INQUEST.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 244, 22 March 1875, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inquest was held od Saturday at 4 p.m. on the body of the man named Little Currie, who died suddenly on Thursday last. Dr Coward, the coroner, spoke strongly of the absence of some of the jurors, and of the difficulty he frequently experienced in getting those summoned to attend punctually. He read the clause in the Act, stating that he had the power to inflict a fine of £5, and said that in future he intended to do so. Mr Henry Thomas Bowers was chosen foreman of the jury. Boderick Curry, captain of the Huon Belle, sworn, said—l knew deceased ; he was an A.B. on board my vessel. I hare known him sF/ven or eight months. He was in my employment on the 18th. He was employed in discharging timber on that day. The vessel was lying at the breastwork. He was standing on the wharf, taking the timber from the men on the vessel. About 4 p.m: Mr Tatnell called out that deceased had fallen, and asked me to come and help him up. I turned and saw him lying on the wharf, He died in a few moments. Deceased frequently; complained of pain in his head. I heard him complain the night before. He mentioned no place as troubling him but his head. He has been pretty sober since in my employ. He was about forty years of age. By Jury—He had not been fighting since he was in my employ. He had laid the timber down before he fell, Thomas Tatnell, sworn, said—l am employed as foreman of the wharves. I remember the 18th. I know a vessel called the Huon Belle. She was lying at the breastwork that day. The deceased was laying a piece of timber on the wharf as I was walking up to speak to him, and he fell backwards without a cry. I and the captain lifted him up and placed his head on four planks, lying on the wharf, and told one of the men belonging to the vessel to run and get some water. 1 opened his shirt, and took his belt off, and sprinkled water on his forehead and breast. He gave one sigh and then died. By a Juror—The piece of timber he was carrying was quite light. Dr Bouse, sworn, said—l am a mrdical practitioner residing in Lyttelton. I first saw deceased on the afternoon of the 18th lying on the wharf quite dead. I have this

afternoon made a post mortem examination of the body. I found the brain and its membranes much congested, and great effusion of sernm under the membranes and on the ventricles, and some recent lymj h on the imrface of the brain. On opening the chest 1 found the pericardium full of clotted blood to the amount of three-quarters of a pint. The heart was much enlarged, and the wall of the heart very thin. There was a tear in the right auricle three-quarters of an inch in length. He died from rupture of the right auricle of the heart. Death must have been almost instantaneous. There was no mark of injury on the scalp or the body generally. The jury returned a verdict of death from " Bupture of the heart."