James Francis Darragh, 1867-3/1/1877.

 

INQUEST.

An inquest was held at the Hospital at noon yesterday, before Dr Hocken, District Coroner, and a Jury of-twelve touching the death of James F. Darragh, a young man, who was killed by a fall of sand at the Ocean Beach on Saturday.

The Coroner explained that the chief object was to see that proper precautions were taken in working sand-pits.

The following evidence was taken:

James Darragh: I live in Dundas street, and the deceased, whose name was James Francis Darragh, was my son. He was 20 years of age, unmarried, and a native of Sydney. He was a labourer, and a Roman Catholic by religious persuasion. I last saw him alive two years ago.

William Tunnell: I work with my father at a brick-yard at Anderson's Bay. The deceased had for a month past rented a sandpit from my father in the brick-yard. On Saturday last, in the morning, I was talking to the deceased, who was in the sand-pit. He was undermining a fall, and there were two or three other men on the top breaking up clay. I told him some minutes before the accident occurred that it would fall, and he said he wanted it to fall. I said if he did not look out it would fall on him and kill him. He, however, went on working, and I saw two or three pieces of sand fall. I told him again of his danger, but he never said anything, and the sand came down immediately after. About one ton of sand came down. It was too sudden for him to get away. I then called put for the other men, and we removed the sand from around him. He had his face downwards, and was quite dead. He was removed at once to the Hospital. When the sand is about to fall, the men generally undermine with a long crowbar, but he was using a pick. I do not think, if he had been using a crowbar, the accident would have occurred. He was a of temperate habits, but had a rather obstinate disposition.

John Tunnell, the former witness's father, gave corroborative evidence.

The coroner thought it was of no use calling two other witnesses who were in attendance, and the Jury returned a verdict of accidental death.  -Otago Daily Times, 3/7/1877.

Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.  DCC photo.