INQUEST.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 170, 7 June 1872, Page 3

INQUEST.

An quest was held at.the Mount Ida,District,Hospital, pn the. afternoon of Tuesday last, before 11. W. : Robinson, Esq., Coroner, upon view of the body of William Parker, who met with, his: death from, a, fall'of earth when working .in.,,a claim near Baxter's dwelling. The following evidence was adduced: —

John, Moore, being sworn, said: 1 am. a miner. I at.-Kaseby. : I did not know the deceased until this morning,- when I asked if, he were the man ,niy taiher.bad engaged to work s i in his place. II e said " Yes." I then i set him to work at the face, under- i mining, to get a fall of earth. He had been ar, work about an hour when I went, to - the face, to. see if there'was 1 any crack. I could see none. I was going back to work when I heard the earth break off, and saw a mass of earth fall from the face. I then saw the deceased try to make his escape. The earth fell and knocked, him down. 1 called out for assistance to Robert. Bremner and others who were working near. soon as I saw they heard me. I jumped down and \verit to the spot. I found the deceased lying, on his belly, with only his shoulders and left arm exposed. I uncovered the head, and raised it. He was then alive,. 1 did not hear him speak. Other persons soon arrived, and assisted me in uncovering him. W hen uncovered he .-was .alive,- but did not speak. He just moved his head, lie was placed on a stretcher, and carried away in the direction of the Hospital. I was myself working at the face, about twenty feet from where the deceased was working. I.had been undermining as well as he, but not ;at the same face.of the excavation.. ; The earth that fell is what is called a " flake." It did not come, from the surface. I had not reason to suppose, the ground to be particularly dangerous. \Ve had made a fall there yesterday, and cut in farther than de-: ceased had done, but had difficulty to get the earth to fall. My father worked with me yesterday. I was not afraid of the ground. If my father had been working there I,should not have taken more precaution than T did. I never hea.r,d my. father ; say that he was ner-; vous about working in that place. I saw, the deceased set to work as though he- were accustomed to it. . .The height of.the.,face > was'.frpm.,,tweive,to" fifteen feet. Deceased told me that he had last come from Palmerston.

Mathew Nicolas Copper, being swcrn, said : I am ; a miner, and reside at Mount Ida. I know the last witness, John Moore. . He works on what is known as the Main Spur, in front of my house. -This morning, about ten. o'clock, I heard a fall of. earth and a scream. I saw several men hurrying to Moore's claim. ,1 went there. I saw the deceased lying partly covered with earth. He lay 011 his right side I assisted to, get him. out. He \\Y<r then alive, but did nut I iiueu his, herd and tried to restore him to coriscitnmivss. I -then, got a stretcher, nnd.assisted to carry hmi towards the tow.ii*. He was dead \vi_en we put him

in jiipt bridav, \vKo~lobked at 'tlie man," and said he- \vas' dead. .. ; I never saw- ;d s er ceased before. I know the grounds Avhere 'tlre aeeiflcnt. occurred.; It was" ' new ground. I should think it as good groiind : as working. I do not consider the ground f"> o ■ ■ ■ ..w about the Hogburn to be especially dangerous. If I were engaging a strange man to • place to- work for me as a miner, I it my duty to warn him to be cautious. Nicolas West, being sworn, said: I know the deceased by sighr, but not by name. I only called him Jack. He occupied the same hut with, last I had known him three ! o'r Pour days befo;re?that;i I. met": him at Tootell's old boarding house.He had -been woi-kiug.jn Reed's .claim. J'heard that he came from- Grreehock. Hehaxl been harvesting at Palmerston. He was a sailor. I bel:< ve he was a sincle man.

Robert N.ichol~on, ibeing sworn, said : I am a police constable sta ioned nt ; Naseby.:' 1 searched .the body of deceased, s and found a leathern purse coritainin<r.£ 1 12*. vl"-believe-hi&nairie and that he was ! a native of frreerwckj'iu Scotland. "

- Daniel being iworri, said'-r T am a duly qualified; medical prn cf iti on err "res'iden t at Naseby. I was called' this morning to see a man who had been hurt by a> fall of earth. I met; some men carrying deceased on a stretcher: v "' Thter stopped' and put him down I looked at him. lie was dead. I have' since seen' the body. His ska! was fractured—that was the proximate cause of death.- His hipjoint was ; out, and there; were rous contusions.' The deceased was ia 'man of about twenty-five years of age. He had a star tatooed on the right hand, and an anchor on the left—both in blue.

A verdict of " Accidental death " was recorded, the jury remarking that, without in the present instance wishing to cast any reflection upon the owner of the claim wherein the accident had occurred, it was, in their opinion, not only desirable but proper th at—mo re especially upon th e engagemerit of riewhands —-due caution should be given them the danger they were about to encounter from the very treacherous nature of the ground round about the Hogburn.