Fatal Accident

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 47, 29 September 1885, Page 2

Fatal Accident

An inquest on the body of Andrew Thompson who was killed at Awahuri, was held yesterday morning at Hastie's Hotel before GL Snelson, Esq., Coroner. W. D. Nicholas, foreman, S. Daw, E. Young, John Parr, W. Campbell, and H. Walton composed the jury. The jury having viewed the body, ; George Foster, laborer, deposed < About six on Saturday morning deceased and witness started work busli felling ; deceased had felled one small tree, and came to help witness to fall ' a pine; deceased sang out sharply "look out! look out there's something coming down" ; witness jumped on one side; heard the limb off the pine strike the ground, and on looking round saw Thompson on the ground, head first, and doubled up; picked... him up and spoke to him two or three times; thought he was dead for the instant; soon as witness found he breathed got some water in a hat and put some on his head and tried to put some in his mouth ; set him up and. stayed with him to see if he revived at all; then went for the nearest assistance which was about a mil* away ; two men came back with him, and after waiting a short time to see if Thompson revived at all they carried him out on to the road; when they got him to witness' camp met Mr Eraser there, for whom the were felling they bush ; Mr Fraser went and got a trap and brought him on to Feilding. By Constable Meehan: Deceased never spoke after the accident; he was employed by witness at £1 per week and found; he has drawn no money on the work ; has been working from the 3rd August. Roderick Fraser deposed: "Was a settler, residing at Awahuri; had a contract let to last witness for bush felling; had seen the deceased on Sunday three weeks ago; knew Foster had a mate with him; these men always worked amicably together; never heard of them having any qua*?? rel ; they were getting on slowly wifjp their contract; they were doing tij*s^ work well ; last Saturday went dora to see how they were getting on, and intended measuring it up if it wat finished; when witness got down a certain distance saw three men on the road with deceased ; one of them was Foster; asked what was the matter; Foster said there was a limb come down and hit his mate, and he had not spoken a word since ; asked him how long it was since it happened; Foster said about six this morning (Saturday) ; this was some time between eight and nine o'clock ; said the best thing now to be done was to have deceased taken in to the deeter at Feilding to see what was the matter with him ; got the loan of a trap near at hand from a neighbor, Mr Sansea, and put the deceased into it and brought him on to Feilding; Foster came in the trap to hold deceased steady to prevent jolting ; he neither spoke nor make any sign in the trap ; did not appear conscious. By the foreman : Noticed where he was cut on the crown of the head. • ' ■■ • By a juror: The job let was 28 acres ; did not think they were drinking men. By Constable Meehan: The hair was clotted with blood ; when in the trap blood was coming from his mouth and ears as we were driving him up to Feilding ; blood was also coming from the nose. Dr Johnston deposed : On Saturday about two o'clock in the afternoon deceased was brought to hi* surgery in a trap from Awahuri ; found oik examining the head an irregular lacerated wound of the scalp over Jthe crown, and also a similar wound on the left Bide of head, about the middle ; there was a considerable swelling with abrasion of the skin extending from the wound top to- the ear ; til* left ear was also wounded and . blood was ozing from all th» wounds; deceased was uncohsoious and could not be roused. by loud shouting, or making a loud noise; was informed by Foster that deceased had been bleeding at the nose and mouth; he had also vomited three or four times; ordered his removal to Hastie's hotel where he was undressed * and put to bed; found the skin com- - fortably warm, but the feet were osld to which a hot water bottle was ap- . : plied; from the time witness saw him until his death he was breathing - - slowly, pulse slow, and pupils dilated ; the breathing was. not stertorous ; '* these were about the only symptoms . noticed in the case ; the. direct cause..,-,. of the death was fromthe base of th#->* ikull being fractured. ' ' " '•}*::•■ -kBy the foreman : The wounds wer* ' sf a character as would be caused by % limb of a tree falling upon ttiftman. By a juror : Vomiting is a .usual lymptom of such injuries ; a hrsnoh jould inflict the injuries. ■ ■ Constable Meehan deposed : On Sunday morning in company wiiji George Foster, proceeded down the tarangi line, where Thompson got iurt; was shown t^© tree they were tutting, also the branch that fell and itruck deceased; the end of it was

decayed ;- then searched his whare and found in a small bag three letters an<3 four pkoio's; the letters were addressed to Andrew Thompson, P.O Wellington, New Zealand; the postmark is Dunedin ; there is one lottei dated 1878, from N.S.W.; he had nc property of any kind; the deceased was a stranger in the district ; could find no trace of his connections oi where he comes from, only by the letters. By a juror: One of the photo* appears to be that of deceased with s woman and child. The jury brought in a verdict oi accidental death.