A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume VII, Issue 242, 15 February 1889, Page 2

A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.

Last Wednesday a serious accident happened whilst the punt at the Shannon ferry was crossing a twohorse team and dray. Messrs Birchley & Co, who are erecting a hempmill on the river bank alongside the ferry, had despatched a man named William Dunn to Shannon for a load of bricks for their mill. Dunn drove the dray with ene horse in the shafts and the other tied behind, on to the punt, and whilst the ferryman shoved the punt away from the shore the horse in the cart moved forward, and it haying been neglected to place the usual spar across the end, he stepped on to the flap, which dropped with the weight and sent the horse head over heels into the river with the dray and other horse after him. The dray falling overboard broke the rope with which the led horse was tied, but not before the animal was dragged into the river. It is surmised that as this horse also got drowned that his neck must have been broken with the jerk. The driver, William Dunn, had a very narrow escape from drowning, as when the horse moved forward at the very first he tried to stop him, and failing was dragged into the river with the horses and dray, and it being a wet morning he was encumbered with a heavvy top coat. Fortunately he was a good swimmer, and managed to get out with nothing worse than a ducking. A lad named Hugh Walls was also in the dray on the punt, but when he saw what was likely to occur he jumped on to the punt, but only just in time. The dray must, have kept the shaft horse down and drowned him. After a time the dray and harness were recovered. This will be a loss to the firm, as draught horses are difficult to replace, and thou h one of the horses belonged to Mr Birchley, the other one was hired from Mr G. Wood. It appears as though the whole accident arose from the oversight of neglecting to place the guard rail across the punt on the river end at the time the dray was tsken on to it.