THE FATAL COACH ACCIDENT NEAR MOERAKI.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5355, 27 May 1878, Page 3

THE FATAL COACH ACCIDENT NEAR MOERAKI.

. THE INQUEST. (From the Otago Daily Times.) An inquest on the bodies of Mr. Charles Nichols ami Master J. E. Maitland was commenced to-day before Mr. Parker, coroner.. 'The first witness called was Alexander John Eermiason, dnly qualified , medical practitioner residing in Dunedin, who deposed that he had seen the body. lying in the premises of the Northern Hotel, and identified it as that of Charles Nichols, .of the firm of Dalgety, Nichols, and Co. Ho bad also seen the body lying at the Na'ional Bank. .It was that of James Ernest Maitland, a son of Mr. J. P. Maitland. He thought Mr. Nichols between 'SO and 60 years of age, and Master Maitland about 14 years. John . Hazard, duly qualified medical practitioner, at present residing at Oamaru, deposed that he had made an examinatumer ol the body lying at the Northern Hotel, which had been identified as that of. Mr, Nichols. He found a comminuted fracture of the,bones entering into the formation of the; left orbit. The superior maxillary bone was broken into fragments. The left eye ball was disorganised. These injuries were sufficient to account for death. He had also examined the body of James Ernest Maitland, and found a very severe lacerated wound, commencing at the right eye-brow and extending to the back of the.head and upwards over the head, entirely denuding the bone of the forehead. There was also a very extensive comminuted fracture of the frontal bone and right parietial bone. Deceased had also sustained a fracture of the right pelvis, with very severe laceration of the neighboring parts, and a lacerated transverse wound on the left knee, in addition to several minor contusions in different parts of the body. The injuries received were quite sufficient to cause death. Thomas Hunter, commission agent, residing

at Wellington, deposed that he was a passenger by the coach which left Palmerston about 2 p.m. for Moeraki on Tuesday. He could not say how many passengers wore on the coach. He was sitting on the outside back seat with Mr. Nichols, two more passengers sat below them on the rack, and two others on the roof just above witness and Mr. Nichols. The inside appeared to be full. He knew the Horse Kaoge. Up to the time of reaching the hill, nothing, so far as he was aware, was wrong with the coach. The driver was perfectly sober, and had driven at a steady pace the whole time. When the coach was about a quarter of a mile down the hill, withess became aware that the horses were bolting. Two men below witness dropped off almost immediately, and witness followed them, but Mr. Nichols kept bis seat. One of the passengers on the roof also dropped down. The coach then went down hill at full speed for about a hundred yards. When he got up he could not see the coach, but the horses w.th both fore wheels were some distance ahead of him. Three of the horses were standing and another lying down, the pole being partly entangled with its legs After walking a little distance witness saw the remains of the coach down an embankment about 40 or 50 feet from tire road. It appeared to have been stopped in its descent by a wire fence. When witness left the scene of the accident tire deceased, Charles Nichols, was not dead, but he was frightfully mangled, and breathed with great difficulty. He (deceased) was lying at the bottom of the gully. The lad Maitland was lying close by him. To tho Foremen. : There were ten or twelve persons on the outside of tire coach, including the driver, aud with the exception of two oa the root they appeared to be all comfortably seated. -

To the Jury : There were only a few parcels on the root. He did not know how many the coach was supposed to carry. The inside appeared to be full. Iu jumping off he (witness) sustained some slight bruises on his left side and arm. He could not say whether or not the brake was acting. W. Connor, lately of Tokomairiro, deposed that he was a passenger by the coach from Palmerston to Moeraki the_preyl,ous.day., the latter place “about"two o'clock. Nothing went wrong until at the top of the Horse Range. He could not say how many were on the box seat or inside the coach. On "the roof on the luggage were two passengers. The last witness, Sir. Hunter, and Mr. Nichols were on the back seat, and he and another sat on the luggage. There were six passengers outside, beside those ou the box seat. There was uot much luggage on the roof. They had just reached, the crown of the hill when some one cried “ Trace loose.’’ After he heard this the coach commenced to go very fast, and he dropped on to the ground, and held on to the vehicle, running behind it. He saw ' what he thought was a trace loose, flapping on the near side. He could not say whether the brake was acting or not. He heard it grating up to the time he left the coach. Prom the place where he jumped off to that where the coach fell over there was an embankment for a distance of six or seven chains. Before the coach went over last witness and two others jumped off. He did not see the vehicle fall. When he saw it next it was 40 or 50'feet down the embankment. The top was smashed, and the body on its side, some of tbs wheels being broken. He saw the fore carriage about five chains farther down the road, with what appeared to bo two horses lying beside it. He went back along the road, and at the place where he heard the cry he found a piece of iron, called the tree, that holds the trace, with a link of the trace, lying ou the road. To the Jury : He did not pick them up. When he saw Mr. Nichols he was lying three or four yards from tho remains of the, coach, bleeding profusely from the mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. He was alive then, bat died about twenty minutes afterwards. Master Maitland was lying with his feet on Mr. Nichols’ legs, and was fearfully cut about the abdomen and head. Witness did not know, of his own knowledge, when ho died. Goddard was sober, and drove steadily and carefully. Witness could not say whether the cry came from inside tho coach. The horses were, ha thought, very steady. His brother, who was an inside passenger, was hurt. • To the Jury : Ho did not see the pole of the coach after the accident. He and another man removed the coacli from the three passengers who were underneath. Tho inquest was then adjourned till the 6th June to obtain the evidence of the driver and Mr. Pulton.