THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT AT RED JACK'S.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1226, 3 July 1872, Page 2

THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT AT RED JACK'S.

Yesterday, Mr Warden Whitefoord, as District Coroner, held an inquest as to the death of Edward Harrison, whose supposed death by drowning has already been reported. The inquest was held at Muir's Hotel, Oamptown. The following was the evidence : — Richard Tacon : I am a miner and live at Kangaroo Creek. I know the deceased, Edward Harrison. He was a miner and lived at Kangaroo. I started on Saturday last, the 30th of June, 1872, with the deceased and others to cut a horse track, which we cleared to the foot of Kangaroo, when we got to Red Jack's tracks. We then intended to come to Camptown, and I asked "Who knew the track best." Deceased said he had been down often, and I asked if he would lead. It was after sundown aud getting dark at the time. We started for Camptown-^-Harry Grey, deceased, and I together. We got on for a mile or mile and a half. At this time Harry Grey and deceased were some fifteen yards a-head of me, and I saw deceased fall, and I heard Harry Grey say " Look-out, Ned." . I rushed forward and sprang in to save deceased. I then found deceased had fallen into a deep waterhole with a strong' current running through it. Before I jumped in I saw deceased striking out as if swimming, but he sank. Deceased rose to the surface and I got him by the collar of his coat. Deceased seemed to cramp in my hand and pulled me down with him. I got him to the surface again, but the water was so cold I had by that time lost my strength; It was too dark to see to get hold of anything. I was obliged to let the deceased go, and I got out as well as I could until I got hold of Grey's hand. I remained with Harry Grey at the place for halfanhour trying to get the deceased out of the hole. We had a candle, but we were so cold we could not strike our matches. We then started for Camptown, and after some difficulty got across the creek again and walked for some twenty minutes. We were then able to strike a light, and we got to the camp of some men cutting the telegraph line. We told the men •what had happened— they wanted to go back that night, but I felt too ill to do so. Harry Grey and I went on to Camptown, and gave information as to what had occurred. Next morning information was sent to the police at No Town by Mr Barrett. On Sunday, Constable Clark came, and we went to drag for the body. We could not find the way on Sunday, and we lost the drags. Oh Monday, we got some small drags made, and we found the body in the same hole deceased fell into on the Saturday. The body seemed to have drifted a little down the stream. The body viewed by the jury this day is the body of Edward Harrison. We left the rest of the party we were working with above Fenian Creek, some eight miles from the spot where deceased was drowned. Deceasod was not a mate of mine. .•: , • ; Henry Grey : I am a miner, and live at Kangaroo Creek./ I was with the last witness Richard E. Tacon and the deceased Edward Harrison on Saturday, the 30th June, 1872. We were walking down to Camptown from the foot of Kangaroo Creek. It was about half-past five or six in the evening. Tacon had asked who knew the track best. Deceased said he had been down it often. Tacon asked him to lead the way, and he did so. The track brought us into a river bed, and deceased seemed to fall over a log into a hole. Just before he fell he called out to me, " Right down the river bed is the track." Tacon was some distance behind. I called out to the deceased, when I saw him stumble, to look out. Tacon was some distance behind, and he ran up immediately and jumped inso the hole. Harrison seemed to be striking out to swim at the time. I went to look for a pole to help them with, but could not find one. •I then returned to the hole, and found Tacon struggling with deceased in the water. The deceased and Tacon both went under water once, and Tacon got the deceased's head up again/ I then saw Harrison sink, and Tacon making for the shore. I got hold of some roots, and reached out aud got Tacon by the hand, and helped him out. Tacon was very much exhausted, and said, "Oh, Harry, I was forced to let him go." We then searched about the lower end of the hole for some time, but we were satisfied we could do no more good, and we went on to Camptown. We gave information to some men cutting the telegraph line. They wanted us to go back, but we were cold and wet, and knowing we could do no good pushed for Camptown at once. I was present, and assisted to drag f6r the body on Sunday, and was present when the body was found on Monday, July Ist, 1872. Deceased has a claim at Kangaroo at Wyndham Creek. It was about a mile or a mile and a-half below the junction of Kangaroo and Red Jack's Creeks where the accident took place. I did not know the track well, and the night > was just closing. William Clarke : I am a constable of police, stationed at No Town. On Sunday morning last, about half -past eight a.m., I got information of the accident at Red Jack's Creek. I proceeded to the spot at once, in company with Tacon and Henry Grey, who went with me to point out the spot. We spent Sunday in dragging for the body ; the drag was not a good one, and at last we lost it. I went away and returned on Monday, Ist July. I found Tacon and Grey had got a new drag, and had left to search for the body again. As, I was) going up the creek I met Grey, and he told me the body . was found. I went to the spot and saw the body of deceased on the bank of the creek. I searched the body j I found. Ll6 18s 6d in money, a gold receipt, a knife, pipe, and matchbox. The money was in a purse without clasps. I brought the body to Camptown. The track crossed, the creek about twenty or twenty-five yards above the hole where deceased's body was found, but is not easily discernible at night. The track has altered a good deal lately. The Coroner, in summing up the evij dence, directed the attention of the jury to the praiseworthy manner in which , the witness Tacon seemed to have acted both during and after the unfortunate accident which had rendered the inquest necessaryi ' . ; The jury returned a verdict of " Accidentally drowned," aud in so doing desired to record their sense of the efforts which the witness Tacon had made, to, save the deceased, and to recover his 1 body after the occurrence of the accident, i