THE INQUEST ON PETER PKTTEESEN.

Manawatu Herald, 10 December 1878, Page 2

THE INQUEST ON PETER PKTTEESEN.

The Coroner's inquest held on Friday last regarding the death of Peter Peterson by drowning, has resulted in an open verdict, but, as will be seen from our report, the Jury request further enquiry to bo made upon two important matters. These are, first, why did the Glenelg, which has a good lifeboat on board, not send off a crew to assist the men in the water. This question is an important one, as, if the disaster was witnessed from the steamer, the neglect to put off a boat to assist the struggling men is a burning shame to those on board. We do not say the accident was seen from the (Jlenelg. Upon that point further enquiry is necessary, to wove their negligence, or to clear those on board from the imputation that (hey made no attempt whatever

to rescue their fellow-men in need of help. We would fain hope the Government enquiries will ro>ult in the captain and officers of the Gleuelg being fully exonerated. At present, however, the onus of proof appears to be against them. One witness snj's that Pilot Gibbs said when he got back into the boat after the upset, he saw a number of men standing on the bridge of the steamer; again, that on the Hydrabad boat going alongside the steamer, he (witness) charged the captain with unmanly conduct in not lowering a boat ; the captain replied, " I did lower a boat ; " "yes," said the wit ness, " and you sent it to the ketch." Another witness said when the accident occurred, he saw two men on the Glenelg. The Jury had not sufficient evidence before them to pass an opinion either way. On the one hand j i thero ai'O the statements given, and i the additional one thut on the boit going alongside the captain said, i j " so it's all over with the poor unfov I tunate ! " On the other hand thero is | the improbability often or dozen mon knowing several lives were in dun- ; gar, and doing nothing whatever to' assist them. This matter noeds to j be looked iuto, and if it proves to j have been Uaown on the Glenel>j, a ! severe reprimand should be adminis- j J tered by the marine authoritos, as i | it is certain had a boat been lowered j from the steamor the men would havo boon reached in half tho time they were by tho llydrabad boat. Anothor matter upon which furthor enquiry is roquestod by tho Jury, is the action ot Captain U'atchlin, of the Forest Queen, in attempting to reach the ship three hours before high water, whereas he had been signalled to wait until full tide. The evidence j upon this is clear. The witnoss i John P. Ella say 3 that when he was assisting to launch the Hvdrabad boat, he said to *Mr List, the "mate of the ship, " What signal is that fly ing ?" The reply was, "Itis a signal to wait for high water, which lioas told me to hoist." Ella says also tlut | ho asked both Pilot Gibbs and Capt | Watchlin why they were go foolish ! as to attempt the surf when thoy had been signalled to wait for high water, and thut each admitted ho knew tb« i signal was flying. In view of the.se statements, it appears to us, tho Marine lioard should enquire into Captain Watchlin's couduo'. Tho man Pettersen was in his vessel at tho time, and was bound to obey his j captain in all reasonable matters. j Watchlin knew he himself was a good j swimmer, and hence there was com* j paratively no danger Jo him : but with i Pettersen tho case was diiferent, He j was unable to swim, and met his death. Another man's life wa* just 1 saved ; whilst Gibbs would probably havo been drowned too had ho not clung to the boat. We cannot know, of course, whether Pettersen know it was dangerous to go in the boat ; nor whether ho understood the signal that was hoisted. But what wo wioh to point out is this. That Watehliu had no right to risk tho lives of three other men by taking a "dingy" It | feet long through the surf, in the faco of a signal to wait thro 9 houiy longer for full tidu. A man is allowed t f > risk his own life, so long as he is sane ; but no one in authority has any right to endangor the lives of others in his charge by foolhardy actions. We trust in tho interest of tho lives of our seamon, tho Government will institute the enquiries requested by the Jury. The latter were parfectly right in loaving the Government to get professional seamen to settle tho matters in* question. A Coroner's Jury is not the proper tribunal to try | such difficult questions. The Marino j Board contains able and experienced j eeamen, and we shall look with interest for the result of an enquiry into ! the unfortunate circumstances which at present becloud the death of Pettersen. ■ — — ■ I

