INQUEST.
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AN inquest was held yesterday at the Court-house, Passage, before Messrs. Stamers and Cronin, R.M., (the Coroner for the district not having been elected yet) upon the body of Charles Harding, master of the ship Anna Dorothea, who was killed in the Royal Victoria dockyard on last Monday by a heavy piece of timber falling upon him. The inquiry excited a good deal of interest in Passage, as two lads employed in the dockyard, through whose negligence the accident was alleged to have occurred, had been taken into custody by the police. It will be remembered that the deceased was killed by what is called a “shore” falling over the side of the dock in which his ship was being repaired and striking him on the head as he was coming up the steps out of the dock. The lads in custody, named Bernard and Hegarty, had charge of the timber at the time, and were taking it into the dock.
The following jury was sworn on the inquiry—Richard Lloyd (Foreman), J. D. Evans, R. W. Jones, Thomas Lindsay, Thomas Parker, Arthur Herbert, Wm. Mellerick, David Murphy, Wm. Thomas, Thomas Cahill, J. Kent, Joseph Mintern, John P. Taylor, Mathew Fitzpatrick, and Wm. Power.
Mr. Allen, sol., Queenstown, attended to watch the case on behalf of the relatives of the deceased. Mr. R. N. Parker appeared for the prisoners.
William Drew, chief officer of the Anna Dorothea, was first examined. He deposed that he was talking to the deceased at the opposite side of the ship a few moments before the accident occurred. The deceased left him to go out to the dock and in a second after he saw persons running around the ship. He followed and saw the deceased lying close to the bottom of an old boat in the dock. The deceased was bleeding profusely from the right ear. Witness assisted to take him to the office, where he died in an hour and twenty minutes afterwards. The deceased was insensible the whole time.
Richard Welstead, M.D. and surgeon, deposed that he saw the deceased in Mr. Browne's office immediately after the accident. The deceased was in a state of insensibility which continued until he died. The cause of death was a fracture at the base of the skull.
David Sullivan, shipwright, deposed that he was walking on a landing stage at the stern of the Anna Dorothea, on Monday last. He remembered when the accident occurred. His attention was attracted by hearing a noise, and on looking into the dock he saw the deceased and the piece of timber tumbling down together. He did not know what caused the timber to fall into the dock. Witness was examined at considerable length with a view to eliciting whether it ever occurred that men employed in the yard would slide shores down the steps into the docks. He said there were stringent regulations in the yard against such a practice, but it might have been done occasionally behind the backs of Messrs. Browne, or their foremen.
William King, another shipwright, employed in the dockyard, was examined, and gave somewhat similar testimony.
Mr. William Browne, one of the proprietors of the docks, deposed that when the deceased was brought to his office in a state of insensibility he asked how the thing had happened. He was told that a “shore” or piece of timber, which two lads were carrying, had fallen upon the captain's head. He asked to have the boys brought to him, and the prisoners, Bernard and Hegarty, were brought in. When he asked them how it had occurred, Bernard replied that they were taking a “shore” on their shoulders to the dock, that on reaching the head of the steps, near the quay, one of them lowered his end of the shore, and the other end, striking the head of the boy who held it, nearly knocked him over into the dock ; that the shore fell from them and rolled over the edge of the quay, falling into the dock. The crane was near the spot where the shore fell from the prisoners. The prisoners said it fell on the deceased, and he (witness) did not ask them any more.
Mr. Cronin—Would you tell us, Mr. Browne, what the regulations are relative to the lowering of shores and other pieces of timber into the docks?
Mr. Browne—All such things are to be lowered by means of cranes.
Mr. Cronin—Was it in violation of your orders that they attempted to lower it by the steps?
Mr. Browne—I don't know that they attempted to lower it by the steps, but according to the regulations they should use the crane. If a piece of timber was very light they might safely walk down the steps with it, and I think they could have safely carried this piece of timber down the steps in that manner, for it was so light that one of them could raise it.
Mr. Cronin—I saw the timber, and I don't think it was so light.
Mr. Browne—We will give you the weight of it.
In answer to further questions, Mr. Browne stated that his men might have slid timber down the sides of the dock, but he never heard of it. He wished to say that he did not believe the prisoners could have intended to throw the timber over the side of the dock in this case, for had they done so they would certainly have injured some of his property in the dock. He believed that they were merely taking it off their shoulders when it fell.
