CASUALTIES.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17112, 6 April 1921, Page 8

CASUALTIES.

A MINER'S DEATH

Frank McAtavey, a miner, who had been employed at tho Otira tunnel, died in the Christchurch Hospital yesterday, shortly after the performance of an operation on his skull. McAtavey, who was a single man, and a native of Ireland, fell 40 feet from a window of a lavatory in the Zetland Hotel, on the'night of March 26th, and, apparently striking the stop-cock on a tank below, suffered two wounds on the head. He was taken to the hospital in an unconsoioua condition.

The evidence at the inquest held ye*terday before the Coroner, Mr S. E. McCarthy, showed that the deceased ahad come to Christchurch for the Easter -holidays. He retired to bed about 11 p.m. on March 26th, and Bhared a room with another man, named McDonald, from Otira. Later in .the night the porter at the Zetland ;Hotel found McAtavey in an unconscious condition lying in a narrow passage outside the building below the lavatory window.

John Young, son of the late licenses, of the Zetland Hotel, said that on the night of March 26th lie was awakened by someone callings for help, and lie found,the night porter with McAtavey in an injured condition. "Witness later found two footmarks on the seat in the lavatory, and also two footmarks on the window sill, and two handmarks on the higher Bill. The deceased must have got on to the windowsill in the lavatory, and fallen from there, a distance of 40 feet. The lavatorjr window would be about 2 feet by 48 inches. Dr. Stanley Foster said that when he saw the deceased at the hospital on the morning of March 27th, he was then semi-conscious, and appeared; to be suffering from severe concussion, probably with a fracture of the base of the skull. His conditio!! was bad, and did not improve, and he remained semiconscious. The head was X-rayed, and there appeared some .evidence of* a depression of the inner wall of the skull under one' of ihe wounds on the scalp. It was thought that a moderate degree of pressure must be responsible for his remaining in a low condition so long, and, with the object of relieving any pressure in the skull, an operation was performed, but no definite pressure was found, certainly not enough to account for his condition. After the operationthe deceased was put back to bed, and he died three-quarters of an hour after. Witness could not say what was the cause of death.

Dr. C. J. Campbell, who assisted at; the operation, ajso gave evidence corroborating Dr. Foster's statements, and said he could not say what was the cause of death.

The Coroner: We must have a postmortem.

The inquest was adjourned till 5 p.m. to-day.

A quantity of hot water blew back and scalded J. Price,/an employee of the, Christchurch Gas Company while he was filling a generator at the gasworks with water yesterday. He was taken to the Christchurch Hospital.

An employee of the Wpolston Tanneries named 0; Smythe was walking through a gateway after finishing Trork, at abotit 5 p.m., yesterday, wnen he was run into by a cyclist and knocked down. a broken shoulder, necessitating his removal to the Christchurch Hospital for treatment. The condition of Mr George Storey, who was injured in the motor-car accident on the Akaroa road, was stated at an early hour this morning to be slightly improved. The other occupants of the car who received are making satisfactory progress towards recovery.