THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5811, 13 November 1879, Page 2

THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT.

coroner’s inquest. An inquest war- held at the Branch Hotel yesterday morning, before Hr. Johnston, coroner, and a jury of fifteen, Mr. Joseph Ames being foreman, touching the death of Ameria Patarika, who met her death on the previous day. Mr. Ollivier appeared to watch the ca;e on behalf of Mr. Somerville, the owner of the eah iu which deceased had been riding, and also on behalf of the driver. Mr. Sisely, of the City Tramway Company, was present during the greater portion of the enquiry. Dr. Mirbach deposed that at about 12 30 p.m. on the previous day he was coming down Woodward-street, and saw a cal) drawn by two horses bolting along T.ambton-qnay, very close to the pavement. The driver was not on the box, but witness saw a Maori stooping down from the box and trying to reach the reins, which were hanging down the near horse’s back. He succeeded iu doing go, and with a great effort stopped the horses. But for that the cab would have smashed Mr. Lindsay’s window. Just before this witness saw deceased step out from the door at the back of the cab and fall, but he could not see how she fell. Witness ran down and pushed his way through the crowd, and helped to i-'lck Up the t*r>d had her conveyed into his surgery. She was not quite dead when carried into the room, but breed bed once or twice. Witness tried to re-animate her, but without success, and she was dead iu a few minutes. Witness examined her, and found a small wound on the top of the head. The second or third cervical vertebras was also dislocated, and the nasal bone was smashed. Witness also thought the base of the skull was fractured. He considered the cause of death was general concussion of the brain, and pressure from internal hemorrhage. Frances Desmond deposed that he was a cab-driver in the service of Mr. Somerville, and on the previous day he was driving a cab with three Maori women and a little boy inside, and a male Maori on the I ox. At 12.30 p.m. they were in Lambtou-qnny, opposite James’s furniture warehouse. Ho was driving towards the wharf, when he met the two tram trains, which were standing at the engines blew off steam. This was the engine coming from TeAro. The steam came right iu front of the horses, and they at once slewed right round, and bolted towards Thorndon. The swing round threw witness off the box, and he fell on to the hind-quarter of one of the horses. He then, fell to the ground, and the carriage wheel passed over his ankle. Witness was also rendered unconscious, and knew nothing more about it. He was taken to Aldous’ shop, and thence to Mr. Somerville’s place in Molesworth-street. He was not taken to the Hospital. To the Jury : The horses wero properly broken, and he had often driven thc-.m before. They were not frightened of the trams, but it was the steam that caused them to holt.

Victoria Kemp, daughter of Major Kemp, deposed that deceased was one of the Ngatiapa or Upper Wanganui tribe. Witness was related to deceased, and was with her on the previous day. They intended to go to the p.s, Manawatu. When opposite the Occidental Hotel, one tram was standing on the siding and another was approaching from To Aro. The one standing suddenly blew off steam, and the horse nearest the engine then shied and turned the carriage round very sharp. She did not see Frank (the driver) fall, but upon lo >king out of the window afterwards she saw that the Maori, Tommy, was the only one on lhe box. Deceased opened the door, and the third Maori woman in the cab, Eliza Hid, said “ don’t jnmp out.” Witness tried to stop her, hut could not succeed, as deceased wont out too quick. Deceased was about twenty-eight years old, and a well known and influential or chief woman of the tribe.

Thomas Gardiner, of the Ngatimauiopoto tribe, deposed that he was the Maori on the box of the cab at the time of tee accident. When near the siding-, one of the engines blew off steam, and the near side horse was frightened, and jumped nearly over the other. It turned the carriage rigid round. The breeching, and also the collar, was broken, and the driver was thrown from the box. Witness clung to the box, and hooked up the reins. He got them up under the swingle bar. One horse was almost out of its harness. lie was so busy securing the reins that he did not sea what had happened behind the carriage. Johu Collins, au engine driver of the Tramway Company, deposed that ho was on the main line near the siding at 12.30 p.m. on Tuesday. He was going towards Thorndou, and the train from Thorndon was standing on the siding. While the train was standing there witness saw a carriage bolting towards Thorndon. He saw the woman after she fell out. Witness did not blow off steam while waiting at the siding, nor just before arriving there. He had shut off steam before he came to the points, so that there was no steam or smoke from the engine until he started again. Witness did not know what caused the horses to start. Witness did not see any steam from the other engine. By Mr. Ollivier : When witness first saw the bolting carriage it was between his engine and the Branch Hotel, about forty yards from the engine. The other engine (the Hibernia) had arrived first, and was waiting on the siding. Witness was about ten minutes late. He stopped for a passenger. This was the only reason for stopping.

William Stark, driver of the engine Hibernia, deposed that he was waiting at the siding for the Te Aro train, but did not blow off any steam. He did not see anything of the accident, but only saw the crowd. By Hr. Ollivier : They never blew off steam in the public streets. The exhaust steam escaped 'from the funnel. This spreads in the air into a large body. This steam is of greater volume when going up an ascent, or when there is a heavy load. There was no exhaust steam at the siding from witness’s engine, bat on starting again there was some. It was not possible to start without it issuing from the funnel. There is no noise made by this escape. This was all the evidence. The jury, after about a quarter of au hour’s deliberation, returned a verdict to the effect, —That deceased met her death in consequence of jumping from a carriage, the horses of which had bolted, being frightened by the steam issuing from a tramway engine.