PETONE TRAIN FATALITY

Dominion, 14 March 1919, Page 6

PETONE TRAIN FATALITY

INQUEST ON HAROLD JAMES. Yesterday evening at the Petone Railway Station, before Mr. W. G. Riddell, Coroner, an inquiry was held into the death of tho hoy, Harold James, who was killed at the Petone Railway Station on AVednesday through being run over by a train. Dr. Harding stated that ho was called to the railway station at 5.55 p.m. on Wednesday. He saw deceased, who was then quite dead, his head being practically severed from his body. Harry . Coatnian, signalman, said hp was .on duty when the 5.45 p.m. train arrived. He saw deceased, who was standing on the step of the fourth or fifth carriage from the engine. He was about 15 yards away nt the time. Deceased had hold of the hand-rail of the car and hopped off just as the train was strfpping, and fell between the platform and the carriage. The train would then have been travelling at about two miles an hour. The only reason he could account for deceased falling was through being in a hurry to get off and be first over the bridge. Georgo R. Smith, mechanic, employed by the Wellington Tramway Company, 6aid he was a passenger by the 5.45 p.m. . train. He did not see deceased on the train,_ and the first thing that directed his attention was a bump underneath the carriage. He rushed out of tho carriage and saw deceased lying near the rail, about three, feet from the bogey. Tho front wheels of one carriage had passed Over him and his,head was nearly severed from his body. Witness picked dec-rased up and put him on the platform. Charles N, Haslam, headmaster of the Petone District High School, said that deceased was one of the scholars in his school, and alcng with a number of other scholars went into Wellington in charge of three senior tcachers. AVitness went in on the 4 o'clock train especially to assist and supervise in the home-coming. After tho departure of the 5.12 p.m. train and when the 5.27 p.m. train pulled into Lambton Station he saw deceased with other boyi at tile luggage counter. Ho. directed them to their carriage in the train and" then turned and went I down past the station verandah to direct the scliolars coming from the wharves. AA'lien no more were in sight iie went rislit through the train to collect all that might have got into the wrong carriage. By the time he got back to the school carriages all the party, as lie thought, were in their places, and Mr. King, his first assistant, reported that he was the last of tho wharf party. To make doubly sure he went back to the ; end of the train, but found no strag- ! glers.. about. He was helping the girls . in the front carriage to detrain when I he was told of the accident. Deceased , was a very good little chap and witness r had never found him deliberately disr obedient. , In reply to a nuestion by Mr. Hanning, i stationmnster at Petone, Mr. Haslam , said there was ample room in tho car- , riages set apart for the children. There , was no need for deceased to seek accom- ! modation elsewhere. r Ronald Ashman, n school boy, travelling with the party, snid he saw deceased standing on tho platform of the fifth carriage. He heard him say "Watch ; me iump." Deceased jumped with his back to the engine. In summing up tho evidence the CorI oner said that deceased was a member of a party from the District High School under the control and supervision of teachers. The evidence as to the control and supervision of the children on the train was quite satisfactory, and had deceased kept with his party, no doubt the accident would not ~ have occurred. In all probability tho boy would have escaped had he not jumped from the train in the particular way described by tho Inst witness. One must sympathise with his parents. The boy had gone away in the morning with a party of school children enjoying himself through the day, and met the disaster in the evening. Tho verdict would be that deceased met his death through being run over by the train, and no blame was attachable to any of the officers connected with the train or to the teachers accompanying the party t" AVellington and back.