INQUEST ON THE CHIEF MATE OF THE NIGHTINGALE.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 297, 14 July 1868, Page 2

INQUEST ON THE CHIEF MATE OF THE NIGHTINGALE.

An inquest was held before Dr Giles, Coroner, yesterday at the Ship and Castle hotel at 2 o'clock, on the body of Johu Moore, late chief officer

of the barque Nightingale, when the following evidence was adduced. The first witness was James Lloyd, who deposed—l am a seaman and shipped on board the? Nightengale. I recognise the body now lying dead, as that of John Moore late chief officer of the barque Nightingle. On Wednesday night last, I was at" sea in the Nightingale and a very heavy sea was running. 1 was forward at the windless, the vessel being at anchor at the time, and we were about to let go a second anchor, when a heavy sea struck the vessel. I and the deceased were together at the time, the second mate being on the poop. I only remember the sea coming on board when I was knocked against the foremast, after that I remember nothing, as I was knocked senseless. I have since ascertained that 1 was carried into the cabin. I saw the body of deceased two days afterwards, and that is all I know about it. By a juryman : —There were suffi cient hands on board to work the ship properly. Gray Spencer deposed : —I was a passenger on board the Nightingale and knew the deceased as chief mate of that boat. About seven o'clock on the evening of Wednesday last we were at anchor in the Westport roadstead. The chief mate and other of the passengers were in the cabin at the time when a heavy sea struck the vessel. The chief mate immediately went on deck in the direction of the forecastle, and he was followed by the second mate. I went on deck too. The night was very dark, and the wind blew so strongly that I could not either see or hear. About a minute afterwards another heavy sea struck the vessel, driving me down. In the course of a few minutes some of the men reported that the chief mate had been washed overboard. Seas then broke over the vessel so frequently and with such force that the men were all driven to the cabin. Between 9 and 10 o'clock the sea abated somewhat, and some of the men went forward, and soon after returned with the body of the chief mate, John Moore. I have seen the body, and recognise it. He was placed in his berth and examined, and a fracture of the skull found about the left eye. At that time the body was cold, but not stiff. This was about two hours after he left the cabin.

By jurymen.—lt was impossible to hold on on board or to make any search for him. It was quite possible that he might have been drowned after being struck. During that time two men tried to go forward several times to look for him, but were driven back. There were three spars and four or five casks adrift and knocking about the deck, besides several coils of rope and a great many other things. The vessel was drifting rapidly, dragging her anchors. In two hours she drifted between eight and ten miles. We had six seamen before the mast. I am not prepared to say whether that was sufficient to work the ship in a storm. There were six men besides the officers, the steward, and the cook.

James Millar deposed.—l was a passenger by the Nightingale, and knew deceased I saw him in the cook's galley about ten minutes before his death, and I saw his body when it was found. This was about half or three-quarters of an hour after I had seen deceased alive.

Dr Thorpe deposed—l have examined the body of deceased, which was drenched with salt water. The only external wound was a contused wound over the left eyebrow, and blood was oozing from both the eyes. Over each scalp there was a large quantity of extravasated blood, and. there was an extensive fracture of the skull, commencing above the left eye, and corresponding with the external injury. Two of the bones were separated, the occipital and parietal bones. On removing the upper portion of the skull, I found a quantity of extravasated blood over the left hemisphere of the brain, but there was no laceration of the brain, nor any extravasations within the substance of the brain. There were no other marks of injury on the body. I believe that from these injuries death must have been almost instantaueous.

The Corner briefly summed up, and the jury retired for consultation. On their return they gave in a verdict of accidental death with the following rider " That the jury are of opinion that the owners of the Nightingale are to blame in allowing the vessel to remain so long in the roadstead after her arrival, without apparent cause." The Coroner accepted the verdict, but declined to receive the rider because there had been no evidence to justify it. At the same time he thought that the ends of the jury

would be answered by the rider having been in fact published. The verdict of accidental death was then officially recorded, and the proceedings came to a conclusion. The unfortunate deceased was buried directly after the inquest, the Rev. Mr Harvey officiating on the occasion. RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COUET. Monday, July 13. (Before J. Giles, Esq., R. M.) DRUNK. Jane Robinson, charged with being drunk, forfeited her bail, through not appearing. Removing Drift-wood from the Beach: —John Walker was charged with having at the South Spit removed drift wood within one mile of the i river Buller, contrary to the regulations recently gazetted. Constable Doris proved that on the Oth inst., he found the defendant filling a bag with sticks from the beach close to the river mouth, on the South Spit. On being told that he was doing wrong, defendant emptied the wood out again. The Constable said the defendant was a respectable poor man, and that he had no wish to press the case against him, but he had been instructed to keep a lookout, and he had preferred the charge asanexample to others. Defendant said that his wife was very unwell and he merely went to get a few sticks to make a fire. The Magistrate said as the proclamation had only been recently promulgated, would only inflict a nominal fine of five shillings this time, but in future, would inflict the full penalty. The defendant paid the fine and was discharged. The perjury case of Leach v. Jolliffe, was further adjoui'ned till next (this) day. There were four civil cases, but none of them were of the'slightest public interest.