INQUEST AT SOUTH RAKAIA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1559, 22 July 1885, Page 2

INQUEST AT SOUTH RAKAIA.

On Tuesday evening the constable stationed at Rakaia' received instructions from Mr Baddeley, coroner for the district, to hold an inquest on the body of Philip Dolan, recently drowned in the Rakaia, that day if necessary The inquest was held at. 9.10 p.m., Mr V. A. Pyke, J.P„ acted as coroner, and Mr Turner , was Chosen as foreman of the jury. The jury having viewed the body, the following evidence was taken : M. Dolan, wifeof the deceased, Identified the body as that of her late husband. On July 13 the deceased left home abont 2 p.m. to haul firewood. He had with him his little son, a horse and a sledge". The boy returned about snnset, and said' his father had been drowned and that be bad been nearly drowned as well. Witness then proceeded down to the. beach and cooyed. She saw the horse, but nothing else | the surf was washing near the low places on the spit. Then went and told Mr Garrathers what bad happened. Philip Dolan, deceased’s son, about six years of age, said he went with his father to fetch firewood. When coming home deceased told him to go on, as the water was rising. I He did so, and when-witness looked round his father was np to his chesty in water. His father never spoke to him* and be never saw him again. He then cold his mother what had happened. Daniel Dolan, brother of the deceased, remembered Garrathers Chafing and saying that his brother wss drowned. He went to deceased’s house to see Mrs Dolan and then went to the sea, and whistled and shonted. Then came back close to the lagoon, and found the horse standing there. Next day went to Mathias ac a Randall’s to look for him ; then to Soothbridge, and reported the occurrence to the police. When witness returned his nephew showed him the place where deceased was last seen. The water at that spot was some nine feet deep. He was on the beach on Sunday dragging, and at last saw deceased lying on a spit in abont a foot of water. Henry Harrison. and abont 30 others were present when the body was recovered. Ha took the body out himself, and took it to deceased’s late residence.. It was Sunday evening when the body was found. Constable Bootke gave evidence as to the matter having been reported, and the steps which-had been taken for the recovery of the body. The finding of. the bady was reported to him by D. Dolan at Bam. on Monday, the 20th. Reported the matter verbally to Mr Baddeley, the coroner, at 9 a.m. the same morning. No time was then appointed for the inqneat. Explained the whole circumstances to the Coroner. ■

The jury retired, and in a tew minutes returned with a verdict of “Accidental drowning/' and added the following rider: “That the jury request that the AotlngOoronar report the fact to the Minister of Justioe as to the apparent negligence of the authorities in not calling the inquest before three days had elapsed after finding the body, considering that deceased lost his life seven days ago ; also, that a copy of this rider be forwarded to the Ootonefe for the district.!’