ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 78, 26 December 1907, Page 6

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

■FATAL FALL AT ISLAND BAY. A WOMAN KILLED. The dead body of a woman a little past middle ago was found lying in G. H. Baylis's quarry at the foot of a cliff at Island Bay on Tuesday morning. The woman apparently fell from tho top of tho cliff, a distance of about 100 feet. Her neck was broken, and her nose and left eye sovoroly cut. Deceased, who was found by Mr. Baylis,. jun., woro a black satin skirt, a whito blouse, and a white straw hat. A letter, in referenco to board and lodging, writton by a Miss Mullin to Mrs. Morris,' was found in ono of tho pockets of deceased's clothes. The body was removed to tho morgue, where it was identified yostorday by Mr. J. Moore, who recognised the, woman as a widow named Edith Green, who had been employed as a general servant at Moore's boarding houso in Dbcon Street for about three months. Deceased has-one young son in Now Zealand. Enquirios mado by ' the police at Island Bay, yesterday elicited no information ijbout tho woman's movements. She/was formerly a'resident of the Bay, and was burnt out there somo time ago. It'is stated that deceased suffered from .mental weakness. An .inquest is to bo held at tho morgue at 11 o'clock this morning.

ANOTHER ACCIDENT AT TE ARO / BATHS. The shallowness of tho water at. the To Aro Baths was responsible for another accident on Tuesday' afternoon. A young man named ■P. Coozc, said to reside in Alpha Street, was diving from the starting-board at the northern end of the baths into less than four feet of- water when he struck his head on tho bottom. Cooze managed to reach tho landing steps in a dazed condition. Dr. Elliott,- who was sent for'immediately, •pronounced that tho unfortunate swimmer was suffering from a rather sovere concussion of the bruin, and. ordered his removal to his home. ,-; It would appear that diving is not'a safe pastinio at the Te Aro Baths, ■■ as this is.the second accident of the., kind that lias happened in less than,a fortnight. Last Sunday week' a Mr. Davidson, of Webb Street, sustained concussion- of the brain and an injury to his spine through striking his head on the bottom whilst diving from one of tho spring boards. Swimmers have been expressing their dissatisfaction with tho state of tho baths for some time past, and it would seem that it is high time the City Council faced the matter. . .

STRUCK BY AN ENGINE. OLD MAN MEETS HIS DEATH. (BY TELEGEAPU—SPECIAL CORKESrOXDENT.) '• . •:. .':■". iFeilding, Decombor 25.' On Christmas Eve, tho 5.45 p.m. train from Feilding, when within two miles of Halcombe, ran into an old age pensioner, named' Henry Summervilie, aged sixty-eight, killing him instantly. Tho body was brought to Feilding .by the return train. ■• . , When the inquest was held this morning before Captain Mowlcm, Coroner, tho eviig dciico disclosed that tho deceased had ' left Feilding by tho 2.30 p.m. train to return to his.home at a place known as Lcthbridge's Bush. He got out at Halcombe, and-ap-parently -walked down tho lino. ■ Whether ho was overcome by a fit and fell on the line is not known. . : Malcolm J. Murfitt, driver on tho 5:45 p;m..train, deposed that when rounding a curvo he noticed a man with his head on the rail about 100 yards ahead. He- immediately applied the omergeney brakes, but the aiigle iron of the cowcatcher struck the lihfortunatq man,-death being instantaneous. The head was cut to pieces. _ . ' Gorroborativo evidence v/as given by tho fireman and guard. •■ -\•■ -. ■•■•■•■. Sergeant Bowden identified, tho deceased, .anil stated that no signs of liquor "were found. Deceased was very deaf.

A verdict of accidental death was returned. ' AN INFANT'S DEATH. , ' (Dt TELEGBArn—SPECIAI COERESPONUENT.) '','. Hastings, December 25. At the inquest, on a two-inonths-blfl infant named Taylor tho evidorice showed that the child had been ill for 14 days, 'and tho mother had thought that the trouble was only _ a cold, 'and had got medicine from a chemist to ease tho cough.' The child got gradually worse, and finally a doctor was sent for, but it was dead boi'qro ho arrived. Tho medical evidence was to tho effect that tho post-mortem disclosed bronchial pneumonia. The medicine produced was' not what tho doctor would havo given tho child under the circumstances, but there was nothing'poisonous in it. It showed a. want of judgment on tho part of a chemist to supply medicine to such a young- and feeblo child without a prescription from.a medical man. A. verdict was returned that dbath had resulted froni bronchial pnoumo'nia, as stated in tho doctor's evidence.

" Attempted suicide. : (BT TELEGRArjI— SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) Hastings, Decomber 25. ■ A man named fjimsori, a cook engaged on Mr. Hugh Campbell's Longlands Etation, attempted to commit suicide yesterday by cutting his throat. Ho cooked the men's breakfast in tho morning, and loft a noto saying that ho■intended to commit suicide. Mr. Campbell found..tho man in tho woolshed with his throat cut, and. ho was attended to by Dr. M'Donnell, with the result that.he was enabled to bo removed to tho Napier Hospital for treatment.