INQUESTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 103, 29 April 1903, Page 2

INQUESTS.

THE FATAL 810 VOLE ACCIDENT. An inquest touching the deith of Ptjrcy George was held at the Courthouse at 11 o'clock on Tu sday raoroiug, b -fore Mr R. L. Stanford, Dist-u: Coroner, and the following jury:— M. L9ppe:' (fortiiu iu), T. Francm, J Oliver, A, A. Auabridge, fi. I. W Ilurle, E. F. Urittaio.

Oundtible Bdattie, acting-s.-rgcan*. c inducted the inquiry, and, after th j:uy had viewed th± boiiy, culled Willi-on Robert Woods, engioedrivdr, of Hobaon-s're t, who st-itod htIs id known deceased for thu past fcix yeirs. Ee identified the body at the i morgue as that of d;ca!iHed. Decnasal cdlel for h : m about 6.30 a.m. on- Mm day, and thfy started for Se'itry Hill on their bicycles. over the Wai w*kaiho bridge witness coosidert-d the) were going at about 12 or 14 mil;s au hour. Witness benrd a noise and on looking b.ck saw deceissd was down. He went back and found Oeotge lying across the road, unconscious. He ob tained assistance and carried deceas ed to Mra E/i's house. A doctor was sent for and came, at 8 o'clock. He advised that tho ambulacce should be sent for. Witness and th< doctor t-xamined the fcene of the accident, nnd Bvw no looss stones abou f . Witness did not notice if the bicycle was iojuted. Witness had nnver heard of deceased having fits'of giddines?. Dr Lc-atham deposed that ha ex<miued deceased on his admission to th hospital. Drs. VV alker and Homo also saw him. They found him suffering from severe injury to the brain, fracture of the skull. Every! hing possible was donn for deceis<>d, but death occurred at about; 3.30 in the afternoon. Witness considerod daa'h was ditec:ly duo to hemorrhage and injury to the bruin. Deceased did noi regain consciousness

Alfred Gaorga, sattlor, of Onoata, identified tho body a* that of bis son, wi;o was 35 yoars of bgj, aad married. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

gravel Pir fatality. A second inquest was held at 3 p.m. oil luesiay af'ernoou by tho coroner, Mr R L. Stanford, touching the distil of Frederick Charles Newe l, who diod at the Hospital on Monday from th * effrc s of an accio'oat at a grave! pit in the borough of Elthim on the 21s instant.

Constable Beattie, acting Sergeant, conducted the i .quiry. The following were the jury : -Messrs Tapper (foremail), Oliver, Ambridge, Brittain, bYaneia, and W. H. Hurlo.

D;- Leatham stated hj? attended deceased shortly after his admissiou to the Hospital some five days ago. He "as then suffering from fracture of the spine, being paralysad in his lower limbc). There were severe injuries to several of his abdominal organs and a fr.icture in his left arm. He was also suSoiing from shock, from which hj« never ralliod. He was conscious in n way up to the last. D uth was the result of fcbe sh'ick and injuries. Frederick Jardiu, a labourer residing at Eltham, identified deesised as the man he was working with on Thursday last at a gravel pit. They were clearing off the stripping on the face of the gravel. Another man called Charlie, sang out " Look out." Deceased looked up whilo holding his shovel in his left hand. A lump of earth struck him on the ltft arm and broke it, turning deoeased quite round, throwing him, in a sitting posture, and covering himi up to thq waist. Deceased said, "My arm is brokeD. I'm hurted " Witness hf'ed Newell out of thseirthand went to the camp for a stretcher. A doctor was sent for and Newell was carried to the hotel, and subsequently sent to Now Plymouth Hospit J. To the Coroner: Had no idea of danger until the earth fall. There was about 17 feet to stand upon. To a Jury mm : Cleared the earth off' his legs before lifting deceased out. Edwin Paw.soa, a laborer at Eltham, said ho was vvo-king with deceased the day of the .tcsideut. D -ce ts-.J was working under the face of the grav-1. •S'acey dropped his t iols and ran wh .n [ the alarm was given, but dacease.i hung on to his tojls and look'd tip at the face, when a lump of eirth fell on him und broke his arm twistirg hi in round. Jtrdio dug him out while Charlie went for the doctor. To the Coroner : • The f.ica was 10ft. high. They were stripping at th-. bottom of the pit. Tiie Ocronar iudicatad that tha evidence showed deceased met his death "y a fall of earth while working in a gr.ivol pi', and that no blame w.n attachible lo aujoue. The jury returned a vardicc to that (iffeck.