CORONER’S INQUEST.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 139, 20 March 1872, Page 3

CORONER’S INQUEST.

An inquest was held at 2 p.tn. yesterday afternoon, at the Kuranui Hotel, on the body of the child William Powell, who met dis death by falling down the Herald Company’s shaft on Monday last. The following are the jury:—Captain Richards (foreman), Messrs Thomas, File, Waveringhani, Moore, Ingles, Highway, Smith, Muir, Stitehbury, Stutton, Sibbon. Henry Goldsmith, Inspector of Miues, represented the Government. Mr Tlios. Powell, miner, residing at the Kuranui Hotel, aed father of the child, was the first witness called, and deposed : The child was my son ; his age was two years and four months. I saw tile chilil last alive between 12 and 1 o’clock yesterday (Monday). I knew nothing of the accident till 4 p.m., when I was working at the? Imperial shaft, and was informed that my child was down the Herald Company’s shaft. Knew nothing further of the accident.

William Sims was the next witness. I am a married man, and am in charge of the Imperial Crown Company’s Battery. I w«aa walking by the Herald Company’s shaft about 3 p.m., and saw several people collected there. I enquired what had happened, and was informed that a child had fallen down, when I immediately went down with John Morrison, and took a grappling iron with us, and after trying for some time to find the child, I found the grappling iron would not answer. I came up again and got another one from the blacksmith. I went down again and succeeded in getting the child, which was quite dead. Wc stood about 12ft. from the top of the water when, getting the child.

John Morrison, the next witness, said lie was a mine manager, living at Grahamstown. About 3 o’clock, yesterday afternoon, heard the report of a child having fallen down the Herald Company’s shaft, and was on the Tookcy brace at the time. Went at once to see if I could give any assistance. Asked if anyone had been down the shaft, and was told Captain Richards had been down, and could find nothing. Went and got a candle, and went down. Stopped down trying to get the child about ten minutes, and not finding it, came to the surface. Mr Sims said, “We will go clown together, and try again.” We went down again, and took grappling irons, but they would not answer. Sims came up again, got another grappling iron, and went down again to get the child, which was quite dead. Dr Croft was next called, and said he resided at Grahamstown. At a quarter before 7 last evening was sent for to see a child which he was informed had fallen down a shaft near the Herald Battery. I proceeded at once to the Kuranui Hotel, and found the chilcf lying in the parlour dead. Examined the child externally, and found a fracture of the skull, extending from the right _ temporal born*, with considerable depression of the skull upon the brain. Found no other marks of violence, and came to the con elusion that what I had seen, in my opinion, was a sufficient cause of death. The Coroner, in summing up, remanied that it was needless for him to dwell upon the evidence, as it was sufficiently clear how the child had met its death. Verdict: We believe that the child lost its life through an accidental falling down the Herald Company’s shaft, ami fracturing the skull.