LYALL BAY FATALITY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 119, 6 February 1918, Page 9

LYALL BAY FATALITY

THE INQUEST. Mr. W, fj. Riddell, S.M.. held an inqriest yesterday tonching the death of Vi illiam Barber, a single man, 28 years of age, a clerk in the Government Railway Department, who was drowned at Lyall Bay oil Saturday last. Sergeant-Major Llewcilvn Harrison Jones said that he was clerk in the Defence Department, and had resided, with deceased in Webb Street. Witness and Barber went to Lyall Bay on Saturday afternoon for a swim, Witlioss was in the water for about .15 minutes, and just before leaving ho spoke to Barber, who was then all right. About three minutes after he. left the water thero was an alarm, but witness did not join the crowd. Later, vheii tho man was brought ashore, lie discovered who it was. Deceased had been turned down twice when he volunteered for service, and when called in tho ballot ho was paßsed as lit. Ho had been turned down for heart trouble. Dr. Kington Fyffe, who made, tho post-mortem examination, stated that the deceased was a powerfully-built yoinifr mail. In his opinion it was not a case of drowning, but of shock and exhaustion through struggling m the water wiioil suffering from dilation of tho right side of the heart. Evidence was also given by JOmile Deslandes, who was the first to reach the deceased; by E. I'\ Minifie, who helped to bring in the body, and who tried artificial respiration; and by Constablo Price. The coroner returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.