ACCIDENTS & FATALITIES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 35, 10 February 1913, Page 5

ACCIDENTS & FATALITIES.

A SUDDEN DEATH. (Per Press Association.) Invercargill, February 9. AJred William Browett, thirtyeight years old, was found dead in the Windsor boardinghouse,Esk street,early on Saturday. One of the boarders tried to enter Browett’s room for the purpose of chatting with him, when he discovered that the door was partly blocked by something lying on the floor. He summoned the proprietor, and they entered the room. Browett had fallen on the floor between the door and the bed, and was quite dead. Deceased was, a South African veteran, and held a war medal and a military medal. He was a brother of Mr Browett, inspector of factories in Dunedin. DEATH FROM HEART DISEASE. • . Christchurch, February 9. George Lincoln Smith, 77 years of age, died suddenly yesterday afternoon. At the inquest a verdict of death from heart failure was recorded. BOY AND DYNAMITE CAP. Waihi, February 5. The eldest boy (about ten years) of Mrs Parker, Wrigley Street, had a remarkable escape from a serious accident. He was hammering at the leg of a rocking horse when suddenly an explosion occurred. The child was struck on the temple, cheek and forefinger. Fortunately the wounds were not serious. After the little fellow had his injuries attended to he explained that he had picked up something which ho mistook for a brass screw, and inserting it in an old screw hole in the side of the rocking horse began hammering it with an iron spike. It could be only surmised that he had picked up a dynamite cap, and the hitting caused it to explode. A fragment of metal was extracted from the wound in the temple. The nature of the report indicates that a dynamite cap caused the explosion. Napier, February 10. Andrew Johnson, 70, who was found drowned in the harbour on Saturday evening, left the Union Hotel half an hour earlier, and was seen going in the direction of the eastern pier. At the inquest deceased’s wife gave evidence that Johnson had been drinking heavily of late. The Coroner returned a verdict of “accidentally drowned while intoxicated.”'

Ai NARROW ESCAPE. Wellington, February 10. A serious accident was narrowly averted on Saturday night. A express containing a party of picnickers collided with a train on Customs House Quay. Three persons in the express were thrown out. Agnes Noble suffered from slight concussion, Florence Hill from a bruised face, and Robert Noble from concussion. PTOMAINE PICNIC POISONING. Christchurch, February 9. There was an unforeseen unpleasant ending to a picnic of the employees of Weeks, Ltd., to Rangiora on Saturday. As a result of partaking of either pressed beef or tinned tongues, about twenty-six out of a hundred of those attending the picnic are suffering from the effect of ptomaine poisoning. Some doubt exists as to whether the poisoning was due to the meats mentioned or to some ingredient of the salad dressing. Some of those who ate pressed beef and tinned tongues were unaffected. One person was so ill that he had to bo left at Rangiora, and one railway carriage was set apart for the other sufferers, all of whom were sick on the journey from Rangiora to town. It is stated that ten cases are considered somewhat serious, though the majority are reported this afternoon to be progressing favorably-.