We understand that renewed efforts are being made by the County Chairman to obtain a refund of the 20 per cent allowance) from the land fund upon the purchase money of the Manchester Block, sold to the Emigrant and Colonists Aid Corporation. Tho law is, that 20 per cant of all land sold in any County is returned to such County. This the Government have hitherto declined to do, us regards tho Ma.ichester Block. The purchaso-money amounting to somo £6-5,000, tho 20 per cent would be a splendid haul for the district ; in fact, it is so rich ft prize, that tho Government are very cb:ivy of all -whig it to pass into the hands of the Couuty. We presume their ostensible reason ii«, that being a "Bpecial" sale, it does not come under the usual land fund arrangements ; tho acLuul reason no doubt is, a strong disinclination to p.irt with tho I Hum of £13,000, which would bethoamouat I of the refund. The land having been sold, and tho Government having received tho purchaso money, we cannot boo any fair reason why hi this instance the 20 psr cont should bo withheld. Hi>d the land been disposed of in the ordinary matiner, no ; possible objection could have been m;tlo to I tho refund. As it is, the land has passed i from tho Government, they have the m»ney in tho Treasury, and the County has lost a large sum through their action. Should tho Government maintain their present attitude, useful institutions likj the Corporation will not find much favor with tho Counties. So far the Corporation has been of immenso advantage to tho Manawat'i. An extensive district has beou opened, a' largo and highly-prosperous population settled, and i thriving township created. The future gives promise that this progress will rapidly increase. The opening up of this country entails additional work mid oxpenso upon the County, and it' in this iustanoo the refund is held back, a di<ticct principle of County government will bo violated. That principle is, that a fair proportion of the land revenue shall go to form roads and bridges in the Coun'y in which tho land sold is situated. To act in opposition to this, simply because a large block is in question, would be a grave in-< justice to the County, The size of the

block sold, or the amount of the purchase money paid, does not affect iv the least dogioa tlie justice of the claim. We trust Mr AJacarthur will succeed in his efforts to obtain the refund. According to the present rule of the County, should the £13,000 be obttiiued from Government, 10 rer cunt vf the refund .(£1300) would go to the general «Joimty Fund, and the lemainuig £11,700 to the Manchester Hiding, iv which the money was raised.

