ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4812, 24 August 1876, Page 3

ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

Afire occurred at Boss on the morning of the 13th, destroying Moßeath’s drapery store and McLean’s tobacconist's shop. Mcßeath was not insured, and his loss is between £2OOO and £3OOO. McLean is insured for £2OO.

A very sad accident occurred on August 17 to a child of Mr. Underwood's, baker, Courtenay - place. The child was thirteen months old, and had just learnt to toddle. When in the kitchen on Thursday she in some way got into a bath which contained water, and was drowned when discovered.

At an inquest held at Napier on Thursday, August 18th, to inquire into the cause of the death of Mary Langhan the evidence showed that her husband had kicked and beaten her on the Friday before her death, and on the Tuesday inflicted injuries at the back of her head. The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against him.' The body of a young woman named Johanna Nelson was found in the Kuamahunga river on Thursday morning, near the camp at Opaki. Deceased was a Scandinavian from Ekatahunga, Forty-mile Bush. She was nineteen years of age, and unmarried. An inquest was held yesterday. This information was conveyed by telegram from Constable McKenzie, of Maaterton, to the Inspector of Police in Wellington. A man named Peter Peterson, who has been arrested on suspicion of lunacy, was taken before the Kesident Magistrate on the 7th, and remanded for a week. There was nothing to show that the man had been drinking, as is frequently the case with persons suspected of being of unsound mind; but attention was directed to him in consequence of his having publicly expressed the opinion that he was too handsome to live, and a determination to put an end to his existence and so deprive the world of his beauty by drowning himself in Wellington harbor. A rather serious accident occurred on the Hutt Eailway, near the Pipitea terminus, at 6 o’clock on the evening of the 4th. The 6.40 up train having at that part of tholine, and just after passing the points which lead to the siding in connection with Mr. O’Malley’s contract, got off the track, it ran into some loaded trucks, which had by some accident been left on the line there ; probably they had been accidentally slipped by a ballast train. It was very dark at the time, so that the obstruction could not have been seen by the engine-driver, and the real position of matters was only learned upon examination after the shock was felt. The trucks were damaged, as maybe imagined. Indeed, the first was quite smashed to pieces, the second was broken a good deal,' and the remainder were more or less damaged. The passengers were unhurt. Perhaps a few may have received a bruise or two, but nothing serious resulted to them from the accident. At three o’clock on the morning of Friday, August 11th, a fire broke out on the premises in High-street,’Blenheim, belonging to Mr. MoElwain, opposite Ewart’s Hotel. The firo rapidly spread to adjoining premises of Carter, draper, and thence to the Bank of New Zealand, which adjoined, and to the National Bank, the next building on the block, though not in the same street, but facing Market-square. The fire brigade, with both engines, were quickly on the spot, but their efforts were directed to preserve buildings that had not ignited. Fortunately there was no wind, else the whole of .that part of Blenheim would have gone.

As it was, the premises all around were much injured by scorching, breaking of windows, &c. This was the case with the telegraph office, and so imminent was the danger at one time that all the instruments, &c., were removed to the premises of tradesmen. Several line wires were burnt through, and the terminal pole also was greatly injured. The department however had the instruments remitted and everything complete by 7.30. The Bank of New Zealand strong-room is all right, and so also is the National Bank safe. Both banks opened business this morning in neighboring premises. The Marlborough Times was just going to press, but the destruction of the premises seemed so certain that the formes were lifted off and carried away, as well as everything portable. The fire however stopped at the adjoining building, and the ordinary work of getting out the paper was resumed at 6.30, by which time the fire was confined to the burning of the fallen timbers of the several buildings. The following are the insurances on buildings destroyed by the fire : —McElwain’s premises, supposed value, £7OO ; insured in the Victoria for £2OO ; Standard, £2OO ; the mortgagee is also insured in the National for £4OO. Carter’s buildings, insured in the Liverpool and London for £3OO ; Imperial, £2OO ; stock uninsured. Bank of New Zealand buildings and furniture, insured in the New Zealand office for £llOO, National Bank building, insured in the Norwich Union for £2OO ; National, £l5O ; furniture also insured in the National for £l5O. These premises are all destroyed, but some furniture was saved from both banks, and some stock from Carter’s. Ewart’s Hotel was insured for about £3OOO in four offices, and the loss will be about £4OO or £SOO. The cause of the fire is unknown. As the 11.25 train was proceeding from the Upper Hutt on July 29th an accident occurred which might have been attended with very serious consequences. The engine driver was a man named Robert A. Page, who has the reputation of being a steady and careful man, Mr. Marcus acting as guard. On reaching Hayward’s crossing, about six miles from the Upper Hutt, the speed was slackened as usual to pass the points. Instead, howeyer, of crossing as usual, the engine fouled the points, and at once ran off the rails, directly afterwards turning over on its side. The speed was so slow that the whole train at once came to a standstill, and none of the carriages left the rails. Page displayed considerable nerve and courage. He might have jumped off ere the capsize took place, but he kept to his post until that unlucky event occurred, and he was thrown under the engine, the footplate catching him across the thighs. Fortunately he fell between the sleepers, otherwise hi« legs would certainly have been broken, or perhaps severed from his body, but as it was, he did not sustain further injury than some severe bruises and contusions. A horseman who happened to be passing at the time of the accident rode to the Lower Hutt and gave information there of the disaster. The driver of the down train at once drove his engine to the spot, and brought back the injured man. Page was examined by Dr. Wilford, who pronounced his bones to be uninjured. The line at the point where the accident occurred was subsequently cleared. It is difficult to imagine how the engine could have run off the line. The points were properly adjusted, that is perfectly certain, because the driving wheels of the engine passed through them and continued on the line until the trailing wheels iu some unaccountable manner went off the line, and the great weight thus placed on the driving wheels naturally threw the engine over. So soon as Mr. Smith, the stationmaster, became acquainted with the fact of an accident having occurred, a special engine was despatched with the necessary appliances for righting the engine, etc.