DEATH OF MR. W. SMITH

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 245, 10 July 1919, Page 4

DEATH OF MR. W. SMITH

i ACCIDENTAL DROWNING. Yesterday afternoon tlio Coroner (Mr. W. G. liidde.ll, S.M.) held an inquest on tho body of Mr. William Smith, managing director of the firm of Smith nnd Smith, Ltd., oil and colour merchants, whose body was found in the harbour on Tuesday afternoon. Detective-Sergeant Cox, of tho Wharf Police, conducted tin* inquiry, and Mr. 0. C. Mazengarh appeared on behalf of deceased's relatives. Dr. W. Jf. Fyffo gave evidence as to holding a post-mortem examination, and said that the marks on the iaee and ihead suggested that tho deceased had hit' the wharf as he fell. His'general condition suggested that he was in a serious state of ill-health prior to the time he was drowned. Donald Reid, farmer, Upper Hutt, faid that he saw deceased on Saturday afternoon, June 2S, and ho appeared to be ill. Deceased was going to catch the Day's Bay ferry boat. It was very dark at the spot where he met him—near the man-o'-war steps. 'Witness did rot sto him again, although ho made inquiries. Ernest R. Mowbray, manager of the firm of Smith and Smith, Ltd., gave evidence as to the ill-health of the deceased. The lato Mr. Smith was sliort-sighted and wore glasses. , Evidence as to finding tlio /body was given by a Harbour Board diver( and the police stated that r.t tho spot, where tlio body was found the wharf was badly lighted. The Coroner said that taking into account tho bad health of tho deceased, tlio fact that he was short-sighted, and that the spot where ho fell from the wluvvf was badly lighted, it could bo assumed that tho deceased, wlvilst proceeding along the wharf lo catch the ferry boat, got too near the edge of the wharf, tripped and fell into the water. The veroiet would lie that tho deceased met his death by accidental drowning on June 28, 1919,