FATAL ACCIDENT.

Kumara Times, Issue 1643, 4 January 1882, Page 2

FATAL ACCIDENT.

INQUEST ON THE BODY; An inquest was held at the Empire" Hotel, Dillman's Town at 11.30 forenoon to-day, before H. A. Stratford* Esq., Coroner, and a jury of touching trie death of William Thompson, a miner, who was yesterday afternoon found dead at the bottom of an old shaft at Larrikins Terrace. The following jury was erapannelled C. E. Peters (foreman),- William Morris, Jacob Hausen, Thomas William*, John Newton, Edward Eckett, William Crear, James Morris, William BaaS, John White, William Evans, John Barrett, George Watson the lastnamed was reproved by the Coionerfc*' being late, narrowly escaping a fine. The Coroner and Jury having viewed the body, the following evidence was then taken : Robert Ritchie, being sworn, de-' posed : I am a miner. I live at Larrikins. I have seen the body of the deceased William Thompson. He was a mate of mine. I last saw him alive' on Friday afternoon, the 30ih December, iu his own hut, at Larrikins. I did not see him again until his body was recovered from a shaft at Larrikins yesterday afternoon. The shaft is near a track not often used, and about 60 yards at the bacic of deceased's hut. If it was raining de. eased might follow that track to avoid walking through water. It was raining on Friday night; there would be water on the tiackj The shaft is abont 40ft. deep, I have known the deceased 12 years. H |J told me he was a native of Paisley, in Scotland. He told me he had a*n uncle, manager of a bank in Victoria, He Jtas beeu in New Zealand about 17' years, having lauded in 1864.- I think his age would be about 38 to 40" years < be ,was a single man. v ■ . By the Foreman : 1 lyas in his company on Friday, about II o'clock, in his own hut. r He was perfectly sober. By the Coroner : I helped to draw up the body out of the shaft. I have no reason to suspect that he met with his death by foful play • I believe" that? his death was the result of accident, by falling into the shaft.. 1 have been his mate for" aboirt seven years. He wai not quarrelsome, and had . not to my knowledge, any enemies. He had nomoney. Patrick O'Rourke, being stforri deposed : I am a miner living at Larrikins, near deceased's hut. I knew the deceased William Thompson, and have* seen his body here to-day. Yesterday afternoon, having heard that Thompson was missing, 'I, with others,.'.began- to search for him, and found him lying dead in a shaft, say 30ft. deep, at the" back of his hut about 100 yards away* near a track which he often used. I have seen him cutting firewood there'.- I was present when his body was drawn up out of the shaft. It was doubled-tfp in the shaft and lying on his right side'. I could see the body plainly from the' top of the shaft. There were a few 1 inches of water in the bottom of the shaft, but not sufficient to cover the body. There was a big boulder sticking out in the shaft about half way down. By a Juryman : There is a nasty sideling near the shatt, and a tree laying across it, making the track dangerous. By another Juryman : .1 am of opinion that deceased met his death by accident. Frederick Dacre, being sworn, deposed : I am a miner,- and reside at Larrikins Terrace, Yesterday afternoon, at about 4 o'clock, I went down a shaft about 30 yards behind deceased Thompson's but and about 49ft deep. I found his body lying at the bottom of the shaft, laying on his right side, in, & cramped position. He was quite dead and cold. There were about eight inches of water in the shaft, and his mouth and nose were uuder water. His right temple was bruised and cut, I bent a rope on to his body, and he was thus hoisted up. I observed some loose battens at the bottom of the shaffc,

•which I think deceased must have carried down with him in his fall. There is a big stone about half way down the shaft, projecting out, which he could not escape in his fall. That stone may have caused the scalp wound. The shaft was partially timbered. My opinion is that deceased slipped off the log into the shaft in his attempt to get over it. By the Foreman: There were no signs 'of any struggle having taken place. I do not think he moved after he reached the bottom of the shaft. O. W. Anderson, being sworn, deposed : I am an hotelkeeper in Kumara. I have seen the body of ,the deceased " William Thompson. Last Sunday afternoon, the Ist January, the deceased came to my house at Kumara at about two o'clock in the afternoon, inquiring for Tom M'Fetrich. He told me he was going to sell out to go to the Lyell. He remained in my house for about an hour j he was quite sober at the time. I have known deceased about fifteen years. He left my place to search for Tom M'Fetrich. I did not see him again alive. There was nothing the matter with him that I could see. By a Juror t I am sure he is the same person. ( Constable Thomas Brown, being sworn, deposed; lam a constable, sta- . tioued at Kumara, I was present yesterday when the body of the deceased William Thompson was laken out of a shaft at Larrikins Terrace. I examined the body j there was a wound across the forehead, another very bad one on the top of the head. Near the surface of the shaft there were seven setts of slabs ; these was a large boulder projecting from the middle of the shaft. By the Foreman: There were no tnarks about the Bhaft to lead me to Suspect any foul play. He was dressed in apparently his best suit J his coat .tyas buttoned over with one button. 0. W. Anderson, recalled : I am perfectly sure it was the deceased. I asked him to have a drink with me, as it was the first day of the new year. He said : '" I have no money." I said " I don't ask you for money ; I ask you to have a. drink with me." After due consideration, the Foreman stated that the jury were of opinion "That the deceased William Thompson came to his death by falling down a shaft at Larrikins Terrace, on Sunday, the Ist.day of January, 1882, accident* ally and not otherwise;" The jury wer6 then discharged.