FATAL FALL DOWN A HOLD

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 43, 15 November 1920, Page 5

FATAL FALL DOWN A HOLD

: A BOY'S TRAGIC END. An. inquest was held by Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., on Saturday morning intq the cause of death of William H. Hopkins, 1G years' of age, a brass boy Tin the ferry steamer Maori, who was found dead in No. 1 hold on the vweel on Thursday evening, with his skull fractured. Sergeant Sweeney appeared on behalf of the police, and Mr. P. Lev" watched the proceeding «" hehaU of the Union Steamship Company. The evidence given by William Jameson, nil able seaman on the Maori, was to the effect that he last saw tho lad at 5.45 p.m., when he had finished' tea. He ieft tho messroom with some pieces of fish and meat in his hand and said he was going to feed a flog. To get to the kennel, Hopkins would have had to na s s No I hold, which was Sltt. Bin. deep and was open. The combing round the hold was about two feet high. Witness saw the body ui the hold soon after 7 p.m. Any person using ordinary caro could have passed the hold safely. Tt was daylight and no work was going on; there'was nothing to .causo one ,to trip and fall. Thomas H. Bowling, chief officer of the Maori, said that Hopkins joined tho ship about five weeks ago. He saw the body in tho hold; ho then examined the hatchway and saw nothing to cause deceased to fall. The only explanation of (Tie accident' that occurred to him was tiint the boy must havo been leaning over the hatchway looking for the cats in the hold, and had overbalanced and fallen Witness made inquiries on the vessel and could not discover anyone who had seen tho accident. Constable Jarrold, who was called as soon as the body was discovered, said that fh» deceased was 1ji»B««m nock, with lift-head in a pool of blood, the skull was fractured and both arms were John' Dineen, probation officer of tho Juvenile Court, said that the deceased was 10 vears of age. and his parents resided in Chrislchiircli. The Coroner emd that the accident was somewhat mysterious and might bare been brought about by Hopkins overbalancing bimsolf while looking for the cat and kittene He found that death was duo to a fracture of the skull caused by a fall down the hold.