Corner's Inquest.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3007, 4 October 1878, Page 2

Corner's Inquest.

An inquest on the.body of the man Thomas Pugh, who met -his death under circumstances stated in yesterday's issue', was held at the Pembi'cjp Hotel, Short* land, to-day, before Dr Kilgour, Coroner, the following jury:—H. T. Eowe (Foreman), J. Bates, J. E. Hanseo, Skeen, H. J. Lee, Payne, JBullock, It. T. JDouglas, M. Hayman, O'Halloran, Sherlock, and F. Cater ; and Capt. Goldsmith, Mining Inspector. The jury being sworn, proceeded to view the body, which had been remove! .to his late residence in Shortland. On returning, the following evidence was taken :t- • Jqhn Green, sworn, deposed—l am a miner. I have, known the* deceased Thomas Pugh for 7or 8 .years. He is a mar; led man, and aged about 30 yearsv For the past four or five months he has been working with me in a tribute in the Newmarket section of the M'oanatairi inine. \ We both went to work yesterday morning together, and were employed stopjpftv The stope is about 3 feet wide by 6 feet high and 10 feet long. The ground was of good sandstone formation.. .There was no necessity for timbexingVand there • was no timber used. ; After 11,30 I left the deceased in {he stope to go to the surface to sharpen picks at the smithy.. I returned in about 20 minutes, and.called" from the drive for deceased to come up to his dinner. Not receiving an answer, I went down to the stope,'and found deceased with his breast jammed against the wall, and about a ton weight of ssjUstone against his back. The stuff had fallen from the side of the slope. We used no powder in, the stope. The ground was good picking ground, and appeared. perfectly safe to me when I went up to the surface I attribute the cause of the fall to what is called by miners "greasy heads," which would not be visible where deceased war working. One of these ran parallel with the stope and the othdjf across where deceased was working. Deceased was in a kneeling position. I examined him and found he was quite dead.' Not being able to remove the stuff I called Robertson and Cb-rnock to my assistance. We had to break up the stuff with hammers and g?,ds to get him out. We then got the body to the surface. lam not aware of any means that could bate been used to prevent the accident. * These " greasy heads' pi-e met with and are pulled down or the g_oi ad secured, and bad we known there was a " head " there we would have broken it down. ' • By a Juror—" Gi'easy heads " have not been frequently met with by us. The stope is about 30 feet under (found. The reef is*nearly perpendicular!^

Henry Robertson,' sworn, deposed—l am a miner. I am also working in a tribute in the Moanatairi ground about 3CO yards from where deceased . was working The last witness called me at about five minutes to 12 o'clock yesterday, and told me that his mate was killed. 1 went with 1 last .witness, Charnock and others to the. Newmarket^ stopei where deceasfdi. lay. When, we got down I' saw decedsed'B head above Ijhe solid lump which crushed him against the wall. of. the slope; He was perfectly dead. Green.and I, with hammers and gads, broke u;j the- lump and extricated the body, and took it to the surface. The stuff had come from the hanging wall side of .the stope., I saw a," greasy head " close up to ,the face of the utope, and the stuff had slipped from this "greasy head," which I don't think could have been, visible before the stuff fell away. I would not have thought timber necessary, and could not have.taken any other p'ecaaiion. y ...•■....-■• Janies B. Ivey, sworn," deposed—l am under-viewer of-mines, 'and have been to see the ground where -the accident occurred in company with Mi W; Comer. The slope is about six feet wide. Where the sandstone fell out there was a seam of clay, and there was another seam at the far end of the stope. I would not have considered the ground dangerous td work, and it would not peqnire timbering. By ai juror—lf the ground had been sounded, with the pick, I question if it would.have been, possible to detect the seani, as there was such a large body of stuff :

Sergt J. Jackson, swora, deposed^—l am stationed at. Grahamstown, and in consequence of information given to me yesterday, I went to the Moanatairi com: pany's ground, and there found the body of deceased on the surface. I made an examination of the body. The only mark was a piece of skin taken off the chest, and so far as I could ascertain there were no bones broken. Deceased was blue in the face. I had the body conveyed to the Grind Junction Hotel, and from thence io^where it now lies. ; The Coroner % having briefly summed up, the jury recorded a verdict of " Accidental Death," attaching no blame to anyone. '*'•.'. ' ••'. ■ ■ ■-■ '■ ; . ' ' ■' ' ;..' :.;'■ '