TWO FATAL ACCIDENTS AT MANGONUI. A FARMER KILLED IN A THRASH ING MACHINE. STBANGE DEATH IN THE BUSH. Auckland, April 20.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 253, 25 April 1888, Page 6

TWO FATAL ACCIDENTS AT MANGONUI. A FARMER KILLED IN A THRASH ING MACHINE. STBANGE DEATH IN THE BUSH. Auck land , April 20.

l r j i-, with regret thai I have to repoit two sad fatal accidents. The first occurred on Wednesday, the 12th in-l. It appeai.i that a l vi mci rending at Kaitaia, named Samuel lia)s\ aid Ford Matthews, .■-on of the Key. -Jo-eph Matthew.^, oi that place, A\as engaged in feeding a tin ashing machine, and while doing so wa& standing on a platfoim adhcient to the machine. One of the boards on this platfoim wa^ loose, and about 4 p.m. Mi Chaile^ J'uckey told deceased lo be careful of the loose board, and he lephed it was all light ; but about halt an hour aftorwaids the board toppled up, and at the Mine time tlnew deceased on to the machine on his left with such ioice thai the machine was topped. As.-i-i.uice was -^oon at hand, and th" -nOeie) was iemo\ed from hi- sad position, and it \\a- then found that hi- left aim wa.s ten ml) lacciated. Doctoi Tiimnell \\a.s at once ,-ent for, but a- he had 30 miles to nde. it took him until 3 a m to uct to Kaitaia, and on hi-> arrhal he amputated the aim The poor man, howex v, Miik and died h\e hours after the opeidiion. The deceased lea 1^;- a widow and toiu joung* childicn \ety well provided tot." lie wa;- 30 veais ot age, aiul highh icsj)ceted In all who knew him, and "will be a \ei,\ ,-ciiou-, loss to thu Kaitaia distiict. ioi which he was a member in the Man gonui Count) C ouncil. An inquest v;r held befoie Ji.M. Houston, Esq., «].!'., oi> the 13th met., when a \eidict of aecidentai death was leturned. The .second fatal accident Ma that of a halt-caste named John Clarke. On Sunday, the Bth instant, he left his home al Oiiuu, taking with him an a\e and a kit ioi the purpose of into the bush after kauti gum. He did not lcimn in the exening, and on Monday .-caich watmadc tor him, but he could not be found. Seaich paUies were oux. dming the week, and on Saturday a few ot hi^ charred bones wuic found about nine miles rrom his house. It, appeal-, thai some thice weekau;o deceased, m company with others, was in the bu-h, and came past a huge kauri tie. v which had a lai^e him}) oi kaiui gum adheient to it. Deeeat-ed .-aid at the tune, ''1 will got that gum t-ome day." The sen eli paily went to this tree, and there found (hat the deceased had set hrc to the tiee, and at nightfall had evidently j?one .some di.it ance in the diiection which he thought the tree was not likely to fall, and had gone to .sleep, and from the position of the tiee and the few bones remaining, the tree must have fallen on him and afterMauls burned him. Constable Moar proceeded to the .spot, and brought the remains to Mangonui. The axe which deceased took with him was? found about ten feet horn the stump of the burning tree. lam inioimed by Constable Moai that, a dessert plate would hold all that temains of the deceased. An inquest w ill be held before h. \Y. Bishop, Esq., 1 1. xM., to-day.~(Cor-tespondent.)