INQUEST.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 712, 28 June 1878, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inquiry touching the death of J.i'tm Kaird, ine railway guard who tiled on Wednesday e-'uning from the effects of injuries received by the railway accident, was held at the Hospital to-day, before W. J. Steward, Esq.. J.P., and acting Corojier, and the following jury ; —Messrs. Uioharuson (foreman), Smith, Solomon, Perry, Grant, Lindsay, Fuller, Newey, Cottrell, Harper, and Cagney. Messrs. Longford and Grave, two defaulting jurors, were each fined L2. ! The following evidence was taken : i , ■;■?

Corneliuft Reeves, an engine-driver employed on-the Waiareka Branch, deposed that on Tuesday morning he left Oamaru at 7.15 a.m. The deceased was guard of the train. There were two carriages and one horse-boi behind the engine. He (deceased) went between the engine and truck to uncouple them. In oriser to do so, deceased called out to him to let the engine come back a little. Did not see the .deceased at the time, in consequence of the engine being between us. The witness heard him call out " Neill, Neill," immediately after the engine began moving. The fireman almost directly applied the brake. Witness and the fireman both jumped down and picked up one loaded truck at Elderslie. Witness stopped the train clear of the siding so as to get in to the siding w;th the loaded truck. To get at the loaded truck we had to remove the* empty ni)i\ which was in front of+he loaded one. H .ving drawn out the tru'ckspvhich were qoupicd, h': iftcked the loaded one dowq i th-.- piain Hue pn to the front; of the traiii. ; ; Jenkins was on;he train With himas stoker. iiiey found deceased lying alongside the ""ijs, i£e was trying to get up. We UL_ - the platform, aud.,»r«-

to , his convenience, and afterwards brought him into town. Deceased had a long coat on at the time of the accident, which he thought was an unfit coat to wear; in fact we had told him so. It was liable to catch in the bogie. He was conscious when we, came up to him. I have often: cnu'-onnd persons against going in front of the wheel while uncoupling. It was between.'he bogie wheels and truck r.it the accident occurred. The deceased v.'as perfectly sober at the time, and I have always known him to be a steady man, and have never known him to go about his work carelessly. Dr. Garland was the next witness called, and stated that he was the Superintendent of the Hospital. He attended deceased on the 25th. He met him at the Railway-station, and had him conveyed to the Hospital. He was suffering from a compound fracture of the right leg and thigh, with extensive lacerations in the fleshy parts. He (Dr. Garland) found it necessary to amputate the limb, a.nrl the operation was performed on his admission to the Hospital by him, assisted by Dr. Roberts. The patient sank next day, from the effects of the shock, and died in the evening. The cause of ck-nth was shock to the system.

Joseph Jenkins'deposed that lie was a fireman employed by the New Zealand Government. He was on the same engiiu, with C. Reeves on the 25th. He the deceased. Baird was between the eDgine and the truck, uncoupling, wln-i: the accident happened. He called out, " slack couplings, and I eased the brake. The .Mii;!uc: mowd back two or three feet, a-' I irard deceased cry out. £ immediate y jumped off the engine to see what •vus the matter, and fnmi Baird lying :<t he side of the rail, with his right log ■m-isi ed. He was co scious when «•. i'.:k- ■! him up, and In- said to me, " I -■»iiv 10-.u- for now. Wit-iK's-i thought the coa f lece■■■sed was wearing was too long, and i„ thought that sue': cats were dengerI »us about machinery He thought that the incline at the Elderslie siding was 1 in 50. Mr. S. J. Loring, station-master at Oamaru, was called to prove dec- ased's name. He knew the deceased, and said that his name was John Baird. Deceased had been in the employ of the New Zealand Government nearly two years, and was previously connected with the Victorian Railways. Deceased gave his age as 41. He was a very steady man. He (witness) noticed the coat deceased was wearing on the day of the accident, and he thought it rather long. To the Jury : A regular shunter would not be allowed to wear such a coat as the deceased had on. The Jury, after a consultation, returned the following verdict : " That the deceased John Baird d'ud on the 26th iv.st. from injuries received while uncoupling a waggon at the Elderslie siding on the Waiureka Railway," and also addad, fhar the Jury are of opinion that railway employe' 3 employed shunting should have a suitable uniform, and a rule should be in force preventing them from wearing long coats while so employed.