INQUEST.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 392, 19 September 1874, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inquiry was held in the Courthouse yesterday afternoon, before E. H. Carew, Esq., District Coroner, into the cause of the death of William Carr, miner, of Wetherstones, who met his death whilst working in his claim on Thursday afternoon. The jury were first impannelled in "Wetherstones, Mr. M. Eraer being elected foreman. The jury, after viewing the body, proceeded to the Courthouse, when Edward Firth was sworn, and gave evidence as follows : — I am a miner, residing at Wetherstones. I Jiave seen the body, and recognise it as that of William Carr. I hare known him eleven or twelve years, and was a mining partner ox iiis. We -were mining on Post Office Hill, Wetherstones — ground sluicing. The depth of the ground was about eighteen feet. We had been tunnelling, and started on the morning of the accident to sluice. The right-hand side of the claim was solid, but the left was old broken ground. I turned on the water in the morning, and we worked on safely up till two o'clock, about which time our tailrace got blocked up. Deceased asked me to go down and clear it. After I had heen down a few minutes, and cleared the race, I heard a fall of earth, and the water suddenly stopped. I ran up to the face where I had left my mate. I looked around for him, but he was not to be seen. I also called, but received no answer. The place where I last saw deceased vras covered with earth, and I then ran down to the lownsbip for ' Mr. Kemp, whose place is about 250 yards from the claim. We then returned together to shift the earth from the place where I had last seen deceased. We shifted a quantity of earth, and could not find him. Kemp then went to seek further assistance, and returned with the brothers' Coxon. We then started to sluice away the earth. WTiilst doing this, the head race broke away. I left to repair it, and on my return the men employed seeking deceased had found him. I believe he was quite dead when discovered. This would be about half -past four o'clock. We laid the body on the bank till Dr. Halley came. He arrived about ten minutes after the body was got out. The Doctor said he was dead. We then removed deceased to his residence in Wetherstones. We had expected a fall of earth at the place where it came down. The water was running over the face, and the ground appeared to me to be dangerous. Where deceased was killed was the opposite end of the claim to where I left him. I cautioned him about the dangerous nature of the gi-ound, and told him to be careful. He said the ground looked rather daneerouSj T>ixfc lie did nob express any fear. Carr was a native of Cumberland, and was forty-three years of age. There were only two of us working in the claim. I think deceased put himself into more than usual danger in working where he did. Matthew Coxon deposed — I am a miner, residing at Wetherstones. I knew deceased, and am acquainted with Mr. Kemp. Kemp came to our claim yesterday, about three o'clock. I was in the tunnel when my brother" called out that Carr mw smothered, I and my brother ran over to the claim, and* saw that there had been a large fall of earth. I suggested that the water should be turned off, but the others did not think it advisable. We worked for about three-quarters of an hour before finding the body. It took us half an hour to get out the body after discovering its whereabouts. It was only the upper part of deceased's body that was jammed by the earth ; the lower portion was quite free. When we got him out he was warm, but I thought life was «xtinct; I believe death must have been instantaneous. It was a dangerous position that deceased was working in. When we got him out we laid him on the bank and waited the coming of Dr. Halley ; we then carried him to his own residence. Dr. Halley was then called and deposed — I made an examination of the body of William Carr at his residence. I saw deceased yesterday about half-past four, he was then quite dead. I examined him at that time, and found the head and neck and upper part of the chest very much crushed. The lungs were raptured. I have heard the evidence, J and I believe that the deceased came to his death by suffocation. Death must have been instantaneous. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death caused by a fall of earth.