A TROOPER'S DEATH

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2380, 9 February 1915, Page 6

A TROOPER'S DEATH

THE LAMBTON RAILWAY FATALITY. An' inquest was held by Mr. D. G. A. Cooper, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon into the death of Private Frederick William Black, a member of the Expeditionary Forces who was fatally injured through being run over by a train at Lambton Station on Saturday evening. Senior-Ser-geant Mullany appeared for the police, Mr. A. W. Hutchings for the Railway Department, and Lieutenant- L. M. Liardet for tho Defence Department. Dr. Henry said he had been called to Lambton Station at 11 p.m. on Saturday to attend deceased. When he arrived deceased was breathing his last, his heart beat for a few moments, and he gavo a few gasps and died. Witness examined the body and found deceasod's skull fractured," while the left thigh and the right foot were severely crushed and mangled. Death.was due to hemorrhage of the brain, accelerated by shock caused by tho injuries. diaries Henry Buvnuge, traiii-cxaiD-' iner. said that on the Saturday evening he was engaged in testing the Westinghouse brakes on the Trentham-bound train. There was a- train due from the ttutt about, tho same. time. As this train was arriving witness saw several troopers standing near the troop train, | when another trooper dropped oft the stationary train and ran on m front of tho incoming engine. Witness closed his eyes. When the deceased wa6 again seen he was lying on the side of one rail clear of the line. V> ltness did not see the train strike deceased, the incoming . train had passed right on from where he was • To Mr. Hutchwgs: The .driver of the incoming train kept- the whistle 'blowino- all the time while passing the stationary troop train, and it was sounding when deceased was struck by the engine. Deceased dropped oft Jie end of 1 the troop train, and, running, collided with the incoming train. -James: Boyle, engine-driver, said he was driving the train from Lower Hum, due at Lambton at 10.52 p.m. As the train came in witness 6aw three or four troopers standing -between his train and the troop train. The space between the two trains would be about six feet. Witness did not see any man get struck bv the engine. Tho first he heard oi the accident was in the engine yard, when a . shunter came along and said a man had been injured. -frc. To Mr Hutchuigs: AVitness kept the whistle .blowing all the time he was entering the station. Alfred Henry Hart, coaching man at Lambton Station, gave evidence as to finding .deceased in a dying condition near,the rails. . David Matthews, private m the Fourth Reinforcements, said than jm the Saturday ' evening he walked, to _mo 1 station with .deceased. He left tun just outside the station, and that was the :iast time he saw him alive. : ! Constable. M'Crae also gave- evidence. ; The. Coroner returned a verdict that deceased died„as the result of hemorrhage of the brain, the • result railway accident at Lambton SmwOu on Saturday,-No blame was attacuSSfc to anyone, the affair being purely an , accident.