Our promJLseJ report upon the school examiuatiou is crowded out of the present issue. We also apologise to our Welliugton correspondent for the non-publication of hia interesting letter. Both will appear in Friday's issue. Landslips.— Heavy weather has prevailed for several days in this part of the colony, and on Saturday it culminated in frightful storms. The up coach did not reach Foxton until 11.30 last night, owing to the heavy alipg O u the other side of the Faikakariki, and the damage done to culverts, &c. The coaches Were loft on each side of the hill, and mails and passengers packed over. It w'U bo probably be several days before the ordinary traffic can be resumed. Wksx Coast Cricket Team.— We understand efforts are being ma lo to organise a West Cor.st ciickat team to visit tlu Empire City. The whole Coast will be represented, from Wanganui to Otaki, and if the idea becomes an accomplished fact, tho Wellin?tqnians will liavo some tough work before them. -The Coast team will probably include some of tho following players, several of wh jiu hnva already signified their w Iliugncss to join: — Messrs Cross, Parringtoii, Uarton, aui Anson, from Wanganui; Fore, Fulton, and Fitzherbert, i | from Marton ; Walker, and ,-itaito, from I Palmerston ; ltobiuson, from i-'oxton ; and j ' Simcox, from Otaki. To Mr Robinson ' i belongs the credit of originating the idea. ; ' We hope it will be carried out. ; | Theatuicvi.. —We ur.dewland that aj I grand panora-na of tlie Arctic Regions will : | shortly hi taken through this district. Tue I panor.uua, which is coming fro-n Sjrtney : is said to bo a in ignifkvnt one, nnd contains ; 00 views, with no le*s than 27 changes in i the transformation scciu\ We also hoar that i Mdlle. Charbonuet, tho talented pfosriste, : . ] who has be>n so highly spoken of by t!ie ' ! Prc33 in whatever part of the Colony ! she has vi-ite4, will arrive in thfs ; district about tiio end of January. Ujth i i compaaies will show und<u* the management ' of Mr It. W. Cm-v. The Otaki ConiT House.— This building ! | we had an opuoi-tutrty of seeing a lew days j ago. Its condition is disgraceful. It is a ! barn-like shed, standing oil' one of the siJo i 9tr<?ets, and is but dimly lighted with two or three windows, several panes of which are ' j broken. Tue roof and sides tu\j full of holes i through which the greater part of the l.giifc | finds its w;iy and ventilation id provided on j •in extonsive scale. ' In windy weather, ad- i ministering just iee 'at Otaki, or taking part i iv tlie Court, must be exceedingly unco.n- i Ibrttible. Wo understand there is at pre- | ssnfc same diiliculty in ewe: ing- new build : ing owing to tho laud upon which tho Court ' Mouse is situated belonging to tha n itives. j Tho present "she-i" was originally a meet- i ing-housE for tho natives, an I us they receive ■ ; £2(J per annum rontul, tiie Government j j should insist upon it being kept in gjo.l ! j order. A small pieco of' lan.l could bo bought for a few pounds in any part of j Otaki, and a new building erected, which j would act as a Court House an. l police | quarters. A change of souu kind is necessary. Otaki has bjen v rather batlly treated in the matter of Qovernmjut otiL-es, and we j have great pleasure in bringing the matter i before the authorities. Native Laxds CjgiiT.— A sitting of tho Native Lands Court is at present being held | at Otaki, before Judge llealo and a "native assessor. So far, only one block of land has been put through, as in many instances no j maps vv.'re furnished to tlu Court. Dr Buller has been attending tlie sittings. We hear that as soon as the Otaki cases are disposed of, the Court will adjourn to Foxton. ! Ox Tiif. Beach.— Last Wednesday, mil- j lions of th-.it insect known to scheolboys as i the " gold-bottle," were wished upon tho beach between the Manawutu and Otaki | .river*. They formed a fringe along the! whole lino of coast, in many places lying in j places a couplo of inches tiiiek- The pro- | bability is they had been blown out to sea by an easterly wind, and washed ashore. The Drowned Mate.— Peter Petteraen, who was drowned nea.t the Hydrabud last Tuesday, was a Swede, and about 29 years old. He had been, in the Colony about 4 i years, during which lie had gained the i character of being a sober and industrious ' man. A witness at the inquest stated ho ! believed PeMerscn has a married sister at either Palmerston or Masterton. We hoar that a man of tho same name rosiding in this district is uncertain whether the drowned man is hia brother or not, but believes ho is. Pettersen, iiad, at tho timo of his death, some money in the Savings Dank. The Hokowhexua Disaster —Tho Wellington Chronicle, of Friday contains the following, which bears out the inferences of i our leading article. Evidence accumulates | that the upsetting of tho boat was witnessed fromthoCllonolg. Our contoiiipjraryssys: — I A sailor belonging ts tho Forest Queen : called at our oflijo last night and made the i folluwiug statement regarding the Lite la- i mentable accident thac occurred at Horo- j whenuaon tho night of the 3rd instant : — ; " I gaw tho captain of tho Glenolg, which j was lying not far oil 1 , and several of tin I sailors looking towards the scene of tho accident, and iluJing that they were making no efforts to render assistance to the dro.vning men, I eatied out. Sjmo of tho sailors wont to launch tho boat, but wore stopped by tho captain. About three quarters ot an | hour after tlie affair happened, the mate, j with several sailors, came off to tho F n-est | Queen, and, upon my demanding why he i didn't go to tho rescue, he replied that they had not seen the accident. I then said, ! II \Vhat brings you out horo now ':" and ho | replied that they had come to assist him if | ho desired to weigh the anchor. I then re- | fused to have anything more to say to him J about the accident, and determined to give the particulars to tho public." Feii-dimo Ouoit.u, .Society — This Society gave their third concert on Friday evening last, at tlia Immigration Darrack.s. The Society is numerically strong, 21 performers makiuy the chorus at the concert. In enumerating the several items of tho progranune,\vo hardly know which to commend most. The iirst encore of the eveuiug was awarded to tho lady who sang " Bird of tho Greenwood," and richly sho deserved it. Had "Bourne Now Mooii" b.seu a little later on in the programme, the song would doubtless have received the encore which in our opinion tho lady who sang it desom-d. " Oh ye tears " and " Thady u'Flynn," wero well aung by a lady with a very sweet voico, but who appeared to bo slightly nervous. Tho duott " Sweet, wild rose," was excellently rendered, whilst " I kuow a bank," and " My pretty page," (two duetts), were encored. A quartet for male voices, "Swell high the ohoral song," woa capilally given

