THE LATE ACCIDENT AT GREYMOUTH.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 481, 23 March 1869, Page 3

THE LATE ACCIDENT AT GREYMOUTH.

An inquest was held on the body of Henry Bloomfield, who met his death by a fall from his horse in the Hurdle Kace at Greymouth. Thomas Franks said he was a stock driver, and waa on the race course when the Hurdle Race took place. He was standing alongside the second hurdle, and saw Gamester (the horse deceased rode) strike the hurdle with his fore feet. Deceased fell to the left of the horse, on his head and hands. The horse then stumbled and rolled over deceased's chest. Deceased got up immediately, but staggered and fell upon his face, with his arm under his head. Witness lifted him up. Dr Morice attended, but Bloomfield died in a few minutes after his arrival. After the horse struck the hurdle, the hurdle did not fall. The hurdles are similar to what are used elsewhere. Charles Morice deposed that he was called to see the deceased. When he (witness) saw him he was cold and powerless, and died within a few minutes afterwards. In conjunction with Dr Lee he made a post mortem examination and found that the right lobe of the liver had been burst, and a quantity of blood infused into the cavity- of the stomach. He considered the shock to the system caused by extensive injury to important vital organs, to [hare been the cause of death. No other injuries of any importance were visible on the

deceased. Mr D. Kingham, owner oi Gamester, corroborated the statement of witness Franks, and, in answer to a juror, said that the hurdles were only ordinary ones, and had nothing unusual about them; that, in fact they were of less height than the horse had jumped over at Wakefield a fortnight before, when he had won a steeplechase. After a short deliberation,'the the jury returned a verdict to the effect—"That the deceased met his death from injuries received through the horse falling upon him." The remains of the unfortunate young man were afterwards interred in the Greymouth cemetery. The cortege moved from Johnston's Melbourne Hotel, and was attended by a large concourse of foot and horse men, among the latter of whom were the stewards and several of the committee of the Jockey Club. The coffin was carried by six jockeys dressed in their several colors, and wearing white crape, and were preceded by a brass band playing " The Dead March in Saul." Following the coffin was the brother of the deceased as chief mourner. The deceased was twenty-one years of age, { unmarried, and a native of Tasmania. The deceased was, Btrange to say, a schoolmate of poor Finlay, who was killed on the same day by the falling of cement at Charleston. The Herald, alluding to the circumstance, says:— Both met with a violent death on the same day and within a few hours of each other; and, after the surviving brother of the deceased (Bloomfield) had hurried to Charleston to pay the last tribute of respect to the memory of his fellow-countryman and playmate, he only arrived to learn, upon receipt of the Westport papers, that his brother had been killed upon the spot, while riding at the Grey meeting.