Inquest

Manawatu Herald, 1 March 1902, Page 2

Inquest

An inquiry into the death of Michael Shannaham was held by the Coroner, E. S. Thynne Esq. yesterday, at the Court House. Following were the jury:—James Hurley (Foreman), R. Calcutt, H. Castle, W. G. Robinson and P. Robinson. The following evidence was given : Albert Edward Goldsack deposed — I am a railway porter stationed at Foxton; I have known the deceased since he has been in Foxton, the last fortnight or three weeks; he has been working about the wharf; I last saw him alive a little after 2 p.m. on Tuesday last; he had just come oft the Gertie, and passed the weighingbrigde in the direction of the road ; I have seen the body to-day and recognise it as that of the man I knew as “ Mick” Shannlian ; I think he would be about 30 years of age ; I think he was single, he had no wife here ; when I last saw him alive ha had had some drink, and I saw he had a bottle with him, but I think he was capable ot taking care of himself; he had told me ho could not swim ; he had been working at getting out coal from the Waverley steamer from 4 a.m. to 10.30 a.m; he had been at similar work on the previous night on the s.s. Himitangi up to 9.30. By the Constable —When deceased was by the weighbridge he told me he was going to wash himself; I sent Knapp who had told the,clothes were on the bank of the river, to inform the police; this would be about half an hour after he had spoken to me; the clothes produced are the clothes I saw on the bank of the river; 1 recognise the trousers and hat an those having been worn by the deceased. Patrick Skellea deposed—l have seen the body of the deceased and recognise it as that of Mick Sbannahan who had been in Foxton for the last fortnight, he said he had bean working

in Wanganui; I last saw deceased alive at 20 minutes to 3 on Tuesday, on the wharf after he had come out of the hold of the Gertie; ha seemed steady enough; it was 20 minutes or half an hour after I had seen deceased on the wharf Mr Goldsack told me there were some clothes on the bank of the river, and I went to see them (the same as produced) and recognised them as clothes the deceased had on him when he left the Gertie; the clothes were lying on the bank of the river by side of where the Awahou stream enters the river; at this spot in the river there is a shelf about 3 or 4 yards from the shore which drops 10 or X2 feat. By the constable —The shore is pretty slippery. By the Foreman—Knapp found the clothes when he was wheeling rubbish off the wharf, John Lewis Kidd deposed—l am a constable stationed at Foxton; on Tuesday last I saw deceased on the wharf about 1.30 ot x. 45 p.m.; he came on to the Wharf from the bow of the Gertie; 1 heard him talking to some one and by his speech I believe he had had a drink or two, and I thought him quite capable of taking care of himselt; I then left the wharf; I went down to the wharf with Constable Forster who told me a man had been drowned ; I saw clothes (a pair of moleskin trousers, black hard hat, black cloth Coat and a pair of woollen socks): I recognise the clothes produced as those worn by deceased that day; we dragged for the body from the time it was missing to time it was found; I saw William Collins raise the body out of the water about 20 feet from where the clothes were lying. It was about 6.30 p.m. on Thursday that the body was found, it was about low water then, and the body was taken from about 12 feet depth of water; the body had a flannel shirt on; there were no marks of violence on the body; the body was taken to the Post Office hotel; I have known the deceased about ten years; I believe he was a native of Greymouth, I know he has lived there a great number of years; as far as I know he was a single man; his parents reside in Greymouth, and they have been communicated with; I should say his age would be about 30; when I knew him first he had a tobacconist shop in Greymouth. William Knapp deposed—l am a labourer residing at Foxton; I was working with Skellen on Tuesday afternoon last cleaning up the wharf; began work about 1.45 p.m.; we were filling a barrow and I was wheeling it away and tipped it over the bank alongside the railway siding; as I was going back to get another load I met the deceased in front of the sheep yards, and he told me he was just going down here to got a wash ; when I went again with the next load, which would be about a quarter of an hour, I nearly tipped the load over the coat and hat (produced) a pair of trousers and socks were on a canoe about 4 or 5 feet awajr; as I could see no sign of deceased I reported the matter to the porter who sent mo for the police. The jury returned a verdict that Michael Shannahan was aocidenally drowned. They added a rider that people should be warned not to bathe in that place. ___________