RAILWAY FATALITY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4826, 27 March 1925, Page 2

RAILWAY FATALITY

- - -♦ INQUEST ON LATE MR, J. S. PATTY. VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH. The adjourned inquest to inquire into the circumstances surrounding the death of the late Mr J. S. Patty, who was killed on the railway lino near tiie Wharepoa station on thq evening of March 17, wap continued before Mr F. E. Flatt, district coroner, at the Paeroa Courthouse yesterday. Senior-Sergeant Maclean appeared for the police, and Mr W. Barrett, district traffic inspector, Frankton Junction, represented the Railway Department. George Davidson, railway surfaceman, residing at Puriri, said .that on tho morning of March 18 he was proceeding to work with Surfaceman Bird on a railway jigger. When near Wharepoa the body was noticed .on the line, and, on examination, it was found to be thq body of a man badly mangled. The body was lying near the Paeroa side of the Wharepoa station. Nothing was touched until the police arrived. From an inspection made of the track witness said that the body had apparently been carried about three chains up tiie line, and then back again for some distance. Witness' said that there were special trains running on March 17. He did not know the deceased. To the Coroner, witness saidhe considered that, the body had been carried the distance' mentioned owing to the finding of portions of the body along the track. John Crawford, factory hand, employee by the N.Z. Dairy Co. at Paeroa, said that he knew the deceased. Or. March 17 he> met deceased at the Paeroa races, and knew that during the day deceased had spent nearly all his money on the .totalisator. Later he saw deeqased, who said he had had a win of £1 19s, out of which deceased repaid a loan of 10s. Just before the fourth race witness last saw deceased and was invited to accompany him to Hikutaia, but witness said he. declined. At that time deceased was quite sober, but as he did not see deceased again he concluded he had. gone to Hikutaia.

To the Coroner witness said he conhad resided with deceased for about five months, and considered him a hard-working, steady man of quiet habits and a. reserved disposition.

Richard Porter, labourer, employed on tiie stop-bank, Paeroa, said that he had known deceased for some five ye.ars, and was with him on March 17, having met him at the Paeroa railway station. He accompanied deceased to Hikutaia, arriving at the hotel about 4 p.m. Thqy had four drinks together and remained at the hotel until closing time. Deceased had drinks with other men whom witness did not know. Witness said liq had about six long beers, but was quite sober when he left the hotel. In his opinion deceased was under the influence of liquor, but was certainly not drunk. Deceased took two large bottles of beer away .from the hotel and they walked to the Hikutaia station. While waiting for the train to Paeroa a train passed through but did not stop. The next train to come in was one going to Thames. He left deceased for a few momenta, and then saw him. in the guard’s van of the train going to Thames. He asked deceased where he was going, but received no answer as the train was then nearly out of the station. He could not account for deceased getting into that train, as he was under the impression that deceased wished to return to Paeroa. When the train had left the station he asked the porter to ring up a station farther down thq line and pee if deceased was all right. The porter rang up Puriri and received a reply that deceased was not on the train and had not got off the train at .that station. Witness said he was quite satisfied that deceased had unintentionally got into the wrong train, and that was why the tablet porter had been telephoned to stop him. To the police l witness admitted that he also carried two bottles of beer, but being the soberer of the two, was doing his best to get deceased safely back to Paeroa.

To the Coroner witness said that no beer was drunk going to or while at the Hikutaia station. To Mr Barrett witness said that previous to deceased boarding the wrong train no inquiries were made from the railway officials as to the runnings of the trains on that day. In reply to thq Coroner witness said that in his opinion the deceased was quite capable of looking after himwelf, and he was anxious only because lie knew that deceased had got aboard the wrong train.

Arthur Benjamin Capper, tablet porter, Hikutaia, said he knew the previous witness and deceased, and had seen them come on to the station platform about 6.30 p.m. on March 17. Both men, in his opinion, were under the influence of liquor, but were not drunk. Witness detailed the arrival and departure of trains at Hikutaia that day. The PaeroaThames train arrived at Hikutaia at 7.30 p.m. As the train was pulling out of the] station he saw deceased sitting on the floor of the van. Prior to that he had given the train the right of way to proceed. The guard was on the forward end of the train. Deceased appeared to be sitting alone in the van. Shortly after the train left the station Porter told him that deceased had boarded the wrong train, so he telephoned to Puriri and the tablet porter there replied that he had seen the guard, who had said that there was no one in the van. Witness said he did not hear that theye had been a fatality on the line until next morning. *

To the Coroner witness said that in his opinion deceased was quite capable of looking after himself.

Constable J. McClinchy, Paeroa, testified to receiving a telephone mesat 7.35 a.m. on March 18 from the Paeroa railway station to the effect that a mangled body of a man had been found on the line near Wharepoa. He travelled to Wharepoa and was met there by Davidson and Bird. The body was placejd in a tarpaulin and the line on either side of the station was carefully examined. Witness

detailed the state of the body and the marks found on the tracks. In his opinion the body had been carried along the line. in the direction of - Hikutaia for about 60 yards, and indications were that it had be©h rolled back again to the station. He searched the clothing of deceased and found a receipt for a money-order for £2 payable to F. Young, Katikati. There was no cash found. The body wao later brought in to the Paeroa morgue. There was no sign of beer bottles, broken or otherwise, along the line, or on in the vicinity of the Wb.arepoa station. Witness stated that-. he did not know the deceased. - ‘ ■

A. B. Capper, recalled, said that the next train after the one on nhicn deceased was travelling passed ; through Hikutaia at 9.24 p.in. fiom J Thames to Paeroa. A special from Ngaruawahia to Thames passed through Hikutaia about 10.30 o.m.‘ That was the last train that night. He ' went off duty at 10.45 p.m. In reviewing the evidence the Co;oner said that in his opinion the. spe-> Jp cial train that left Thames at about 8.40 p.m. on March 17 was the onc-.;W that had cauised .the death of deceits-. ed. The train was a helavy one, the fact that it did not stop after lcav- ._.i| ing Thames until it reached would make it quite possible for the.-.fl train officials to miss anything usual happening. It was a difficult matter' to state what part, if any,. ; >4s dring had played, and there was no evidence to show that the accident; win caused by drink. .

The verdict was that deceased, Stqwari Patty, was accidentally killed on or near the Wharepoa through being struck by the special'■ train which left Thames for on Mr ch 17, 1925, there being ne evi-J -> deuce to show how the accident curred. The Coroner said that in oipnion the railway officials were no wa* - ti blame tor the fatale?. At ths conclusion of the inquiry. Mr Ba ret joined with the Corohei\in\ jj expressing sympathy with the. rel®*sjJg fives ol the deceased. .. :