FATAL ACCIDENT AT NOKOMAI.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 183, 28 January 1865, Page 3

FATAL ACCIDENT AT NOKOMAI.

coroner's inquest. An inquest was held at the Nokomai, at the house of Mr D. Brosuau, before J. N. Wood, Esq., R.M., on the bodies of a woman named Mrs Flora M'Lean, and her child Elizabeth, who were killed by the upsetting of a dray, while proceeding up the river. The following evidence was adduced:— William Adamson deposed—l am a carrier, residing at Invercargill. Yesterday afternoon I arrived in the Nokomai from Invercargill, with goods and passengers. I had the deceased, Mrs M'Lean, and four children in the dray as passengers, also three more children of the name of O'Brien. We were eight days coming up, and met with no accident. Mrs M'Lean was in good health along the road. About Bor 9 o'clock this morning I arrived at the junction of Victoria Gully with the Nokomai. I had about 18 cwt. of goods on the dray when I left the Nokomai township. Shortly after leaving the junction of Victoria Gully, I was going down a steep place into the river. When I had got the dray off the bank I got on one of the leaders, and when I started the dray came right over. I jumped off the horse ; and saw that some of the children were in the dray, and lifted them out. I did not see Mrs M'Lean at the time. The dray turned over on the near side. I was on the near side when I took the children out. When I could not see Mrs M'Lean, I ran up the bank and called to her, and not getting any answer I loosed the leader and hung him on to the off wheel, to try and right the dray as I thought she was underneath. The dray was upset into the water. The water was about two feet deep where the dray was lying. I got the dray righted. A man Came up as I was hanging the horse on to the wheel, and he assisted me to get the dray righted. When we got the dray up we saw her lying in the river, with a case of porter across her back. The child was lying close to her. I think she had hold of the child and kept it down with her weight. I believe she and the child were dead when we took them out of the water. She never spoke, and I did not see her breathing. From the time the dray went over to the time we got her out would not be more than four or five minutes. The deceased were under the tilt when the dray upset; but when we got the dray up the tilt was broken away. She was quite covered by the water when we got the case of porter off her. I asked the man that assisted me to go for the doctor, and sent another man to fetch her husband.

I To the Jury—l kept the leaders back while the dray went down the bank, and as soon as I started them again the dray upset. I have been here several times before, and gone down the same place. The deceased used to get out at bad places on the road, and I told her at this place there was no danger as I would take hold of the leaders. I did not consider there was any danger. Martin Parker, being sworn, said—l am a miner at the Nokomai. About 8 o'clock this morning a man came down and said that a dray had upset. I ran off at once without hearing particulars ; when I got up I saw a woman and child lying on the bank. I looked at the woman and thought she was dead, as her lips were blue and eyes glassy. I tried to see if I could feel her breath, but could not. I saw a dray there, and a shaft horse lying in the water on its side. We got the horse out, and the drayman asked me to go and fetch the woman's husband from the upper township. I saw some cases lying in the water. The dray was upright, but the horse had not got up when I arrived on tha spot. Donald M'Lean, sworn, said—l am the husband of the deceased, Flora M'Lean. I left her in Invercargill about three months ago. I was not aware she was coming up to join me until last night, when I heard that she had arrived at the lower township. The child, Elizabeth, is my daughter. She is turned two years of age. Flora M'Lean is thirty-two years of age, and was born in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

The jury returned a verdict to the following effect:—" That Flora M'Lean and Elizabeth M'Lean came to their deaths accidentally, while proceeding up the Nokomai River, in a dray belonging to one William Adamson ;" and added a rider —" That they do not consider any blame can be attached to the said William Adamson, as he took all necessary precaution, and did all he could to save the lives of the deceased." The Canterbury races came off on the 17th, 18th, and 19th January. The course was as hard as iron through the absence of rain, and eight or nine norses pulled up lame. The 1 Lyttelton Times' says, "It was really painful sometimes to hear the horses' feet ring again as they passed the Grand Stand. The weather on the first day was delightful; on the second day it blew great guns, and the dust was unbearable. Mr Lance was very successful with his I lam stud—winning six races with Ladybird, Golden Cloud, Egremont, and Miss Lee. The Champion Race was won by Ladybird, her stable companion, Miss Lee, winning the second money. Ellesmere broke away from the groom, and was not caugiit until he had done three-quarters of an hour's galloping on his own account. Ladybird showed temper in her running for the Canterbury Cup, and was beaten. Shillelagh won this prize of 300 sovs, and Antonelli, the Otago horse, had to put up with the Consolation Stakes of 50 sovs, with a sweepstake of 5 sovs added (£25.) Several accidents happened—the most serious being the upsetting of the club dray with ten members in it. £2,000 was subscribed on the ground for the next year's meet.

NOKOMAI. (from our own correspondent.) January 24.

Miners are getting to work on the terraces above the Black Ball or Lower Township—some with very fair prospects, and all doing a little. Those along the river who have suffered by the late floods are recovering themselves, and vigorously renewing operations, as if wishing to overtake time and retrieve losses.

' Campbell and party are sinking a shaft on the 1 flat at the back of the Lower Township. Good ' gold has been obtained from the terraces behind , their ground, and the party feel confident of success. They are only down a few feet at ; present, but are furnished with sufficient timber to slab it 50 feet, should it be necessary. Nearly all the claims up river have suffered by the late floods. The Victoria Wheel Company are now down over 30 feet, and are just coming on the drift, and, judging from other places which have been bottomed in the creek, it is expected they will bottom in a few days. The great difficulty now lies in being able to sink through the drift, which I do not think they will be able to do without . slabbing. There are about ten men employed on the spot, and the extent of their machinery, combined with the economic and systematic manner with which they work, entitle them to the reward they so energetically seek—plenty of gold. A melancholy accident occurred here on Friday last, the particulars of which will be found in another column, by which a poor woman and one of her children were killed, and several other lives endangered. Perhaps when these mountain tracks and shifting fords have proved sepulchres for a score or so more of hapless travellers, our strangely indolent or centralizing Government may see fit to expend a little of the revenue on this long-neglected locality. The first concert ever given here took place on Saturday night last, at the United States Hotel. The performance was very fair, and the attendance good. We may now hops to be occasionally enlivened by some tolerable music, and also performances of the drama : that is, if talented people are willing to risk their lives by a journey over the perilous steep of Paddy's Alley, and the raging, unbridged waters of the Mataura. The comet appeared in all its splendour on Saturday night; and although there are no signs at present of its sweeping the earth with its fiery tail, (as prophesied by Professor Neumayer) it is quite near enough to inspire the beholder with feelings of awe and wonder. Judging from the numerous wagons, drays, and pack-horses that have been loading and unloading here lately, business in our towuship appears pretty brisk; and, all things considered, the dwellers in this " lone glen" have no need to envy the inhabitants of goldfields which, though better known and longer settled, can hardly be more prosperous or more pleasant.