To Mr. Allen—Bernard did not tell me how they inteded to lower the timber into the dock. If they intended to lower it by the crane they would put it down in the place where they took it off their shoulders.
To Mr. Parker—I do not think the boys could have seen the deceased in the dock. The deceased was generally liked in the dockyard.
Mr. Allen said there was no imputation of malice intended at his side, so that the last question put to Mr. Browne was quite unnecessary, but without any malice there may have been very culpable negligence in the case.
Mr. Henry Browne deposed that the piece of timber which fell on the deceased weighed 1 cwt. 1 qr. and 10 lbs. ; one of the boys alone would be capable of carrying it.
To Mr. Cronin—I have caught men sliding timber down the side of the quay, and have warned them that they would be discharged if they were caught again. The regulation is that all timber should be lowered by the cranes.
Mr. Cronin—Was it in violation of your orders that this piece of timber was not lowered by the crane?
Mr. Parker—You are begging the question now, for you are assuming that they did lower it.
Mr. Cronin—Could these boys have lowered the timber by the crane?
Mr. Browne—Of course, they could.
The foreman ship-wright, Ahearn, who had charge of the work on the Anna Dorothea, was examined at the desire of the magistrates to account for the manner in which the prisoners had been employed on the Monday previous to the accident. He stated that they were engaged lowering shores by his directions, but he did not know how they performed the work. He did not see them at it.
Mr. Cronin remarked that it was exceedingly strange that in such a large establishment no single person could be got to throw light on this occurrence.
Mr. Parker said that probably the men around being hard at work had no time to look about them.
Thomas Collins, another shipwright, was examined, but his evidence was not material.
This closed the evidence.
Mr. Allen addressed some observations to the court on the question, had there been negligence on the part of the prisoners. He believed that the evidence was sufficient to shew that proper caution had not been used by the prisoners, and the jury, if they held the same view, should return a verdict of manslaughter against them
Mr. Parker having replied on behalf of the prisoners.
Mr. Cronin briefly charged the jury.
After a short consultation the jury found, by a majority, a verdict of accidental death, and the prisoners were discharged from custody. |
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| Viscount Boyle arrived at Kingstown on Tuesday evening, per Royal mail steamer Munster. |
LOSS OF THE SHANNON.
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| THE master and crew of the brigantine Shannon, of Newport, have just arrived at the Cork Sailors' Home, from Youghal, where they were landed by the Norwegian barque Eidsvold, their own vessel having foundered at sea on the 5th inst. The Shannon was bound from Newport to Bari, in Italy, with a cargo of railway iron and pipes. She sprang a leak early on the 5th, and notwithstanding the most strenuous exertions, the water gained so rapidly on the pumps that in six hours after the leak was discovered the vessel foundered. The master, the mate, and the crew, consisting of six men, escaped in their boats, and were picked up, in two hours after the ship had gone down, by a Maltese barque. They were transferred from this vessel to the Eidsvold, the first ship bound for a British port which they met, and were landed here on Monday last. The whole of the crew will be passed over to Newport by Messrs. G. N. Harvey and Sons, agents to the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society. |
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY.
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| The spring examinations for the B.A. were held on Monday, 8th inst. The following gentlemen passed the examination :—Mr. Daniel A. O'Sullivan, of Cork ; Mr. George P. O'Beirne, of Galway. |
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| ELOPEMENT.—On last Tuesday an interesting event of this kind was brought to a premature and very inauspicious termination in Queenstown. Two farm servants, named Patrick Fitzsimons and Mary Brady, who had been employed by a person named John Regan, at Mullahillogue, Co. Meath, absconded from their master's house, taking with them £26, his property, and proceeded to Queenstown for the purpose of embarking for America. They obtained tickets in Cork, and were to leave by the Pennsylvania on next Wednesday, but unfortunately for the success of their project, intelligence of the robbery was forwarded by telegraph to Queenstown, and they were arrested on Tuesday by Constable Withers. |
EMIGRATION TO AMERICA.
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| On the 3rd instant a bottle was picked up at sea, off the Skelligs, which contained the following letter written in pencil:— |
| “Friday, June 17, 1863. |
“On board the ——, bound for New York, 12 o'clock, within a day's sail of Newfoundland, 600 to 700 souls on board.