' also the trio, " May Fly." " Alho, where art thoii," and " Tom Howling," were given by a gentleman, tho latter song being vociferously encored, and followed by a song, tho title of which we failed to catjli, but which seemed to suit him the best of tho three. " The Dream," by another genJ tleman, was also well sung, and deservedly | encored. The choruses and glees wore j given with great precision; We must accord to tho conductor a high tribute of praiso I for his successful training of the excellent voices at his command. A. piano duett from *' Lucia di Lammermoor," in which a very young lady took part, was encored loudly, although an overture. The concert is to. be repeatod on Boxing Night, and we wish the I Society an even larger attendance than that with which they were honored on Friday night. Fokton School Buildings. — Matters still remain in abeyance. It seems the Board had lot a contract to Mr Macfarlane, of Wanganui, at £530, but as this was merely for the additions, and included no alteration whatever to the present building, the chairman of the Committee telegraphed to tho Boar 1, protesting; against tho work \ being prococded with, aud preparations I have therefore stopped. The original tender of £560 by a Foxton builder, included the raising of the present roof, aud a quantity of other work not in tho Wanganui tender. It would have been far better for the Board to have acccptod tho Committee's wishes in tho first case. Their mismanagement has already led them into the mire. Meantime|tha school is Ltboriug under grave disadvantages. Oveiigoveun'ed. — Foxton labours under a multiplicity of government which is both amusing nnd expensive. Leaders and leader* have been written against an overplus of government, but frequently tho ludicrous does more to expose a folly than argument. Ho it known, then that the roadway in Foxtnn i* nndor tae care of a vigorous body yclept tho County Council ; whilst tho sidepath-t of the City are dependon* upon tho Local J3oard for being kept in order. Tin County has lat&ly put a man to oloar the gutters of the grasi which has grown up in their part of the street ; but tho Local Board is still suffering from a " stunning " blow given by tho auditor, aud the patli3 arc untouched. That man pursue his toil daily, and works along tho gutters of Foxton, cleariug tho grass and raking the stonos; but the green stuff still waves in verdant luxuriance to tho edge of the curbing. Ever and anon tho onlooker sees the hoa instinctively rise at a | tuft of grass on tho p:ith, but suddenly i comes tho muttered gi\>au from the workman, "That's Loc.il Hoard!" and the long-handli-d instrument drops mournfully on a County stone. Should a:iy visitor to Foxton suppose that we arc a slovenly people, or that tho County laborer is. a mm afflicted with a " Government stroke," we would fain remove that impression. We Kiiffji- from a surfeit of tiio swtsets of government ! Oyo City Fathers of tho Loc ;1 Board ! Take round tho hat, and got a few peiue together, tliat Father Christinas may find us without grass on yo ur part of the s'.roet. Stouc (J.vttce. — Mr E. Barbor yesterday drove through Foxton about 300 head of store cattle fur stocking the Ilimatangi Rum. We believe they all came from tho | Wuirarapa and East Coast discriets, and i we have no doubt will som? day return uloiig the Coast ta the Empire City in the ! form of prime beef. Cheap Fa«E3. — The owners of the ss. Tui have with commendable enterprise determined to is.