A MAN KILLED.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 373, 24 March 1902, Page 2

A MAN KILLED.

FATAL BUSH ACCIDENT AT WHATATUTU, A BRAVE FELLOW. KINDLY ASSISTANCE, (Times Special Correspondent.) News was received in Whatatutu on Saturday evening that a man named Robert Baden, otherwise known as Bob Bayley, had met with a serious accident at Mr Guthrie Smith’s station, Mangatu. It appears that deceased, witli two mates named F. Keltlewell and M. Lyons, were engaged falling a tree from which to split posts. They had scarfed the tree, and deceased was engaged in wedging it when the butt swung back about 15 feet and pinned him to the ground. His mates were unable to extricate him from his painful position, so they had to go down to their camp and get a couple of spades to dig him out. The accident happened about 11 a. 111., and his mates did not succeed in extricating him till about half-past two. One of his mates went down to Mr

Judd’s whare, and sent a Mr Stephens, who was there, down to Whatatutu to obtain assistance. His mates-, along with Mr Guthrie Smith and Mr Judd, who had arrived on the scene, then started to carry him down on a stretcher.

it was raining heavily all the time, and some idea of the track tiiey had to bring him down by may be gathered from the fact that sometimes they had to wade through the river up to

their waists. During all this time the injured man was singing and talking (juite cheerfully to his mates. When they were on a hill he asked for a drink of water. They said they would give him a drink as soon as they got to the river. When they gftt to the river Mr Judd went to give him a drink, but the injured man then seem-ed-to be unconscious. However,, they moistened his lips and then started on again. They had been carrying him about an hour after this, when they happened to look at him and found him dead. They went on about three miles when they met a party who had come from Whatatutu to assist them. Meanwhile a trap had been secured from Mr Geo. Brown ; and Mr H. S. Leslie and Mr Allan Campbell drove up as far as they could to meet the bearers. It was raining very hard, and they had to wait about two hours before the bearers arrived. They conveyed the body to Whatatutu, where they arrived about half past two in the morning. The deceased, whose people reside near Havelock, in Hawke’s Bay, is very well-known about here., Only a few weeks ago he met with a painful accident while cutting a track. The axe slipped and inflicted a nasty wound on his leg. He was laid up with that for some time, and had only returned to work a few days ago. THE INQUEST,

1 An inquest was held at .the Oil 1 Springs Hotel, Whatatutu, before Mr. ■ W. A. Barton, Coroner, and the fol- > lowing jury Messrs H. S, Leslie (foreman), ,W. J. Judd, George Ross, . Alex.. Wilson,' R. Watson, and Allan 3 Campbell, Sergeant Siddella conduct--3 ed the examination, l Frederick Kettlewell, laborer at 3 Whatatutu, deposed,; For .the last a week I have been working on Mr Guthrie Smith’s land about ten or twelve miles from Whatatutu. I was * employed by deceased, Robert Bayley, and another man named Matthew ■ Lyons was also employed by him. We t were clearing a fence line, and were e going .to erect a fence. Yesterday, a (Saturday) the three of us were so employed, During the morning Lyonsa and 1 were engaged ieliing a totara y tree, and deceased was sharpening a 5 saw. We scarfed .the tree and backed t it with the saw, Bayley (the deceas--1 ed), then came to our assistance. I , had driven one wedge into the back of -. the tree, and deceased put another in, ' The tree fell uphill, and jumped back V hill, ’ The tree knocked deceased down, and dragged him for about ten or j. twelve feet. At this time there were „ only deceased and I at the tree, Lyons having gone to boil the billy. Deceased was jambed under the tree, lying h on his hack with the tree across his n stomach. He was quite sensible, He e asked me to run and get the “ jack.” » I called out to Lyons to bring it, Q which he did. We tried to lift the i- tree with the jack, but could not do J. so, X then went to the camp and 6 got two spades, and returned and dug . deceased out. He was still sensible, i, The calf of oiie of his legs was torn oft, and lie was black across. the hips-, j and the bottom of his stomach was e torn, Deceased told me to go to the station and get help, and I went to . Me Guthrie Smith’s. I found the lat- ‘ ter alone, and we proceeded together 5 to where the injured man was lying, 1 I went and got more men and return- ■ ed to Bayley, We made a stretcher ' and put him on, and started for 1 Whatatutu (about 13 miles), A number of other men assisted. Deceased was sensible when we started, and re- . mained so for seven or eight hours. i He died when we were about four . miles from Whatatutu, The body f was brought to the police station, and i that is the same body as was seen by . the jury. I had never worked with 1 deceased before, but had known him 3 for about three years. After the accident everything possible was done .to assist the injured man. ! By the foreman : .Would deceased i have been safe if .the tree had not ■ jumped back ? Witness : Yes, he would. The Foreman : Was the tree a dangerous one to fall ? Witness : No, Matthew Lyons, laborer at Whatatutu, deposed : During the past week I had been working on Mr Guthrie Smith’s land with the last witness, employed by the deceased Bayley, iYes- ■ terday the three of us were working together. Between 11 a.m, and 12 noon I went to boil the hilly, a distance of 1£ to 2 chains from where Kettlewell and deceased were work-, ing. They, were backing a totara tree, and' while I was boiling the billy •Kettlewell called out to me to bring jj the jack, which I did. I found deceas- i ed lying under the tree, He was sen- | sible. %e tried to get' him out with |. the jack, but did not succeed, and then I we dug him out with a spade. Mr I Guthrie Smith then came up, also a jj number of others, and we started to jj bring Bayley into Whatatutu. He g died on the road* J f. The Foreman : Where was the de- jj ceased standing when you went away g c to boil the billy ? . ! ti

