CORONER'S INQUEST.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1450, 25 March 1873, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held in the Court House, yesterday, as to the death of Samuel M'Dowell Elliott Fisher, whose body was found floating in the River Grey, near Rock Island, on Saturday last. Mr Frank Guinness, J.P., presided at the inquest, as Coroner. The following was the evidence taken : — George Mortis : On Saturday afternoon, the 15th insfc., the deceased and I were coming from the coal-mine with a cargo of coal, The deceased was on a horse attached to thg boat in which I was. On one of the shallow fails at Rock Island the boat grounded, and the horse was hooked on to give her a cant so as to catch the current. The boat was canted, and I told the deceased to get out of the Wei aw-gy MS r MO, l 'i ktTct, tJ^teng up I observed the deceased swimming towards the Westland side of the river. He caught hold of the rock, and took himself out of the water, but slipped off the rpek, and got into the current. He was drawn into an eddy, and I saw him go round three times and disappear. No effort could be made to save him, the boat being still aground. David Morris was riding the other horse. We had called to the deceased to unhook, as we were approaching deep water. After the deceased slipped off, the horse walked ashore. The deceased was a strong swimmer, and swam well until he seemed to be drawn down by the suction of the whirlpool. David Morris : The deceased and I hooked on our horses to one of the boats which were being brought down the river with coals. After dragging the boat some distance, we unhooked, and I went up the falls to reach shallow water. When I next noticed the deceased he was swimming strongly across the river, and I saw him get half out of the water, but he slipped off the rocks. He then attempted to swim up the river, but got into a whirlpool, and was taken down three times, finally disappearing. I was on the other side of the river, and it was impossible for any assistance to be rendered. The accident happened about three hundred yards above' Rock Island, <9?he dpqeased had been working on the river f^or 'the past seven years, and was well acquainted with the work and the stream. I Alfred Whittleton : After the deceased's horse was unhooked from the boat, the animal fell on its side, and the deceased, to get clear of it, scrambled away on his hands and knees until he got into deep water. He looked round once, and swam to the opposite shore, where he got out of the water, but he fell in again and was drowned. He was about fifty or sixty yards distant from the boats. There was no means of saving him. D.avid Austin described the discovery of the body of the degeased on Saturday last. It rose from the bottom apparently as the witness's boat passed Rook Island, and it was taken into the boat, and conveyed to Greymouth. Frederick Sadler corroborated the evidence of the last witness, and Constable M'Cormick proved the searching of the body, and finding a LS-note in one of the pockets. The jury returned a verdict of " Accidentally drowned,-'.'