CORONER'S INQUEST.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 323, 23 November 1860, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

MELANCHOLY DEATH FROM DROWNING,

An inquest was held yesterday, at the Miners' Arms Hardy-street, before T. Connell, Esq., coroner, touching the death of James Patching, son of James Patching, residing near the Mud Flat, who came by his death on the previous day, through falling into a well situate on the premises of Mrs. Taylor, Selwyn Place.

The following jurymen were sworn:—l. M. Hill, John Hume, Charles M'Gee, John Gfoldsworthy, C. L. Mason, F. Forman, A. G. Betts, Wm. Harvey, James Hargreaves, John Tregea, John Turner, Joseph Porthouse, Alexander Rankin, foreman.

The coroner said they had been called together to view the body of the child who came by his death the previous day. The body presented the usual appearauce of having been drowned.

James Patching, father of the child, sworn: Am a brickmaker and residing in Nelson; the deceased James Patching, whose body he had just seen, was hit son, his age was 5 years and 8 months; last saw him alive yesterday morning, at eight o'clock; saw him dead between two and three o'clock same day; he appeared to have died from drowning; Dr. Bush was with the body when he came, at Mr. Norgrove's house, in Selwyn Place, he was then in a warm bath; sent for Dr. Thebing; all the efforts used did not restore animation.

Dr. Bush called in and examined : Have seen the body which was viewed by the coroner and jury,. and recognise it to be the same that he attended yesterday ; Mr. Black, carpenter, called him to see the child. A man by the name of Witney was getting deceased out of a well at the back of a cottage belonging to Mr. Duppa, and situate on the &chool House Acre near Selwyn Place; considered the child was then'dead—he was icy cold ; no pulsation or any other sign of life; its clothing was wet; we got off the clothes as rapidly as possible, and put the child in a blanket, rubbing the child in the interim as fast as possible'; then placed him in a warm bath from water collected about the neighborhood; tried the proper means for producing artificial respiration, but without success. Dr. Thebing came in after what I had done and continued the same mode. Consider the child died from drowning.

James Lever Entwisle, sworn: Am a printer, residing in Nelson; was present and assisted in getting the child out of the well, at about half-past two;' was in Mrs. Taylor's garden, in company with a man named Witney; heard a child screaming and running towards the school; Witney made an observation, and witness said it was only fun; in about five minutes after some one said there was a child in the well; we ran to the well at the rear of Mr. Duppa's cottage; got a long stick and felt the child at the bottom of the well; there was from 7to 7£ feet of water in the! well; the surface of the water was from 8 to 9 feet from the top of the well; we then got a rope and put it round Witney's body, and he dropped down, but the water wbb so deep that he could not get at the body; we then got a ladder and placed down the well,, and Witney again went down, and after some difficulty succeeded in.getting the body up with a stick; the body was then taken to Mr. Norgrove'sclose by; the doctor came before we got him into the house; should say it was from 10 to 12 minutes from the time we heard th& child, scream to the time we got deceased to Norgrove's house; there was no fence from the road to the well on that side which we went; there was' no cover nor anything whatever to protect the well; it was surrounded with high grass and small bushes.

At this stage of the evidence the jury went to see the well, andonreturning

Alfred E. Hibble gave evidence to the effect that he knew the premises where the accident happened; nearly all the children going to the girls' Government school, passed that road; have seen children frequently playing in front and. behind J_r. Duppa's house; there is no fence whatever between the road and the well; the well could not be seen unless the grass was pulled on .one side; have frequently gone through the ground for the purpose of making a short cut home; never knew'the' well was there till yesterday.

Constable Harper stated that he h„d made inquiry from Mrs. Taylor, as to who owned the property, when she informed him that the property belonged to the Church, from whom she rented it.

A juryman said he considered it the duty of tenants to keep the covering of wells in repair, and considered that Mrs. Taylor should have done so. The jury returned the following verdict:— . "That the deceased child came to his;death on the 21st day of November, 1860, from drowning, by accident, having fallen into a well, near Selwyn Place, in the city of Nelson, in the district of Nelson; and the jury cannot separate without expressing their dissatisfaction with the culpable manner in which the owners of this and other property leave their wells uncovered, and they also request the Board of Works^ to inspect the various nuisances of this kind, and indite any party who after proper notice thus keep any nuisance to the danger oflifei"

Gold.—We are glad to see by our shipping list, that gold in quantity is once more making an appearance in Nelson. The Supply brought from Collingwood three hundred ounces of the precious metal. An interesting account of the state of the, Aorere gqld-fields will be found in another column. By' it we are gratified in learning, that the celebrated « four miles square' diggiogs wili shortly be put to the teat.

New Gold-Fiblds.—-We have seen some gold brought from the «' Rolling Creek," about fifteen miles west of the Tadmore diggings. One of the nuggets weighs over 3dwts., 6grß. There are two kinds of gold—one having been takeq from the banks of the river, while the other was procured from the river bed.^ Fine prospects for gold extend several miles ia this river, and it is easily worked. There are four persons there at present—Levi James, Andrew Pilkington, William Griffiths, James Sharp. A dray-road is about to be formed from Motueka Valley to tbe Wangapeka Plains, and then a track will be made through the bush to the " Rolling Creek " diggings. We have been informed that there is a payable gold-field in that neighborhood for two or three hundred diggers. After leaving the Wangapeka Plain there ia not much available land, but some fine bush of birch, pines, and totara, and some small level pieces which would produce potatoes. Meat is better and more easily obtained than at Collingwood.

The Market.-—Next Saturday will be a notable day for our almanac-makers; for on that day the first Market-house in the Province of Nelson, and we believe in New Zealand, will be opened for the sale of horticultural, graziDg, farming, and other good things for the human stomach. A reference to our advertising columns will show some of the good things which will be exhibited for sale on that day. We trust that there will be a full attendance of buyers, and thu3 give our city somewhat tbe appearance of a country town in England on marketdays, which scene remains so vividly pictured in the memory of all who are old enough to remember it.

Dogs.—On Monday evening last, a dog belonging to Mr. Nancarrow was lying down in the store of Mr. Akersten, near the New Wharf. His daughter came in and said, " Get up, old dog, and let me pass," when he immediately flew at her, and seized her by the cheek. Mr. Akersten at once kicked at the dog, but unfortunately without effect, as he had only slippers on at the time. The dog then fastened on his leg. He seized the dog by the upper and lower jaw, and after some stuggliog got him in amongst the pots and pans, when he stumbled, and the dog got his teeth into both hands, the bones of the left of which he crunched up. Mr. Akersten called out for a knife, extricated his hands, and seized the dog by the throat and got him towards the door; when Mr. Turner came up and seized him by the neck, but as he had no collar on this was not so effectual as it might otherwise have been. Mr. Turner then knelt on the dog, aud Mr. Akesten went to the back premises, and seized an American axe, with the back of which he struck the dog, in order to stun him; Mr. Turner let go his hold, and the dog bolted on to the new wharf, followed, by Mr. Akersten with the axe, when, as he was dealing another blow, the dog jumped off the wharf, and swam away to the shore, where he was followed by Mr. Akersten, who, seeing another dog like him, smashed in his skull. The other dog escaped, but was caught the next day, and shot. Mr. Akersten has lost the top joint of the middle finger of the left hand, aud iv the scuffle received twenty-seven bites in the hands and arms, besides one wound in the leg. Miss Akersten has received a very severe bite on the cheek and temple; but is getting better. The same dog bit Mr. Blackett's child some time since. Mr. Akersten has been attacked by dogs three or four times previous to this. : '■,-