“We, the passengers, wish to let the world know that the treatment we are getting on board the ——, in provisions is not fit for the worst convicts—the food, limited and scanty in supply, not half cooked. The bread could be made into putty or marbles for boys to bulk with. We intend, after landing, to let the world know that it may deter others from emigrating through any agent who may book them for the ——, and we suppose the same fate will befal any person coming by the ships of the same company. The ship is rocking, so I cannot write. Excuse this ; with the best wishes for all at home in the old country,—I am, truly, one of the lot, |
| “PATRICK FINN.” |
| The bottle was found by a fisherman named Kearney, who gave it to Mr. White, Inspecting Officer of Coastguards, by whom it was forwarded to Mr. Connolly, Collector of Customs, in this town.—Kerry Post. |
| ILLICIT DISTILLATION.—Head-constable Smith, with Constable Mulcahy, and party, made three successive seizures of malt, wash, and poteen, with two stills in full play, on Friday, in Tawnykinnaffe, Crimlin, and Ross. There is scarcely a week that we have not seizures to note of some kind. The parties were greatly fatugued. Head-constable Smith and his men are most active in this line of duty ; and, we must add of our own knowledge, that the head-constable describes Constable Mulcahy as a most valuable man in respect to revenue duty.—Mayo Constitution. |
LOSS OF A VESSEL.
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| THE brig Camilla of Lyme Regis, bound from Glasgow to Limerick, having put into Queenstown yesterday morning through stress of weather, when sailing out this morning got ashore in Camden bay, and rapidly filled. She was laden with coals, and except some rigging, spars, &c., will be totally lost. The barque Porto Nuovo, from Cardiff to Bordeaux, arrived this morning, with loss of maintopmast and all attached during the gale of Monday night. |
MARRIED. |
On Tuesday, the 9th, at the parochial church of Aghina, by the Rev. M. A. Aherne, cousin to the bridegroom, assisted by the Rev. Charles M'Carthy, P.P., in the presence of a numerous circle of friends, Mr. John T. Murphy, eldest son of Mr. Timothy J. Murphy, Dromitiniore House, to Mary, second daughter of Mr. John O'Mahony, Rahalusk.
On the 6th instant, at St. Nicholas's Church, by the Rev. Mr. Beamish, Wm. Henry Blunt Harrison, youngest son of Joseph Harrison, Esq., to Helena, eldest daughter of Mr. John Molony, of this city.
February 7, at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Andrew, Westland-row, by the Rev. Wm. J. Mulhall, Richard O'Reilly, of Wellington-quay, to Julia Christina Monks, youngest daughter of the late James Monks, of 29, Essex-street.
February 8, at Emly, by the Rev. Richard Rafter, P.P., assisted by the Rev. Richard O'Brien, P.P., Knocklong, and Rev. Messrs. O'Connell, O'Donnell, and Ryan, James Gerald Barry, Esq., to Kate Teresa, eldest daughter of John O'Brien, Esq., Emly.
February 8, at St. Paul's, Arran-quay, by the Rev. Mr. O'Keeffe, James, son of the late Michael Smith, to Sarah, only daughter of Denis Scally, Esq., Prospect Glasnevin.
February 9, at Mount-street Church, by the Rev. David Seymour, uncle to the bridegroom, Peter Blake, Esq., J.P., Crumlin, county Galway, to Agnes Mary, eldest daughter of Cornelius Creagh, Esq., of Dangan, county Clare. |
DEATHS. |
On Tuesday, the 9th inst., in Bowling Green-street, Mrs. Mary Ann Bourke, aged 26, daughter of Mr. Joseph Conroy, of this city.
On the 1st instant, Mr. Edmond O'Gorman, of Fermoy, after three days' illness, sincerely regretted by his family and friends.
On Monday evening, in the 78th year of his age, at his residence, Bushmount, county Kerry, Dominick Rice, Esq.
February 9, at his residence, Ballyroan, Queen's county, after a short illness, Patrick Walter Dalton, Esq., M.D. |
THANKS. |
| South Infirmary Hospital Outfit Fund—Lieutenant- Colonel Wood, £5 ; Anonymous, £10. |
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