An accident, which had a fatal result, befel one of the seamen belonging to the ship Parsee on Saturday night. The man, whose name was Malcolm McGuiggan, went ashore "on the spree," with some of his shipmates, and accompanied by one of them, returned to his vessel very much the worse for liquor, at about 10 o'clock. In attempting to get aboard over the gangway plank he missed his footing and went overboard, striking in his fall one of the ship's mooring chains. His mate at once gave the alarm, and aided by two or three other seamen belonging to the steamer Taranaki, succeeded in rescuing McGuiggan from his perilous position, and conveyed him on board his ship. He appeared to be very much exhausted, and all but insensible, and hence it was deemed advisable to call in medical assistance. Dr Drysdale was summoned, and was quickly in attendance, and administered such remedies as were deemed requisite. The man seemed to rally under the treatment, and when the doctor again visited him at between two and three o'clock next morning he appeared to be progressing favourably. But during the forenoon unfavourable symptoms, indicating severe internal inflammation, set in, and increasing in intensity during the day, it was decided to send the sufferer to the Dunedin Hospital, and he was accordingly forwarded to town by the afternoon train, Dr Drysdale accompanying him. He died in about half-an-hour after reaching the Hospital. -Otago Witness, 19/9/1874.
INQUEST.
An inquest was held at the Hospital on Tuesday by the Coroner, Dr Hocken and jury, on the body of Malcolm McGuiggan, who died from the effects of injuries received by falling over the Railway Pier, Port Chalmers, on Saturday night.
It appeared from the evidence given that on Saturday night, about a quarter to ten, three men, of whom deceased was one, came along the Pier intoxicated. The wharf was lighted up as usual. When abreast of the ship Otago, near its fore-rigging, they were nearly in the centre of the Pier. Deceased had hold of one of the other men's hands. The night watchman on the Pier, who was close to deceased, observed one of the deceased's feet come across one of the railway plates tripping him up. Deceased then stumbled forward and fell over the side of the Pier into the water, as also did one of his companions. The night watchman then cried out: "Two men overboard," called for the light of the Otago to be shown, and dropped a buoy down close to one of the men. He then threw another to deceased, who was struggling in the water. At this stage, Mr Edward Nelson, third mate of the Taranaki, came up, and courageously jumped into the water, rendering assistance to the drowning men, and fastening the bight of a rope which had been put over the side round deceased's chest. By this means deceased was brought up. Deceased, who had been hurt in the fall, did not speak; he was lying helpless on the pier. He was carried to the ship Parsee, where he was undressed. He lay for some hours helpless, raved for a while, and afterwards became sensible. He was taken to the Dunedin Hospital on Sunday afternoon, and died about half-an-hour after his admission. The verdict returned was that deceased died from acute congestion of the lungs, caused by accidentally falling into the water. -Otago Witness, 19/9/1874.
There is no record of Malcolm McGuiggan's burial. A James McGuiggan; age: 27, occupation: mariner, native of Ireland, is buried in a pauper's grave in Dunedin's Northern Cemetery. His date of death is recorded as September 17, 1874.
No comments:
Post a Comment