THE COUNTRY.

Evening Star, Issue 3298, 15 September 1873, Page 3

THE COUNTRY.

Alexandra. —Our Dunstan correspondent furnishes us with the following particulars of an accident at Alexandra, by which Mr Edward Thomson, a young man well known throughout the whole district, lost his life; James Simmonds, a miner from Butcher’s Gully, had his thigh broken; and another man was slightly injured. The particulars will be best gathered from the summary of the evidence given at the inquest, which was held at the Geelong Hotel, by the Coroner., Mr W. L. Bimpson. It appears that a Mr Esson, a mason, was employed by Messrs Theyers and Beck to underfoot the gable of the brewery, and that the deceased, who was in the regular employ of Mr Beck, was engaged, in company with Mr Simmonufj aqd another' manj in giving' assistance. The gable originally was Wit upon rather an im secure foundation of sand anil gravel, and had been rendered still more insecure by an excavation made tq receive the fermenfing-tub. All the men who were engaged at the work appear to have become thoroughly aware, as they proceeded with the work, that it was rather dangerous, because they put timber to bind the new and old walls together, and used stays under the old wall, “to give warning and allow of time for escape,” in case of an accident. Thomas Russell, in giving evidence, said that about four o’clock on Friday afternoon he heard a great noise, and on looking round saw that the gable of the brewery had fallen down. He ran to look for the men who were engaged working at it, and was able to see only Esgon and Bimmonds. On getting assistance, Esson and Bimmonds were got out easily, Bimmonds having, as was afterwards discovered, his thigh broken; hut fully an hour elapsed before deceased could ha taken frpm the ruins, as only two or three men could work in the confined space at one time. When taken out deceased was quite dead. Dr Thomson, of Clyde, in giving evidence, said, in making examination of the body, he found several scars and bruises on the body, but no fracture of the bones. The mouth and nostrils he also found completely plugged up with blood and sand, and for these reasons, and from the appearance of the pupils, he was of opinion that death had been caused by suffocation. The jury returned a verdict of “Accidental death.” Deceased was twentyseven years of age, an unmarried man, and a native of Scotland, and leaves a widowed mother, residing in Melbourne.