The Recent Drowning Casualty at Awahuri.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 277, 28 May 1895, Page 2

The Recent Drowning Casualty at Awahuri.

An inquest was held at the Endy-. inion hote', Awahuri, at 2 o'oclock yesterday afternoon, on the remains of William Connell, who was found drowned in the Oroua river yesterday morning by a man employed on the Awaburi bridge. The enquiry was conducted by Constable Tuohy before I Mr Snehon, coroner, and a jury consisting of Messrs W. McMillan (foreman), C. H. Tarranr, A. Fraser, J. Campbell, li. Stewart and G. Lucas. i The witnesses examined were Mrs Drury, J. Isitt, H. Hughes, B. Belmout, J. Ghan, C. Hatcherd, and Constable Tv >hy. The evidence went to show that deceased, who had been in the employ of Mr Drury, and Mr Hughes for the past three years, resided with a mate named Belmont about two miles from Awahuii, on the Eangitikei line, and on the Palmerston side of the Oroua river He went to Awahuri on Saturday evening with his mate for stores at about 7or 7,30. They went 1« the hotel, where a boarder named H. J. Isitt, who was employed in the bar as Mr Drury was absent from home, supplied them with liquor, H. Hushes paying for it, as deceased and his mate had no money. Deceased, Belmont, Ghan and Hughes remained in the hotel till about 10 o'clock, having three or four drinks during the evening. They then started for home, and when they arrived at the Oroua river deceased refused to cross on tho bridge, which is in course of con struction, there being only a plank across the two or three spans. The reason for his not crossing on the bridge was that his eyesight was bad and tho night was dark. He said he would cross at the ford, three or four chains up the river, where he had waded across dozens of times before. His three mates crossed on the planks and after waiting for about ten minutes they cooed for deceased, as he did not put in an appearance, but received no answer. After waiting for a while Hughes and Ghan wect home. Belmont waited for two hours and tben re-crossed the river and went to a cooking house to enquire if anyone had sseu Connell, aud as he bad not been seen, Bjlmout concluded deceased had returned to the Hotel and (witness) went home. On Sunday enquiries were mide for deceased and as no one had seen him it was surmised he had gone to Feilding. At about 8 o'clock on Moaday morning, Christopher Hatcherd, "ne of the men employed on the Awahuri bridge, found the body of the deceased about twenty-five chains below the bridge in shallow water. The body was taken to the Awahuri Hotel and Constable Tuohy was communicated with. It is surmised deceased in crossing the river missed the ford in the dark, and was carried down the river. He was a single man, from 54 to 60 years of age, and had been in the 18th Eoyal Irish, which he left at Wanganui. The jury returned a verdict that deceased was accidentally drowned while attempting to ford the Oroua river, at Awahuri, on May 25th.