-rao rotur.i tickets t j Wolliagtou, K liloura, and Ly ttelfcon, at siuglo fares. As tho oxTjllout accommodation of tho Tui, aud the courtesy of her officers, are well known, wo anticipate tho cheap fares will | iuduje a heavy passeuger traffic during December and January. Sals op Platedwahe. — Announcement is j made of a sale by Messrs Thynne, Liuton, and Co., during Christinas week of somo vary tine plated ware. Tho stock has been imported direct from home, and buyors will thus bo oaabled to purchase at cheap rates, avoiding Lho numerous com nissions which in most cases are tasked on to the original cost. Wo have carefully inspected tha goods which are really ha-idsomj, aril beautifully engraved. The fact that they co'.na from ilappin speaks for itsjlf, uud we recommend heads of families, those about to | become such), to sac the articles for themi selves, aiul buy those Christmas presents. j The enterpri.se> of Tliyune, JJinton, & Co. should be rewarded by a good sale. To the Ladies. — Wo have the honor to remind the ladies of Foxton that they are requested to att«ud a meeting at tho Public Hall to-morrow, at 4.30 p.m., to malco arrangements for tho approaching school I Death op Sm John Richardson*.— Sir John Richardson, whoso name is a housohold word throughout the Colony, and who | held the position of Speaker of the Legislative Council for several years past, died at Dunedin on Friday last. The Faiulig.— The Wellington reclamation has been completed, and we may therefore expect in a few weeks the Fairiie engine which h-13 bee a usel by tho contractors will bo despatched to this district, according to tho promise given to tho Foxton deputation by Mr Lawson. A Wellington paper says luafc tho reclamation was commencjJ on the 2nd April, 1^75, and consequently h-13 ojcupiud three years au.l eij»lit months. Tho contract tiiiie, orginally, was eighteen months but subsequently was* extended to tho 31st May last. Tho long and exception il continuance of bad weather alone has prevented Mr Q'Alalley finishing earlier. The total area reclaimed is iO acres 1 rool 12 porches exclusive of the separate reclamation of •* acres on which tho Government BuilJiuirs stand. It is estimated that tho reclamation liv absorbed over 50^,'JOO loads of material. Tub Tauaxvki. — Tho Taranaki wreck enquiry resulted iv the captain's certifiiuto being returned. Wakoasui- Foxton- Railway.— Tho following are tho returns of traffic on the district lino for tho lour weeks onding Oetobor 19 : — Receipts — pasjongers, parcels, Sen., £1,1-16 9s 10.1 ; goods, and livestock, £1,056 8s ii ; Foxton wh;rf dues £76 13* tkl. Total, £2,>7!) Us 81. Tiio numbers arc thui made up : — Passengers, 639u ; goods, tons, 231'J; livo stock, 138 The toml for tho same period of last year was £93 1. 'i'ho percentage of expenditure to the receipts upon the line is 7:4.81. It is oen-kbally a»mittki> by everybody w-o has visited Jacobs' Atbcnieum Unzaur, that it is the only shop in Wellington that contains a good and comploto assortment of Fancy Goods and Jewellory suilablo for Presents, Birthday Gifts, or Wedding Prosents. Pai'ticd requiring any of tho üboye articles will navo themselves a lot of trouble by calling and inspecting the immenso as' sortineut, which is too gigantic to particularise by advertisement. — Advt.]

I ■ ._,,,. ■■»"■ II ■■ I — - ■ I The bill of a plumber in Paris lately contained the following items : — 14 To searching for gas-leakage, two fraucs; to having found it ; three franca." i