FATAL ACCIDENT at PUKEURI POINT.

Evening Star, Issue 3655, 9 November 1874, Page 2

FATAL ACCIDENT at PUKEURI POINT.

n accident occurred at Pukeuri Point on bursday morning last, by which a man named Jo .u Hannah lost bis life. It ap[leari that Messrs Martin and M'Leod. road contractors, are afc present employed in eraveiling the telegraph road from Pukeuri point to the Waiiaki Hiver; and for the purpose of obtaining gravel har.e sunk pita close to the road, and mnning pat aid with it. 1h • pit where the accident h.-ppened ia from 12ft to 15ft deep at the face, and runs out to the level of rh\? roa I, so as to allow tue drays to be takru and filled. On Thursday morning th.re were several men in the pit amongst them being dec ased, who was engaged loadm a dray with gravel. The pit is about 12ft b:oad, and runs very close to the road. Hannah was working at the tail of the d>-ay, and on the side next the roa|. A Swede named L wsun. who was working o n the opposite site of the pit, noticed the bank alongside which Hannah was working, giving way, and at once gave the alarm. All the men ran to get clear of ibe slip but the decea-ed a pears to have sMimbled, and before he coukt recover hims b. was caught by the falling gravel and completely buried. The slip is estimate! to r-we been ten tons in weight, but only about tiveewt of it fell om Hannah-most of it falling *-ti the ho se and dray. Hannah was dug out m ab. ut four minute?, but appeared to be quite dead. r l he horse in the dray was hiO buried, and one of his legs broken. The dray was smashed up into a thousand pieces, and the axle broke in two places; indeed I M‘Leod, one of the contractors, in giving I uis evidence an the inquest, said that had the j dray not been there he believed all the other i men would have been buried ’too. 'the de- • ceasea had his wife and five children residing at Palmerston— ‘ N. (j. Times.’