SHIPPING ACCIDENT.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2031, 8 July 1875, Page 3

SHIPPING ACCIDENT.

A MAN" BUEIED IN BALLAST, ; - A •dangerous n accident: occurred on Board .the;;brijQfi.Se.a.; Spray about five o'clock yesterday afternoon. %CL,e 'sufferer was Mr<ltobertK2ameron,:the owner of the vessel, who also officiates on board in the capacity of boatswain; -:h-?Mxl Cameronv during the t afternoon was enSaged in the after part of the old of the" brig superintending the stowage-ti-'of^so&ejJltiihher'/ which was being sent down for shipment. Having occasion to ask some -questioES of the. captain on deck*; Mr Cameron went for'ard as-faras the main ■ hatchway and was on the point of calling out to the men above, when—a!quantity::of scoria ballast was^shtft Jnto- the hold. ; One of the stones,' ndt;a -small one, struckothe unfortunate man full'on the right temple anUwittiouttu'tteririgia "cry he fell senseless. It being dusk at the time, the accident was not witnessed^ either from. above, or by the men who were wqrkiifg^witß 'the injured man- below;" A! few minutes later one of these latter missed Mr Cameron and toned to see where. he. had gone., Not. feeing him, the man went Bfrder^'th'e xfaain'hatchway,: and in the imperfect light made out the outlines, of a man's, face sticking oilt of the' heap of'ballast just-sent down,;: A near examination revealed the terrible fact that Mr. Cameron "'^hkd'vbeen 5 half buried by fthe:; scoria' boulders; of ' ballast and was to all appearances killed. Assistance being at r'orice ' called; sufferer, who was found to be breathing, was' ejtriedted from his unpleasant situatidnyidnd 1 after some troublfe restored'to^C consciousness., He managed,to cjirnb.up the ladder on to the deck and^ descended into the cabin, but when questioned affcer-. wards wa^s r ,utterly/ unable 1 "to r recollect anything^?thSt ; had occurred. .Dr Lee was called in' arid found two extensive wounds on the head, one on each teniple; there wero also., other, bruises, but no lacerations' about the body and limbs: There was no fracture of the skull," which is rather „ surprising. considering ,■ theweight of the stones and speaks volumes for ■ the strength- of .-Mr Cameron's cranium.' Dr Lee considers that : -there is no.-danger ff, the patient remains quiet, a condition which this morning we hear he was decidedly averse to accepting, paving persisted in getting up.and wash-ing-himself..-; During the day no symptoms of concussion have appeared, and it is hoped .therefore that .all, phanpe of collapse has passed.—Auckland Star.