BURNED TO DEATH

Hokitika Guardian, 29 January 1925, Page 4

BURNED TO DEATH

TERRIBLE fate of two men. TRAGEDY AT BLIND RIVER. BLENHEIM, January 27. A dreadful tragedy occurred during last night at Blind River, a few miles south of Sodden, resulting in two men named William Cane and Valentine Mitchell being burned to death under horrible circumstances. There is evidence that Mitchell met Ids death in an heroic attempt to rescue his comrade from a burning hut. The. two men. who were employed ns roadmen by the Awatere County Council, lived in a couple of wheeled whares drawn up within a few feet of one another on the side of the Main South Bond, almost opposite the Blind River railway station. Yesterday afternoon both journeyed to Seddon. where Cane transacted business with the County Clerk. The first hint of the dreadful tragedy of the night was obtained at 7.45 this morning by Reg Humphreys, a railway surfaceman, who was making his wav along the railway lino when his attention was attracted by the smouldering debris of the wltares., He made investigations and discovered the bodies.

Mftohell. it is believed, died just as Humphreys reached him. Constable Byrne, of Seddon, was notified of the tragedy and proceeded .to the scene with a party. The body of Cano was found in a frightfully charred romliHon among the ashes of his wltare. Tt was fairly evident that he had been overcome by smoke in his sleep and had made no effort to escape.

Mitchell's body was discovered lying face downward in a ditch about twentyfive yards from the wltares. He was badly burned, hut his body was not charred. It was evident that in his dreadfully injured condition lie had crawled right across the road and probably ill an attempt to reach a crock near by lie bad negotiated a dry ditch on one side of the road, but was overcome in the one on the other side. Bathetic evidence of the track which the unfortunate man followed, in Ins desperate attempt to get water to alleviate his sufferings was forthcoming in the a trail of articles which had fallen from his pockets, his tobacco pomh and so on. Closet! investigations revealed gruesome evidence ol an heroic attempt by Mitchell to save Cane from the Haines, and it was apparent that he had acLlually succeeded in entering Cane’s blazing wliaro and in reaching his . companion, only to find that he was already dead and his Mesh charred and burned. tStill adhering to Mitchell's fingers was a portion of Cane’s flesh. It appears that both men must have retired to their respective wltares on arriving home, and it is evident that suite Lime later Mitchell was awakened to find Cane's whine in Haines. He must have made a desperate rush into ihe structure in an attempt to get lii-c ci mrade out. only to find that he was too late. In his gallant dash too, it is probable tihab Mitchell .sus-' tained the burns which caused his dreadful death. The flames subsequently spread from Cane’s wltare to that of Mitchell's, and both Mere completely destroyed, only the wheels and a mass of ashes and debris being left to mark the spot. Both men were fairly well known throughout the Awatere district, where they hud worked off and on for the County Council for some years, doing other casual werk in the intervals between their periods of county employment. Cane was between sixty and seventy years of age. Be leaves a grown up son and daughter. .Mitchell, i forty-live years of age, was a line type of heftv manhood. Both bodies wore removed this morning to Seddon. where an inquest "ill lie held. Details from Seddon show that probably the hist person to see the victims of the tragedy alive was Mr Cosgrove, licensee ol the Seddon Hotel. He stated that the men had tea at the hotel and left for their homo between fi.HO and 7 p.m. This disposed of the earlier story that they returned late at night. None of the settlers near the where were disturbed during the night, and none heard nor saw anything to indicate a lire, though Mr Joseph M’lsaac resides just, over the railway line from the scene of the tragedy. An inspection of Ihe locality gives one some idea of the dreadful agony suffered by Mitchell ,'n his desperate j era"! in search of "'liter, lie crawled about nine yards trom the "hare heloio falling into a ditch about -Ift. Dili. deep. Blood stains there indicate his struggles to exli rente himself. On getting out of the hole, the injured man crossed the read, and at this stage was evidently only in a semi-eon.scious condition, for on reaching the grass on the lar side of the road lie crawled in a semi-circle for about twenty-five yards and finally foil into the dry ditch in which his body was found.

Mr Cane’s daughter is believed to bo residing in Christchurch. Mitchell has a brother at Charleston, on the West Const, and another at Morrinsvillo. Cane’s daughter, Miss Elsie Cane, is at present tiling with Mrs C. R. N. Mackie of 304 Rollesfon Street. Xorf Limvood.