ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1969, 28 January 1914, Page 8

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

THE HULK FATALITY,

.MAKIXCi FAST IN T A SQUALL,

Tiic inquest concerning tlio death of. James Waterstroel, , '' luiUt-keoper, who ivas drowned, in tke■harbour on January 16, and whose body was recovered on Monday, was conducted by Mr. W. G, liiddell- yesterday morning. Mr. 1 , . J. O'llegan appeared.for tlio relatives of deceased, and Senior Sergeant Mullany for tho pdke. Denis Loftmnn, coal worker, stated that deceased, was hnlk-keoppr on tho Solgraii. He had identified the body at tho morgue. John Green, coal worker, stated that he was working with deceased on January 16, when they were engaged, in coaiing tlio Wahinc. It wne blowing, aJid tho sea w-ae very rough. They had made; fast to a buoy in the harbour, end witness had gono.for'ard, and noticed deceased over t'-lie sjde of tho vessel. ' He was engaged in securing it to tho buoy. Witness asked.him if ho was all -right, and , deceased answorci, "Yes;. pick her iitt, Jack." Witness had joined deceased on tho buoy, but tho vessel heaved and the rope attaching .it to tho. buoy,.s3inj)pcd. Witness caught at deceased;,, tat, they lost hold of tho buoy. The'captain of the Terawhiti, which liad towed Wicm to tho buoy, and was standing near by, ordered a ropo to be thrown over tlto side. Witness cauglit this, and paid out a few fathoms to deceased,.-who was then in tho water a few feet away. -.. Witness railed out: "Are you, ali right, Jira.?" But ; receivesl no answer. lie'(witness) was then knocked-against the b'uov, and tho next thing 'tlmt'lic- knew'-was that 'he was on board the Torawliiti. To' Mr. O'Regaii: ■'It was not customary for tlio -liulk-keeper ot>& vcsml to fasten to "tho lnio.y. Tho wily inference -to' be dfawii ! from. ttvo t'acfc tlvat lie had done 's©'"iirtlue case was that the other'persons on'bofliii the vessel we're jiofc , qualified for 'the work, • The accident was primarily due' to the ro.po snapping. lt : was a new five-inch ro-pe. Tho siiaijping ffliglit 'hitvo been duo to tlio. Jieaying.of the-vessel Tlioinas .Alcoek- Krey, foreman, in the employ, of' tho tF.S.S. Company, stated 'that on JaiiuaVy 16 he was in ehargo of tlie labourers on the'hulk Solgran, He 'corroborated the'statements of tho previous "witness. ' Witness had held tlie Jrno.wWio' deceased got oh-t oii to the. l)uoy. arid mack the lift* fast. John Green ,iftor\yards went' on' to the buoy, and just as" .they proceeded to shaolde.on a .heavy gust of whid struck the' hulk's boani and "tho roijo broke. Green put one ann 'through a ring in tho buoy and 'the other arm round deceased, 'but eouid .not'. hold him. The ring of tke- Wy .appeared to jam Green against tlio. Tcrawhiti, and ho fell into tho water. Ropes «-ero thrown but tboiipb. one of them fell over deceased's back- when lie was in the water, he did not attempt to catcK it. Deceased's arms and legs were moving, but ho 'presently sank. - A lifeinioy was thrown from the Terawhiti, and it went within absnt 10 yards of deceased. He saw deceased rise again in tlio water, and he "(witness) called out to a launch' to make for deceased, pointing out the direction, but deceased, afrain sank, and was not seen figain. To Mr. O'Regan: Witness could not understand why'deceased did not catch hold of the rope 'that'was thrown to him. The ; ]mlk and the tug were only 15 yards flpirt, and thereforo it would havo been dangerous for aH.VOiio to jump overboard and attempt a rescue, 'rtie snapping of the rope wa« duo, to a heavy, gust of ,wind .whiclr'-caught thehulk. 'Pl "'■'. . ; ' : ':';, :: 'V ; '' j' : "' , . ■ Constable Porsyth gavo'evidence as to the finding of. the body .off the Tarelwki'Street AVha.l'f. ... , ' ." I "This is an unfortunate accident," said tlio coroner at tlio conclusion of the evidence. "It Isas been stated, by witnesses that on tho day that decoas,cd was drowned the sea was very rough. Deceased was. taking an activo part in tho mooring of- a hulk. Unfortunately a. heavy gust of wind struck tho hulk just at a critical moment, causing a stout lino to break, and deceased and tho witness Green were thrown into the water. For some roas«n <vr other the ropes and lifebuoy thrown to deceased were nc>t caught by him. and he sank before other assistance came to him. It appears that he i could Jiot have bcon 'much of a swimmer. He must,, however, had some idea how to float, and -evidently acted with some presence of miud. when ho (h'd not struggle, in the water . and'call out. Probably the weight of W clothes caused him ta sink, and assistance did not come sufficiently soon to savo him. Tlio whole of tho evidence paints to .pure accident." ' . " A verdict was returned tliat tlpcpnsed was accidentally drowned in Wellington Harbour on January 16 whilo engaged in moor.uig tho'lru.ik' Bolgra.n, A boy named Frank Cornish, 14 years of ■ age', wns admitted ta the Hospital last nisrhfc suffering-from avbroken'riclifc arm. Ho liad fallra off his bicycle while riding near liie homo in I?oy ■' Street, Ncwtown. > CHAMP SEIZES SWIMMER, (By Telegraph.—Press ■ AssQCfatlon.l. Blenheim, January 27. A labourer, John Ulingwortli, ; aflcd 44 years, was drowned in tho Wairau Kivcv at Spring Creek-yestwday. He- ! attempted to swim across the'_ river, and sank wlicn half-way. "It is pre» I sinned ho was seized with cramp. The ' body has,, be.on recovered. A TAILOB FOUND DROWNED. [ .Blenheim,. January 27. 1 A middle-aged unmarried man named Jas. Ford, a tailor by'occupation, was : found drowned !in the Omaka River this 'afternoon. ■ "'. . 4