CORONER'S INQUEST.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 106, 31 August 1880, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

• An inquest on the death of Annie , Songhurst was held at Whyte's Hotel, , Foxton, on Saturday aftei-oon, at >■ ■■ i 1.85 o'clock, before Mr Piers Warburton, District Coroner. j A jury consisting of Messrs Furrie, I Flower, Palmer, Coley, K. Brown, ; J. W. Liddell, G. Eussell, E. Cox, W. <x. Eobinson, M'Culloch, Alzdorf, ' A. Easton, Williams, E. Osborne, and F. Loudon, were empannelled. Mr Flower was cho^n foreman. The Coroner briefly opened the proceedings, after which the jury • proceeded to view the body at West- ; wood's Temperance Hotel. Upon returning, 4 Thomas Songhurst, father lof deceased, was examined upon oath. He said — I am a baker, and have been living at Halcombe, but^am now oh my way to Wellington; my daughter who was killed, was Annie ; she was thirteen years and four i months old ; I saw her about an hour before the accident; that was the last time I saw her well; it was about 8.80 a.m. yesterday ; she was then on the wharf; no one was with her ; when I saw her on the. wharf I ordered her home, as they were Government premises she was on ; later she seems to have returned to the wharf, and at half-past nine ! !she was carried into the Temperance Hotel after the accident ; her right, arm was thoroughly crushed, and one of her Jmees and the side of her head were much bruised ; the doctor had been sent for ; I spoke%> her about the accident, and she said no one was to blame ; she said that she saw the truck coming when she and her little sister were on the line, that she tried to drag her sister out of the way, but both were knocked down and that the truck went over her arm ; the doctor came about ten minutes after she arrived at the Hotel ; he told me after looking at the arm that it would have to be amputated ; after the amputation had taken place, he told me the shock to the child was ' very severe, and that it would be a miracle if she recovered ; I think she died abouttialf-past |p,ur o'clock yesterday ; she seemed rational after the amputation, and asked the doctor if she could go to Wellington with her father. Mary Ann Songhurst, sister of deceased, deposed — I saw the accident happen yesterday morning, between half-past nine and ten o'clockj I was then on the wharf; Mr Bail ' came to me and told me I must shift, because of the timber on the track* ? " I went around a tLnber stack, and saw my sister was coming down the -1 line towards the river the in fron^o^^^HHH^^^H Utthrs^jj^^^^^^^^^^^^^H

IM[ truclc. ibqut 15 UTeht octruck in te; there behind, rtedit. >rter, debefcveen werihg a rf— l' call out and >k was in me, and )ehind to a to the ime after f shout; Id came [lich had p, but I he until ) in his led with-, I looked he line; see that rind and in pusher seeing out be.-----k to -see he child round a c I could } on one any one 1 n6t see _til I got ft being op it in me rises iere the s therejet good ; a man ick, and uuur tsw-uiig n _ waa _over away | from it. - The, last witness, Mary Arm Songhhurst, was. recalled, but could not identify Collins as the man whom I seen behind the truck. ess continued --We do not er ropes or brakes to check but always keep a look-out ; has generally ordered childthe wharf, but some are and refuse to%o. 9 Flemming, a labourer, deI . was engaged loading the r Emerald at the wharf at the the accident, and was waiting b the truck come down; I noticed the two children come out Up _*om the e_d of -the stack of timber m and stott on to the line ; the truck Wtsfl&Bt coining^ behind them, and was KraMtttpm-4_eir' heels j I saw the the children down ; I my work, but before"*! got the truck was over them ; % man at the truck whexgp several men might "have' die truck, and I have them ; all the trucks I have go down, have had two men them, but this was la. trolley ; children were walking aljgg the the line ; I called ottVT and turned round and saw ; she caught hold of the but&ould not get her off truck struck her on the Dick, a wharf labourer, — Mr Batt a_d I were pushtrucks up the straight, wheqj shouts ; I went round- tho timber, and saw the truck a child;. I saw another picked her up ; she was sen- ; .after I. had stood her up she away ; I saw her right arm smashed; I started for the but found. ( some one had gone* me; I therefore returned to '* Barber, a duly qualified practitioner residing at FoxI was called upon yesmy house, and asked to at an accident ; I went as fast to Westwood's Hotel, and ease d ; I^®rand her hand w> s smashed; [Dr. then pro^ e^ed to relate the done td^Jjh® arm] ; the crushed N f]^within 1£ of the head ; ampu^ion was chance of saving tnt^prl's I was afraid to move hersin hemorrhage would set in ; if. the arm at' the shoulder before the operation I had of saving her life, but afterI told the father there was very chance 0f saving her ; syncope immediate cause of death — failure of the heart's action deficiency of blood, both in* and quantity* the shock to system .would have been sufficient cause death, apart from* loss of She'lived eight hours after amputation. By the foreman— -I tried the girl chloroform, but foujuWt would I therefore utt^arti^ respiration. ■ '^sw John _Cp~, overseer at the wharf IT-poaed— I saw the trolley ; I was about half way bewhere "it; was loaded and the Uve accident occurred^ ; the line ;' after

.knew if I left it any longer without amputation the child's life would c sacrificed. The Coroner briefly summed up. A juryman expressed a desire that Mr Batt might be called. Chas. Batt, wharfinger} deposed — The rule is that no<one is allowed on the Government lines unless on busi ness ; I have repeatedly granted children off the wharf; I consider proper precautions are taken to prevent accidents ; there are not brakes on the trolleys ; it is not possible always to stop trolleys suddenly ; the instructions to the men are to see the line is clear before a truck is stai-frd. ."' jM / '?> *M ? By the jury— The'sanie morning I had warned children off the wharf ; even the brake would have- been no use to the truck in this case, A|it was started at the foot of the incline. The jury then considered thair. gprdiQt, and after lS'inihutfes' m'- ! ([deration, returned the following : — " TUfct the deceased Annie Songhurst met with her death accidentally on the 27th day of August, Agßo, by being run over by^araUw^^usJc, and that there !s _(>ljlal_^«ifribut--able, to any brie.'* M -' The following rider was returned :—" The jury are of opinion that while the whaif is in its present crowded ajate, and un der repair, not less than two men shonldf be employed to each truck or trolley when being lowered,and-tbar one of them should act as lookout;" The Coroner briefly thanked the jury, and the proceedings closed.