FATAL ACCIDENT—CORONER'S INQUEST.

Kumara Times, Issue 2926, 16 March 1886, Page 2

FATAL ACCIDENT—CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held at Peters' Dillman's Town Hotel, at eleven o'clock this morning by D. Macfarlane, Esq., R.M., and a jury of six, touching the death of Syvert Rynning, a gold miner, native of Norway, who was found dead on Sunday morning last iu Reynolds and p-.rty's sluicing claim, Dillman's. The names of the jurymen were as follow : Michael Ryau (foreman), Hugh Robinson, Thomas Lohmaun, Pafjiick M'Gratb, Patrick Byrne, and John Rose. The jury having viewed the bodv of deceased, which lay in the Public Hall, Dillman's, the following evidence was taken : Asmus Harfcrnegsen, sworn, said: I saw deceased on Saturday, the 13th, shortly after 10 p.m., passing Peters' Hotel, and going towards the place where he was found. He appeared to be quite sober at the time. The night was not very dark; a little foggy at times. T did not speak to him when I met him. I could not say if he had a parcel with him. George Sherman, sworn, said : Deceased came into our shop about 7 or 8 o'clock on Saturday night. He told me he was going down to see the play, and I would see him when he came back again. I saw him between 10 and half-past 10. I spoke to him» He took his meat off the hook and went towards home. That was the last I saw of him. He was a sober man, aud was sober at the time. There was no one with him. Michael Manton, sworn, said: I went out on Sunday morning into my own, that is, Reynolds and party's, paddock. I thought one of my mates might be there, taking off the hose pipes, as the morning was wet. When I went there I saw a man lying dead on one of the tramroads. I went close on to him. I was of opinion that he was dead. His mouth was partly covered with sludge. I c»me back and called my mate Edward Gibbons. I told him there was a man dead in the paddock. He culled Joe Montague and Hugh M-Donald. The four of us went down and removed the body out of the sludge on to another road, a dry place. The body was stiff. I saw a wouud on the crown of the head, there was not much blood on it. Deceased was lyiug underneath»a terrace. I thought he had tumbled down from where there used to be a track ; {he height was about 80 feet. I think he foil from the terrace. I think the wound on the head would be caused by falling on a stone cither in descent or on the surface of the ground. There waa a track there at one time, bat it is not safe now. There is another new one made by the I County Council. Parties use the old track sometimes for a near cut. I think deceased must have struck the \ side of the face by the position of the body from where I assume he fell. I did not notice any kit with meat in it near him. I do not think there was a yard of stuff came down from the time we left on Saturday evening till j we went dowu on Sunday morning. [ Edward Gibbons, sworn, said: On Sunday morning, shortly after 8 o'clock, Michael Manton came to Bricknell's boarding-house and asked for me. I came outside, and he told me there was a man dead in the paddock, aud asked me to come down. There were two ot her men in the boarding-house at the time, and I asked them to come with me. We all went to the paddock, and on the tram road, on the left-hand side, found the body lying partly fn sludge' about six feet from the staging that we roll the stones on to. The body was lying with the head on the right side; the body bent; and the left leg over the right. I noticed a wound on the back of deceased's head about 2in. Ion" • there was a bruise over the left eye • the arms were drawn up and the hands were clenched. There was nothiow in his hands. I felt his face with" the back of my hand; it was cold and hard, and I came to the conclusion he had been dead some time. I tried to lift the body out, but could not do so without the assistance of the others; we put it on to the tram. I went and reported to the police at j«t>ont 5 minutes to 9. I picked up th" hat afterwards. The track was btokeu a way. Deceased-

came that way into town the same night. The man was not given to drink ; he was a quiet, inoffensive man, and very regular in his habits. T. G. Davy, being sworn, said: I held a post mortem on the body of deceased yesterday afternoon. On the top of the skull a large portion of the scalp was torn off, leaving a wound with lacerated edges, and the bone bare. The vault of the skull was intact, and not fractured. On turning over the body on its face a considerable quantity of blood came from the mouth, evidently issuing from the stomach, leading me to suppose he had a fracture of the base of the skull. The face was very much disfigured, called generally eniphysema, which means that air has escaped from the lungs into the loose tissue beneath the skin. This led me conclude that some of his l-ibs had been fractured, and I found the Bth, 9th, and 10th ribs were fractured, one of them having penetrated the lungs, which caused this condition of things. I think the wound on the skull was caused by a fall, probably from some great height. Constable Walter Williams, sworn, said : I am a police constable stationed at Knmara. On Sunday morning the 14th inst., I was informed by a man named Edward Gibbons that a man was lying dead in Reynolds and party's claim. I went to the place indicated, and saw a man lying on one of the „ tramways in the claim ; he was quite dead. I examined the body and searched the clothes of the deceased. He had a severe wound on the top of his head, as if his skull had been fractured, and bruises about his face, and his eyes were swollen a good deal. I found a silver Geneva watch upon him; it had stopped at 7 minutes to 5. I procured the assistance of some men and removed the body to this hotel, the Dillman's Town Hotel. I fouud also a purse containing a .£1 note and 4s in silver, and a wooden pipe. The watch stopped at the hour given for want of winding, for although it had the appearance of having been much shaken, the glass being broken, it went to-day after being wound up. The jury returned the following verdict:—" The said Syvert Rynning, on the 14th day of March, 1886, was found dead in Reynolds and party's claim, and the said man had wounds on his head aud body, but how such wounds were inflicted or sustained there is no evidence to show ; but we have no doubt that his death was the result of an accident caused by his falling from the top of the terrace along which he was proceeding." The jury asked that a rider be added to the verdict, as a word of caution, as follows:—"The jury are of opinion that steps should be taken by the proper authorities to have the track . referred to in the evidence, being the old road over the terrace between Dillman's and Larrikins, fenced off, to prevent people making use of it, so that further accidents may be prevented." Toe jury were thanked for their attendance, and then retired.