BICYCLE FATALITY.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 870, 21 April 1903, Page 2

BICYCLE FATALITY.

DEATH OK A YOUNG MAN. The young man .folia Foulds, who was so severely injured in a bicycle accident, on Saturday, died at Dr Fisher’s private hospital early yesterday aiu-riici- li. Deceased was about Is years af age 11 is home was at. Whakaraurau, TikuKino, twelve miles from Uainawa, Hawse s Lay. where bis stepfather and h.s mother, Mr and Mrs Doreen, reside, wi n the other members oi the family. He was a steady, popular, young fellow, his chief work being "that of hushfalliug and fencing. He Jt-iT iiis home a fortnight ago yester-

day io come to Gisborne in search oi work, being accompanied by a mate, Thomas Parkinson. They arrived m Napier on liie Monday night, reaching Gisborne on Wednesday, Lite htn of April. Particulars of the accident show that no blame was attachable to anyone, rile young fellow’s daring and want of skill being the cause of the lusty fall.

Ester field Alfred Grey Skipworth, engine—driver on the. Harbor Boards small dredge, stales : —1 was cycling from town across the Whaiaupuko at about three or quarter past, on .Saturday afternoon, and lhe young man was coming down liie incline on liie Ormond road, near where the road intersects with the road leading to the bridge in Peel street, not far from Mr Ormond’s residence. There was another cyclist coming down behind him, Mr McGillivray, and he saw all that happened; they were strangers lo each oilier, and were not. riding in company. I was cycling in the centre of tide road, when I noticed the young man riding down the incline at a swift pace. 1 turned off ito the side of the road, io my left, lie did not slacken pace at all, and as he was still coining towards me, 1 turned

still furl her to the side of the road, and about twenty feet on the town • side of liie corner, lie came crash - into me. His lore wheel struck the bind wheel of my iiicylce, and 1 was knocked off. He .just missed my leg or it would probably have been broken. I had gone right off on to the grass at the side, but seeing him still making towards me without slackening pace, 1 made an effort to get out of the road by turning, but it was too late, lie did not seem to have any control over his machine ; it was wobbling, and it seemed to me as if he was bent on making a short cut at the corner. 1 could not see what happened lo him at the moment of 1 lie collision, as I was myself thrown to the ground, but on getting up, 1 saw him lying, at the back of me, at a distance oi about twelve feet. 1 got to him hrst, amt found that lie was bleeding at the mouth, and was apparently unconscious. 1 wanted to lift him up, but just I hen McGillivray, who had been riding about a chain and a half behind, came along. lie

said, “ J.et him lie down again,” and just then 1 saw a cart come close behind (Mr Ben. .Sutton’s cart), and a minute or so later Mackrell and Colley’s cart came along. We lifted the. injured man into the first cart and tlie bicycle into the other. 1 was told that i<oulils had been taken Lo the hospital, and on ringing up to enquuc, found that lie was not there ; latu - on I found that lie was at Dr I isher s private hospital, and 1 made inquiries there as to Ins condition. When informed of the fatal termination ol the accident, Mr Skipworth expressed his deep regret, and in rujily to further questions, said that lie had done all lie could to avoid a collision, even turning his machine off on to the grass, and seeing that even at that portion of the roadway, he was likely to he run into, he tried to get back out of tliu road, but the other cyclist had dashed into him before ne could get clear. Mr .Skipworth himself suffered nothing more than getting a, few bits of skin knocked oh iiis hand. He is an exjiert in the handling of a bicycle, and there is no doubt would have averted tile accident if ho could possibly have done so. Mr R. McGillivray, building contractor, in reply to a Times rcjiresentative, stated that he was riding along a short distance behind the unfortunate young man, and saw what occurred. Foulds went down the hill at a fast pace, and seemed unable Lo control the machine. Mr Skipworth did all that lie could to avoid a collision. Even when giving him all the. room that he could on the side still left the probability of a collision, Mr Skipworth would have been able to get out of the road if he had had more way on his bicycle, hut on slowing down he had left his bicycle without sufficient pace to he able to get dear on the other side. When the impact occurred, Foulds was thrown over Ihe top of the hack wheel of Skipworl It’s bicycle, and fell on his head and shoulders. Mr McGillivray jumped oil his own bicycle, running to the scene, while he let his bicycle run off ouitsowncour.se. He was, lie states’, the first lo reach the injured man, and then he hailed two boys who were riding along on horseback ; one lie despatched for a doctor, and Hie other for a cart, and two carls were on the scene in a very short l itiuk From liie appearance of the young fellow, he thought lie was then dying. They did not know his name, but he recognised the bicycle, the owner being Master I-lowchow, a telegraph messenger. Mr McGillivray considers that no blame could in any way attach to Mr Skipworth, as the latter did all lie could to get out of the other’s way. Skipworth, he says, rather seemed to fall off of his own weight (ban to get koocked off, as lie still retained his seat on the bicycle for a moment or two after the other cyclist had crashed into his bicycle aud been violently thrown forward ; iben Skipworth seemed unable to recover bis balance on the ma-

chine and Jell. In reply to questions Thomas Parkinson supplied ttie foregoing particulars as to the relatives of his mate, the deceased. lie was much concerned about the sad affair. He said they had been staying together at the Universal hoarding-house, on the look-out for work—lie himself had on that morning obtained some work at the wharf. On .Saturday Foulds had borrowed England iiowciiow's bicycle, and said that-he was going for a ride. He went out by himself, and after lie had been riding about for an hour or so, he came in, and Parkinson suggested that it would at that stage he a fair thing to let him have a ride, as he wished to go up to the Record Reign Hotel, to see if there were any letters for him there. His mate replied, “ Oh, just let me have another quarter of an hour.” It. was 1 lieu about halt-past two o’clock, and Foulds set off in the best of spirits—the next the mate heard of him was that lie had met witJi a serious acci-

dent. Questioned as to whether or not Foulds could ride a bicycle with any skill, Parkinson said that lie practically was only a learner. He iiad done a lit tie hit-vice riding, hut could not he said to he expert. His mate admjUed that Foulds was rather a reckless rider, and had had a good many escapes from running into vehicles on the road. He had himself ad-

vised his mate to he more cautious or he would meet with an accident, hut when he got on a bicycle he seemed to want to gel all the speed he could out of it, and did not mind tiie risk to himself. An inquest will he held at halfpast ten this morning.