VtXIiUC'OO U ±ll UUUU \JL UIL -L. said to him, “ You had better look 4 out for that tree.” The deceased rea plied that he thought it ,was quite 3 safe. 1 The Foreman : Did you think that > the tree was a dangerous one to fall 1 1 Witness : No. 1 James Robert Denniston Guthrie ■ Smith, sheepfarmer, near Wliatatutu, '■ deposed : I knew the deceased Robert • Barley-. He had taken a contract under me to erect a boundary, fence. He started about ten days ago. Yesterday (Saturday) the witness Kettlewell came to me at about half past one in the afternoon, and informed me that an accident had happened to Bayley.- I went off at once and found deceased lying alondside .the tree. He was then alive, but appeared to be badly 'injured. I saw where he had been dug out from under the tree. We rigged up a stretcher, and started to bring Bayley to Whatatutu. He was conscious when we started. He died on the road. That is the body seen by the jury at the police station to-day. He was an experienced bush man, and so made his living. Everything possible was done for deceased. Tlie Foreman : Did you hear deceased make a statement about the accident ? Witness : No.The Chairman said the duty of the jury was light; it was quite clear death resulted from pure accident-, and the jury should have no difficulty In arming at a conclusion. <

The verdict was that Robert Bayley was accidentally killed by a falling tree while lie was bushfalling near Whatatutu, and that no blame was at- _ taehable to anyone ™ NOTES OF THE ACCIDENT. cr On the way down the iujured man, who fo had shown wonderful stoicism all through, said to his mates, “You might just as well a] save yourselves the trouble ; I will not hi live till you get me to the trap." He ai further stated that it would have been tr better if he had been killed outright, ns he m was only giving a lot of trouble for nothing, ui His mind wns quite clear until he became tl unconscious. it Deceased appeared to be about 29 years fr of age. On account of' the roughness of the road, progress was slow, ft was o p.m. on Saturday when the mates started with the injured man, and it was 2 a.m. on p Sunday before Whatatutu was reached — a distance of thirteen miles from the scene of the accident. The unfortunate man died about four miles from Whata- * tutu. ' Through the kindness of Mr Stewart, of the Telegraph Department, the matter was reported to the police at 3 a.m. on Sunday. Mr Barton, Coroner, and Sergeant Siddells left early on Sunday morn- ■ ing for the purpose of holding an inquest 1 at Whatatutu, and the inquest was held 1 at the Whatatutu Hotel at 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, At the conclusion of the inquest, the Coroner called the relief party in, and thanked them, remarking that their conduct was most praiseworthy. The body is to be brought to town to-day, and, unless the relatives arrange otherwise, deceased will be interred in Makaraka cemetery. The injuries received consisted of the calf of one leg being torn off and the body bruised and crushed.