ACCIDENTS IN BUSHFALING.

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 64, 30 November 1886, Page 2

ACCIDENTS IN BUSHFALING.

TO THE KDITOR OF THE STAR. Sib,— l see by the report of the inquest on the iremains of my late brother John Derby, the Coroner said it was a painful, thing that so many accidents had lately occurred in the bush. So far, every one will agree with him, and also that something- , should be done to prevent them if possible. I think it is possible to prevent then in a great measure, by the Legislature passing a law, so that in all bushf ailing bushmen. should not be compelled to fall any dead timber. It i& with the dead trees that theacei- - dents frequently happen, as in this : case. The Coroner said deceased and his son did not get far enough away, and he is quite right in that. Also, when he said if they had, there would have been no accident. Now, I venture to say had the- Coroner been falling that particular tree, he would have chosen the very same spot to stand in as my brother did, it being to all appearance perfectly safe, and would have been had the tree fallen as it was expeoted to. The tree was neither used to knock others down, nor to be knocked down by any other. It had a lean of its own, and was therefore. left to be felled by itself. Joining it was a dead one. They were well cat, both the live one, ana the dead one. The live one fell the way it was intended to fall, but in falling it split up about sis or eight feet, leaving the dead one standing: and throwing itself sideways on to the dead one, thus knocking it out sideways on the very spot which they had chosen as the safe one. X notice also by the remarks of the Coroner and his jury that they thought my brother an inexperienced bushman. He was not like many, even the Garoner and part of his jury, who perhaps never handled an. axe, except to take it out «f a box to sell it to others who can use them. My brother had been bushf ailing for at least twelve years, and his son also, who has been with him ever since he could handle an axe. I cannot help thinking that the verdict of the jury should have been simply " Accidental Death;" I must conclude by thauking all those who attended .the funeral of my late brother, and also beg you will excuse me for trenching so much on your valuable space.— l am &c., Hekrt Debby.