Two Accidents.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 280, 30 March 1889, Page 2

Two Accidents.

A MAN KILLED AT MAKAURI. An old resident of this district, named Watt, aged between 60 and 65, was killed at Makaurl yesterday morning. Hs was working for lib Oxenham, and was delivering a load of fir*, wood, having a pair of horses attached to th* dray. When passing the water trough on the wayside, opposite Mr King’s resldenoe, th* horses got beyond his nontroi, ths near wheel striking the trough, and the force ot the collision ejected Watt from the dray. He fell in front of the wheel, which went over his head and along the side of his body ; th* head was of course badly hurt and on* of the ears was nearly dragged off, the poor man in his distress presenting a pitiable speotaole. He was at once removed to his own house, where he expired in a short time, though he had evinced signs of consciousness before his death. The accident occurred about 9 o’clock. Watt was well known by old residents; ho had been in the employ of Mr W. King for nearly twenty years, which service he had only left about three weeks ago.

On Thursday afternoon Mr T. Hackett, een,, wa« with a Couple of others engaged falling a big tree in a bush near the Wainui station. They had got the tree sufficiently cut, and Hackett went to put a wedge in, but the wind was blowing in gust* up the valley, and one gust catching the tree brought it down unexpectedly. Some of the others shouted out to Hackett, but in the confusion of th* moment, instead of running to get clear, he ran just where there was most danger, and the bows of the tree struck him prostrate to the earth, His mates at first feared that bl* death must have been certain, but on quickly chopping away the branches it was found that Mr Hackett, though felled to th* ground, had miraculously escaped fatal Injury. When extricated from his perilous position it was believed that he had been fatally injured, and he was in great pain. He was brought into town ana taken to the Hospital. Medical examination proved that, though painful, the injuries were not very serious. How he escaped being crushed to death is a wonder. One of the mate* also had a very narrow escape, getting graced across the forehead by a branch.