FATAL ACCIDENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8546, 1 October 1907, Page 5

FATAL ACCIDENT.

A YOUNG MAN KILLED. A young man, named Stanley Allan.'. Hansen, was killed im the Borough paddock on the bank of the Waipoua River, at the rear of the Park, about 4.30 o'clock, yesterday afternoon. The deceased was engaged with Messrs Henry Cole, D. F. Cole and D. Jackson, in hauling logs from the river for Mr C. E. Daniell. The method adopted in hauling the logswas to fix the end of a stout ropa round each piece of timber. The other end of the rope was tied round the axle of a dray, to which wore attached three horses. Each log was; drawn up the bank by the horses, and" ; run on to a low trolly. Everything - went well until the hour mentioned; above, when the party were about tohaul the last log for the day. Hansen was standing in the dray, and his duty was to drive the horses ahead when he received the word from the remainder of the party at the rear that the log was in readiness to be./ pulled up. Messrs H. Cole and, Jackson went behind to assist in. levering the logs up. and they gave the word to start. They were busy at. their work when suddenly Mr D. Cole cried out: " 'Scotty ' (meaning Hansen) is under the dray!" They immediately left their work and' found the unfortunate man pinned to the ground face downwards, with the dray completely capsized on top of him. The dray was removed quickly but Hansen appeared to be dead. Dr. Ross was immediately sent for and upon . arriving on the scene pronounced life to be extinct. The body was then removed to the morgue by the police. Exactly how the dray came to capsize none of the party are able tostate definitely. Mr H. Cole's opinios is that when the word was given for . the deceased to drive ahead, the latter perhaps looked round and accidentally pulled the wrong rein. If this were done, the strain of the wire on thn axle" would naturally cause the dray to capsize very suddenly. The deceased was about 21 years of age and had only been working for Mr Cole for a week. He was well-known in the district. He arrived in the dominion from Glasgow about six years ago. He was a nephew of Captain Holmwood, of Opaki, and has two sisters engaged at school-teaching at Hunterville. An inquest will be held to-day.