ACCIDENTS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20108, 11 December 1930, Page 12

ACCIDENTS.

♦- I BATHING TRAGEDY. TEACHER AND PUPIL DROWNED. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEOKAM.) PALMERSTON N., December 10. J A drowning tragedy occurred near ! the Komako Settlement., Pohangina Valley, to-day, Miss E. Dommett, school-teacher, aged 23, and a, pup , Vernon Charles Ferguson, aged nine, l0 The onfy I "witnesses were three other „ h ;iHrfin When the school -aSr semblid^ monSng only four pupils w«e present. Near midday the teacher suggested a swimming lesson in a back wasfi of the river, containing water nv£? six feet deep. At the time ot the mishap, the other children state, she was teaching Ferguson to swim. They were not taking particular notice and their first warning of the tragedy was when they saw Miss Dommett tall and float down into the rapids. Ferguson had dropped into deep water from her arms. „ As the children could do notmng, one hastened for help and the others went after the teaclier, whom they dragged out unconscious some distance downstream. Nearby settlers were on the scene as soon as possible and got the boy out of the hole. Iney tried artificial respiration, but unsuccessfully. CHAINMEN INJURED. (rscss asbociatiok telegram.) DUNEDIN, December 10. At 11.15 a,m. to-day two chainmen, who were working in a survey party which had been sent to the Whare Flat district from the City Engineer's Department, came in contact, through a steel band which they were using, with an electric cable. They _ are Robert Duncan and Herbert Watson and are suffering from shock and burns. _ Both are married and reside at Dunedin. It seems that members of the party were working at a point near the »Whare Flat road and the chainmen were pulling the band across the gully. Owing to the surface formation of the conntry the band flew up and touched the cable. As a direct result of the accident there was a stoppage of the electric power in one section of the city. CROSSING TRAGEDY. (raxss asbociatiok tzlxgxau.) PALMERSTON N., December 10. At the inquest inttf the death of John Carian, aged 84, who was killed by the New Plymouth express on December 2nd at a level crossing, the driver of the engine stated that the whistle was sounded when approaching the crossing. When Carian was observed coming acrofls the road in a milk float witness applied the emergency brakes. The horse attachfd to tho conveyance appeared to stop for a second as it jogged over the rails, otherwise the vehicle would probably have escaped the impact. The Coroner returned a verdict of accidental death, adding that, apparently, Carian crossed the iline without observing or hearing the train. No blame was attachable to the enginedriver,