CORONER'S INQUEST.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 125, 30 July 1866, Page 3

CORONER'S INQUEST.

On the 28th inst., the Coroner, W. W. Squires, Esq., held an inquest atthe Custom House Hotel, on the body of a man unknown, who was found drowned near the boat steps of the Government Wharf. Alexander Pinkerton, chief engineer, of the s.s. Otago, and Alexander Lindsay, proved that they found^the body floating near the wharf, about four o'clock on Saturday afternoon last. Sergeant Edwards took the body in charge, and conveyed it to the loch-up. William Hobbs said, the last time the AVanganui was in harbor, he saw a man run down the road by the Anchor Inn, and break a window. The chiefofficer of the Wanganui inquired after him and was told he had run on towards the wharfc The mate paid for the window. Witness went on board the Wanganui, but did not see the man. On the 24th, a man named Murphy, a fireman of the Wanganui, said nothing had been heard of, the missing man. Constable Andrew Malcolm. said : on the llth inst. the last witness called at the lock-up, and a&ked if the police had seen the missing man. He was informed they had not. Witness assisted Mr. Hobbs to search for him, and told the mate he could not be found. The mate said he was going away early hi the morning and would give a good look-out. Mr. Vickerman, M.R.C.S., London, described the appearance of the body, which he said had been immersed 14 or, 15 days. His impression- was the man died from drowning. Sergeant Edwards recalled said :• Constable Levy, who was on duty on the nights of the 10th and llth, on No. 5 beat, reported there was a man knocking

about drunk, and they could not. make out where he . was. He was supposed to belong to one of the steamers. . The police had no intimation to' his knowledge from the officers ofthe Wanganui.Constable Bradcock said : on the night of the 10th, a man, answering:. the description of the^ deceased, asked him at the Trafalgar corner,- where he could get a bed;, saying he did not like to go dovfri to the beach. . He said he belonged to the Wanganui. Witness directed him to the Wakatu. He was sober enough to take care of himself. : John Kidson said, on the llth instant he met Mr. Cross, the pilot, who said he was much afraid there was a man lost out of the Wanganui. A man was missing, but he might have run away. The Jury found, " That the deceased man, name unknown, was found drowned in the Nelson harbor, near the Government wharf. . The evidence points to his being a seaman .belonging to the Wanganui steamship, supposed to have been missing since the 10th July. And we record our surprise that no information was given to the authorities by the officers of the vessel. -at -the time or on the arrival of the vessel subsequently. We believe the appliances for recovering people from the water are insufficient in number and description, and are not conveniently placed for immediate use. We beg to call the especial attention of the authorities to the fact : and further that lights should be kept burning on all the wharves from sunset to sunrise."

We (W. C. Times) hear very favorable accounts of many of the sluicing parties on the Waimea. At the head of the right-hand branch, Holland and party, who have constructed the most extensive, works in the district, are rewarded by fair returns for their enterprise and industry. The weekly earnings of the party average about £10. Some new ground has been opened on. a terrace which bounds Commissioner's Flat (Kanieri) to the N.E. , ahd excellent prospects obtained out of the first shaft bottomed, on Monday last. 1 dwt. 13 grs. of gold was washed out of the first dish of dirt, and we hear that the bottom ofthe shaft yielded 1 oz. 11 dwts. It is supposed that this is a continuation of the lead lately struck on the terrace higher up the flat, as the depth of sinking is about the same, and the washdirt similar in appearance. A rush" has set in to Jones' Creek Flat on each side of the road that runs from Rosstown towards the beach, that promises to be of some importance. The" Newcastle Chronicle, of the llth, in describing the wreck of the steamer Cawarra, insight of several hundred spectators, complains of the delay that took place in launching the lifeboat. It states : — The lifeboat, it was expected, would be launched every moment. On every hand. persons were to be heard anxiously inquiring the reason for the delay in launching the lifeboat. On, however, sped the swift-winged minutes, and no sijrn of the boat being launched. The vessel, meanwhile, was .settling down fast, and no sign of a boat of any kind putting off to her assistance. About a quarter of an hour after the Cawarra began to sink her funnel fell overboard. Some of the people on Nobbys fancied they saw at the same moment several people washed overboard. It is very probable that such was actually the case. This must have been about a quarter past three o'clock, at which time the steamer had been fully an hour in a position of imminent danger, without any attempt whatever having been made to launch the lifeboat. By this time, some 300 people had assembled iu the vicinity of the lifeboat shed, aud from that time out, group after group of people were observed to be washed off the steamer, and no sign of the lifeboat putting off. At twenty minutes past three o'clock, the mainmast, around which some score of people could be distinctly seen clinging, was noticed to be swaying backwards aud forwards. A minute or two more and over it went with its burden of human beiugs, iuto the boiling, seething cauldron around. E*?en at this junctiou, late as it was, if the lifeboat had put out promptly, many lives beyond all doubt might have been saved. But no, because the proper crew were not at their posts, the boat could not be put off. The sea was now making a clean breach over the steamer, which was rapidly going to pieces. About a quarter to four o'clock the foremast, with another mass of poor drowning souls, went overboard, The bulk of the people were, of course, washed off. Two brave fellows, however, managed to cling to this spar for some ten miuutes longer. As the mast was lifting up and down by the sea, the forms of the two

men . could be plainly* seem, still holding on ; all, however, tb no. purpose ; . and few mi'iutes later, and a .huge, remorselessj-looking billow rolled over the wreck, and theJ*wqmen oh the foremast were .never seen, after.. At last, when all. but two or three poor creatures on that awful wreck had -perished, the lifeboat was launched and proceeded slowly in tho direction of the wreck. Alas, it .was .too late. Only a few were left on tho vessel, and these had no chance of .saving themselves, for the lifeboat we can- positively- affirm, never went within several hundred yards of the main portion of the, wreck.