WAITOMO DROWNING ACCIDENT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 52, 18 October 1907, Page 3

WAITOMO DROWNING ACCIDENT.

The Inquest

An inquest was held on October 9th at Waitomo Valley road on the body of Exley Roberts, who was found drowned in a waterhole beside a culvert. Mr C. J. Johnson, J.P., officiated as Coroner, and Constable Fraser represented the Police. The evidence showed that deceased was riding his horse, and had no saddle on and that he probably went over the bridge. The horse was seen on the Sunday afternoon with the bridle caught in some ti-tree stumps, and was in the same place on Monday, when a boy let the horse loose by tieing up the bridle. It was shown that deceased was in the habit of going to a farmer, named Edwards, every Sunday to get his bread, and he must have been on his way there when he got into the creek. The bridge which deceased had to cross would have about four or five feet of water over it, also the road and fence for some distance along was under water. The deceased had been in the Dominion about eighteen months, and his wife and child were about to join him. The body was found by Messrs Wilson (surveyor) and T. Wilkinson. When Const. Fraser took the body out of the river he found that the deceased, as well as being fully dressed, also had gum boots and an oil skin overcoat on.

The jury returned a verdict _of " Accidently drowned while crossing a bridge on the Waitomo river road near his residence, while the river was in flood." A rider was added, calling the attention of the Government to the dangerous state of the crossing where deceased met his death.