horse to go to Tauranganui for some natives ; I returned again with about 40 natives, and Mr. Ling told me the -object had just disappeared from the canoe as I had returned; we stopped till dark, when we saw the canoe coming in the direction of the shore; it was blowing very hard from the S.E.; we searched the following day, but could not find the bodies; we then went to Mr. Russell's, who sent to Te Kopi for the boat, and then returned to Tauraganai to get some breakfast, and while there, some of the natives came to tell us they had found the body of Donald Drummond; on the Friday I left for Wellington ; the Thursday before leaving Nicholas Gary and crew, with a boat, were searching for the remaining bodies, but had not found them.

Re-examined by the Jury—The place we crossed at is the iregular ferry,;- I Jb.e-* lieve accidents haveiappencd there before; I think if there had hocn a good ferry boat, any person .could have crossed .that .night with safety.

Recalled—At the time the canoe filled and went down, there were in it ..the two Drummonds, a -half-cast -child, and two natives.

JBenjamin Ling being sworn, states —I am a settler residing at Tuiiranganui, Wuirarapa; on Wednesday, August 7th. Mr. Luxford came to Tainanganui and told me the canoe had capsized with the two 'Drummond's in it; I immediately went down wift Mr. Murray; when I got down I could not see any thing fox some time ; at last I. saw an object on a canoe, .at a long distance from the shore; I then gave my horse to Mr. Luxford to go for some natives; <;when he returned, I saw the object disappear from the canoe ; the next morning I searched, for the bodies, bwt could not find them, and wliile I was at brealcfast, some natives came and said they had found the body of Mr. Donald Drummond..

Re-examined by. the Jury—'Accidents have occurred there before ; in'my. opi-

nion, from the want (>f a P™per ferry boat; t hare heard that applications have been' made before for a ferry boat to be established there : I think, if there had been a proper ferry boat, she could cross vitli safety at all times; I bdieve thu settlers would have established a ferry boat themselves if they had not been prevented by the natives; tlie place to is about half-a-mile wide ; I have had occasion to stop at the said spot for ihroe days and two nights for want of a Jerry boat. The verdict of the Jury was "Accidental Death by Drowning," with the following addenda-: —That the Jury cannot separate without expressing the strong sense, which they entertain of the negligence manifested by those whose duty it is to provide for the maintenance of Ferries in this Province. Accidents have before happened at the same place, and the attention of tlie Government has been galled to the necessity of establishing a proper ferry there, as well as at the yVftiwetu, Manawatu, and Wanganui rivers, but hitherto no steps have l>een taken for the establishment of. a proper ferry over any of them ; had due care beeii exercised by the Government in this particular, the Jury believe that the melancholy accident which has happened would never have occurred. Europoau ferrymen, with proper boats, ought, in .the opinion of the Jury, to by employed in each of the above instances. William Lyon, Foreman.