INQUEST ON THE CHIEF MATE OF THE NIGHTINGALE.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 301, 18 July 1868, Page 3

INQUEST ON THE CHIEF MATE OF THE NIGHTINGALE.

An inquest was held before Dr •Giles, Coroner, on KTouday, at the Ship and Castle hotel at 2 o'clock, on the body of JobuMoerre, late chief officer ■of the barque Nightingale, when the following evidence was adduced. The first wituess 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. I was forward at the windless, the vessel being at anchor at the time, ;and "we were ■ about to let go anchor, when • a heavy sea struck the •vessel. land 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 I 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::—l 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 road- • stead. 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 sofrequently 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 tjme 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. lam 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 fit 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 instantaneous.

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 accideatal 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.