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Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1962, 26 September 1863, Page 3

A frightful accident occurred lately at Cremorne. An inquest has been held on the body of Carlo Valerio, aged 25, who expired from the effects of injuries received while performing on a wire rope at Creraoroe-gardeas; The gardens were unusually fall, and the deceased mounted the tight wire rope to go through his evolutions. When deceased had reached appoint about 10 yards from the end of the rope, and about 300 feet from where he had started* something gave way in the tackle of " the fall" at the end from which he was furthest. The effect was instantaneous. The wire rope became slack at once, and the deceased was throws right off. He fell headlong to the ground, from a height of 40 feet, and alighted on his head on the gravel of the promenade. Dt Bee and other medical gentlemen who happened to be in the gardens, rushed to his aid He was removed to his residence in Stanleyvillas, Chelsea, where he died. His scull was fractured, and his spine was believed to have been injured. Mr Thomas Bartiett, machinist and master carpenter to the gardens, described the tackle. The wire rope, which was provided by the deceased himself, neighed about fiva ewt. At the end furthest from the ball-room it was made fast by " a /all," composed of an iron chain and a strong cable. One end of the chain was fastened to a massive iron book, fixed to an elm tree. When a man was on the ropd the strain on the hook Would be about two toni. ' The hook' was calculated to bear a strain of six tons and the chain of five tons. The hook, however, broke right in two, and the rope of course fell slack, causing the accident. The witntss believed that in some way the lightning of June 24 had softened or otherwise affected the iron, and caused it to give way. Mr Smith, the proprietor of the gardens, said that nothing should ever induce him again to permit a perforrnaocff of this kind in the gardens. A verdict of "Ac* cidental death" was returned. ° ' v