ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 517, 26 May 1909, Page 8

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

BOY FALLS OVER A CLIFF. AN ALL-NIGHT SEARCH. v tei TiLßQiurn-riiEss association.! .',. ' ' Chrlstchuroh, May 25. A trying experience befell V. Borti, son of Mr. Berth of the Waltham Arms Hotel, who went out shooting with his undo, Mr. W. Hounsell, on tho hills abovo Lyttelton Harbour yesterday afternoon. They were shoot- , !,l g on ,, th °T, steep rooky slopes immediately above tho Permanent Artillery barracks on tno bumner Road, and had arranged, in tho event of becoming separated on the hills, to moot on tho road side about 4.30 p.m. Mr Hounsell decided to return homo, but before coming into Lyttelton ho waited on the road until nearly 6 o'clock for his nephew, who did not put in an a'ppoaranco. Ho concluded Mat the boy must have gone on alone, so ho went to the Port and then to Christchurch. On reaching home he found that his nephew had not arrived, so, becoming alarmed, ho returned to Lyttelton, and after informing the police ho organised a search party, which included Mr. Borti. They took an acetylene lamp and hurricane lamp, and scoured the hillsides thoroughly., shouting at frequent intervals to attract the missing boy s attention. About 10.30 o'clock a second party, consisting of SeTgcant Ryan, Unstable/Evans, and Messrs. S. Maiden, A. M Dougall and A.'Lanyon, with fivo lamps! set out, and.tho search was continued until about 3.30 this morning, when tho lamps gave out.. The searchers had a vory trying time scrambling about tho precipitous slopeß in the darkness, but. they found no trace of the boy, and returned to Lyttelton to wait for daylight. About 6 o'clock this morning a party consisting of Sergeant Ryan, Constables Evans, Booby, and Fitzgerald, and Messrs, Berti, Hounsell, S. Maiden, and A. M Dougall, set out again, having passed a sleepless night. Constable Fitzgerald and Mr. Hounsell started out over tho; ground where the latter had last seen the boy, and tho others spread themselves out over tho slopes. Mr. M'Dougall skirted round tho' base' of a high cliff, well up tho slopo, and at about. 7.30 a.m.. after calling out .sevoral 'timesj heard a taint -groan. Ho made his way in the direction of tho sound, but had to call out three times'before ho could find the boy, who was lying with his head downhill between two rocks and his feet in a flaxbush a few feet above. The boy was just conscious,: and Mr. M'Dougall called out to tho other searchers,, who were quickly on the spot. Mr. Maiden ran down to tho barracks, and then to Lyttelton for a doctor. Sevoral of tho artillerymen took a stretcher,'with rugs and pillows, up to the spot.where the boy was lying, and ho was taken down the ! steep slopes, tho going being .exceedingly arduous owing to the rough and .broken nature of tho ground. The artillerymen gave valuable assistance, and tho party 'were mot half-way down the hill by Dr. Ppham, who had gone out in'.an express'van, and who ordered the boy's removal to the casualty ward. Mr. M'Dougall stated that tho boy must havo slipped and fallen over a very high rocky cliff about 150 feet in height, and have rolled about 50 feet down tho hillside before'he stopped, as ho was found about that distance from ; the base of the cliff. The boy's gun was found "just at tho foot of the ch'ff, tho barrel, which was badly embedded a foot or more in tho earth. His hat and a match-box were picked up about half-way between tho base of tho precipice, and the spot whero he was lying. Mr.'M'Dougall stated, that the boy had a miraculous escape from being killed outright, and the marvel was that he had survived tho torriblo fall ■, and all-night ex-posure-in the chilly, air. The boy was almost frozen, and was very badly bruised and knocked about, and was suffering verymuch from injuries to his head... When found ho was : just able to answer "Yes" or "No" to questions. During tho night the searchers had passed a number of times within'a few feet of the boy, who, however, was too dazed and weak to answer their calls.'At. the casualty ward ho was" examined by Dr. Upham, who states that no bones aro,broken. Every effort, was mado to restore the circulation of the blood in his body, and good hopes are entertained of his recovery from his terrible experience. • ■ .-.■'._ .!'■■•■. '..' ' '■'•■■'■'"■ '.'■■ Later? '■ Though Berti showed good ; progress towards recovery during tho afternoon, ho took a turn, for tho worse to-night, and ■ bis' condition'caused, the doctors much anxiet>\ The indications are that tho injuries to the head- are more serious than was'-at firstsuspected, also that some internal injuries m?ve been, sustained. SECOND MISHAP ON THE MIMIRO. , (SI TELEGEAPa—rBESS ASSOCIATION.) ■'■ Clsborne, May 25. A second accident occurred on board tho Tyser steamer Mimiro this morning, a stevedore, named Joseph Hay, getting his leg broken, whilst loading wool. HEART DISEASE/ . ■A. single woman named Esther Maclear, who had been an inmate of'tho hospital sinco January 29, 1907, died at 1.30 yesterday morning. The cause of death was heart disease, and no inquest .was deemed necessary.'