ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2721, 16 March 1916, Page 6

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

A "BACK-BLOCKS" TRAGEDY. By. .Telegraflh.-rtSpccial Correspondent.) Pahiatua, March 15. : A' "back-blocker" named .John. Fitzgerald, aged ninety years, an Imperial Army and Maori: War pensioner, succumbed in the hospital to-day,from injuries 'sustained in a trap accident. Kitzgerald was in tlie habit of walking to Pongaroa, .'a. distance of seven miles. When returning homo lately, Fitzgerald, it is stated, was given a ride on a trap driven by Y. E. Walker." Tho vehicle capsized, and the..... occupants 6pent the night m the locality. Walker recovered sufficiently in tho morning to removo Fitzgerald to. tho, former's v.-hare.. :

: Two days later Fitzgerald was .found by another settler in a helpless condition. alone, in Walker's whare. The doctor who conducted a postmortem examination, said that death tvas duo to dislocation of the neck.

Tho inquest was adjourned

A MISSING MAN. By Teleirrftrh.—Press Association.

Auckland, March 15.

A search is being made ,on the West Coast for Mr.'George Basire, of' Ellersli_e, who has been missing from Bethelß since.Monday. . ft is foared that he has been drowned. The missing man left hia house in the morning, to go fishing on the rocks. He failed to return, and subsequently his billy and lunch were found near a fissure in the rocks. SUDDEN DEATH OF A BOY. 1 Auckland, March 15. . • 'George Shand,- aged thirteen, died of -heart failure in. the Masonic Hall, .Huntly, ■ when ..therewas' some excitement'caused by s flare-up in a kerosene heater. A sp.ck -which was thrown over |the stove became ignited, and the'caretaker, whose hands .. were somewhat severely burned, threw the flaring mass .outside. As he'did so, Shand either jinnpp'd or.foil off tho steps, and lay the spot for;.a. little time. He .was either helped or managed to stagger a little J further, from' the. door. On! examination it was found that the boy was unconscious. Artificial respiration was persisted in for some time, liut life was extinct. -v.--

TROOPER DROWNED

Dimedln, Maroh 15.

-Trooper. Kelly;.of the lltli Reinforcements, who .was ; on : final leave, was drowned. while bathing in the Kakanui River! *

RAILWAY. GANGER KILLED. An accident, resulting in the death of Ganger Currie, occurred in the Manawatu Gorge on Tuesday night'. As the driver of a train was passing through the Gorge, at about 11.08 .o'clock, ho noticed an overturned trolly, "with the light. still burning, lying beside_ tho line. He pulled up to investigate, and on going back found tlio body of Ganger Currie lying beside tho line. Death had apparently been instantaneous, as the deceased man's head was terribly injured. The body was taken into ralmerston. .Appearances point to the fact that Currie was trying to get tho trolly off the line wlien tho vohiclo was Btruelc by the cowcatcher'of a train, probably the 8 c'olook, which came through from Waipukuran.