Dreadful Accident

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 141, 8 May 1886, Page 2

Dreadful Accident

On Thursday afternoon a fatal accident occurred on the Taonui branch railway line. From what we can gather, it appears that a young man named Win. Brooker who was a deaf mute, employedat oneof the sawmills at Taonui, was walking down the line, between the metals, on his way home after having finished his day's work. A truck of timber was being taken down in charge of a person who was attending to the break, the incline being sufficient to enable trucks to run down at a moderate, or easily controlable rate of speed. As the deceased could neither hear the cries of warn* ing to ge£ out of the way, nor the sound made by the wheek of the truck on the rails, he was struck in the back and knocked down, the wheels passing over his body. , He wai almost almost cut to pieces, while the brains were splattered on the truck and rails from the crushed skull. Death must have been instantaneous. This is the second berevement this* family has suffered within a very short time. Early in March last, Mrs Brooker, mother of the deceased, died very suddenly. The remainder of the family, consisting of the father, Mr Brooker, two married and one single daughters, with several sons, left fur Hawera where the male members of the family are engaged in' sawrailling. The deceased remained at his own desire. An inquest was held this morning bef oro Qt. M. Snelson, Esq., corener.

The following were the, jury : — GK R. Jones, Walter Bailey, William Bailey, T. Thompson, E. Nix, and Charles Edwards. Mr Walter Bailey was foreman.

The jury having viewed the body, HonryStimpson, sworn, deposed: He started from Adsett's mill 20 minutes to five on Thursday evening with, one truck of sawn timber and coming down the tram lino as usual never noticed anything in front of him on the linef or a mile ana a half ; then he saw a man walking on the line about a quarter of a mile away from him ; did not pay much heed to the man, as it is a uspal occurrence for men to walk on Ihe line ; when he got closer to him, witness shouted as loud as possible for him to clear off, but found he could not draw his attention, witness put the break down hard with all his weight on it ; this stopped the speed considerably; the brake was behind the truck and witness saw nothing more •f the man until he got within about a chain and a half of him when he got on. the brake as hard as he could, using all his efforts to stop it ; witness saw nothing further of the man until he saw the body lying crosswise upon the line, his head was up on the inner side of the rail and his legs on the other ; the body did not move after the truck passed over, and witness let the truck travel on, because he thought he ought to hurry to get assistance; the distance he then had to travel was about a quarter of a mile ; he stopped the truck as he got opposite Messrs Bailey's mill, and jumped offand went into the first building he reached where he found Messrs T. Broeker (brother of the deceased), E. Corkery, and E. Nix ; witness told Brooker he thought he had/ knocked his brother down ; then all ran and witness went with them to the scene of the accident ; witness was advised to go back td get some to go to Feilding for the doctor, and then met with Mr William Bailey, riding through the bush track in the direction of the accident ; told him of the accident and he immediately sent his sou for. the doctor ; then a number oifinen carried a trolly and put it on the branch line and fetched the body down.

By the jury : The rate of speed witness was travelling when he first saw the man was about 8 or 9 miles per hour ; the rate of speed when the truck struck him would be about £ miles per hour; witness did not know who the man was, but thought he could recognise him when about a chain and a half from him ; knew the man was deaf ; the truck could not be stopped in the distance of a chain and a half ; witness could have pulled the truck up in 7 chains; the Drake was behind.

By the police : "Witness was in the Government employ as platelayer ; had brought down all the timber from Adsett's mill for the last 3£ years ; had no instructions to warn people about walking on the line; had never been instructed as to the rate of speed he should travel ; this branch line is Government property. By the coroner : The accident occurred on Thursday afternoon, May 6, close upon 5 o'clock ; the distance he had to travel was about 2 miles; no accident has happened before since he had been, there ; trucks cannot be turned, as there is no turntable ; the brakes are efficient and in working order ; it was part of witness' duty to see after them ; the empty trucks are taken up by horses to Adsett's mill, but come down themselves, as it is an incline.

Edward Corkery, sworn, deposed: He was a laborer, living at Taonui ; the accident took place on Thursday ; first heard of it about 5 p.m. ; was sitting in a whare withE. Nix and Thomas Brooker; Mr Stimpson ran in and said to Brooker— " Good God, Tom, I think I've killed your brother; run up the line at once!" they all then hurried up the line and found W. Brooker lying between the two rails, quite dead ; witness picked up his tools, which were three or four yards away ; Thomas Brooker laid his hand on hVs brother's head, calling out " Mr poor "brother," and Nix told witnes to go for a truck, which he did, and returned with it to where the body was lying; several of them lifted the body on and brought it to where it was now lying. By the jury: The truck used was what is commonly called a trolly. By the constable: There was a good deal of blood ; witness saw the head was considerably battered, and one of his legs appeared to be broken. John Beade, sworn, deposed: Was a laborer, living at Taonui; remembered last Thursday afternoon; resided about half way up the branch line,' was at home ; saw the truck go by, with Stimpson on it, on the' top of the. timber, on left-hand corner ; after it had passed he. heard someone calling out lustily/ as if in warning to someth'ng or t> frighten cattle off the line.

Verdict, "Accidental death, no blame attached to the person in charge of the truck."