CRUSHED BY A FALLING TREE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1358, 19 January 1905, Page 3

CRUSHED BY A FALLING TREE.

TWO WOMEN INJURED. Waihi, Monday. Mrs Coutts, wife of Mr D. Coutts, of Bnlltown, mob with a painful accident yesterday. The Coutts and Loniuet families were spending the day with the children in the bush, and in tho afternoon Mrs Loniuet and Mrs Coutts wore sitting under the shade of a largo tawa tree. Mrs Coutts had a young baby in her arms, and another little girl at her sido. Suddenly the tree commenced to fall. ... , The woman’s attention having been drawn to it by the load cracking noise, they attempted to escape, but without success. Mrs Loujuot bad her shouldor lacerated, and her clothes badly torn by tho falling branches, and Mrs Contts, who was right in the way of a large limb, was etruck in the back and thrown to the cround. The-baby escaped without a scratch, as also did the other little girl, the ‘-mother having protected her infant, whilst the branches passed down each side of the

girl without touching her. , i Twelve other children V - jnst gone down the hillside to play. ' Mr Ooutts was only a short distance on the time, and he quickly afforded relief to his wife, and had her conveyed home, where she has since been attended by Dr. Slater It was thought at first that her back was broken, but, although not quite certain on the point, Dr. Slater does not think that the case is quite so serious, though she has been very severely 01 subsequently examined the tree, and ho states that though to outward appearance it was as solid and firm as it could be, yet the whole of the inside was rotten. There are about 12 tons of fire- . wood in the tree, so that it will be seen it was a considerable Bize.