ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 667, 18 November 1909, Page 8

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

MIRACULOUS ESCAPE FROM DEATH. (By Telegraph—Press' Association.) ' Christchurch, November 17. A man named Percy Waddell hada miraculous escape from death at the tunnel works early.: this morning. Waddell was trucking from the tunnel mouth . to. the tiphead, and had taken a rake of seven trucks down, and was in the. ..act of tipping them from the trestle, vwhen by some means tho whole rake commenced to ■'. move forward, apparently through-being insufficiently ; braked. ' All the trucks are fitted with a powerful; screw brake,' andthere should be no difficulty in holding them, but- as. .Waddell .was a new hand-.at; the work it is surmised that when he found the trucks moving towards destruction he lost' his head, and unscrewed the brake instead of screwing it. on.; 'The result was .that'the whole • rake went over the trestle,'and was smashed to. pieces. ■ Waddell attempted, to alight;on the end'of the sleepers, but missed his footing and fell a'distance of 45 feet-to the riverbed below, where 'he was' picked up in an unconscious condition some time ,after. He has now regained consciousness, but is suffering from internal injnrieb, besides a broken leg and several cuts and bad bruises;

CHILD SWALLOWS MATCH-HEADS. Dunedin, November 17. . • Some days ago a girl named Constance Neil- ' son, aged, nineteen months,. whoso parents, live at Kavensbourne, managed to react, a.box-of wax matches:on a table near to'her cot. She bit the heads off a number and swallowed them. It was not 'until yesterday morning that any ill effects became visible • and then the mother sent for Dr. MTCollar. From the first,he held out no hope, and the girl died during the day. An inquest was held this .morning before the coroner (Mr. Graham) and '&' verdict of death from phosphorous poisoniing was returned. Mr. Graham, commenting upon the cose, said there was a . Bill being brought befoie Parliament'' at Home to dp away, with the manufacture, of phosphorous matches on account of the diseaso impartedto those engaged in the trade. • Such a Bill,' if it became law,- would also prevent : such' a distressing misadventure as the present. .

: DRAGGED TJNpEETITOCksV> ; ; r, «.• '"vercargill, NovemberM7.'■■ I "? 3^?^ B .' ?5? d , J % hile; setting off, a ballast.train at Athol station, stumbled, and the .plough on the van dragged him under- the trucks. Ho": was so severely injured th at he diedon.tho-way; to the hospital.