KILLED BY OVERTURNED TRACTOR.
OAMARU, This Day. Mr Sidney James Ross, aged 24, a married man with one small child, was killed this morning on the farm of Mr William Brown, near Duntroon, through a tractor overturning. -Ashburton Guardian, 4/7/1928.
PROVINCIAL NEWS.
(From Our Special Correspondent)
CORONER’S INQUEST,
An inquest was held in the Oamaru Courthouse yesterday by Mr W. H. Frith, coroner, into the circumstances attending the death of Sidney James Ross, threshing-mill owner, of Deborah, which occurred at Waikaura on Wednesday morning.
Henry Cunningham, a labourer, residing at Deborah, stated that he identified the body of the deceased as that of Sidney James Ross, aged 24 years, who was a threshing-mill owner. The deceased was a married man who resided with his wife and family at Deborah, and was a brother-in-law to witness. Witness was working with the deceased on his threshing mill and chaffcutter. They had been employed on the farm of Mr William Brown, at Waikaura. On the morning of July 4 they finished cutting at about 8 o'clock, and were proceeding to leave the farm. The deceased was driving a McCormick-Deering tractor, to which was attached a chaffcutter and hut. They were going down a grass road, which was cut out of the hillside on the farm. The road was greasy and bumpy in places, and the grade was between one in six and one in 10. There was a gate to pass through, and the deceased stopped before reaching it and asked witness to screw in the governor. Witness did so. The deceased started off down the hill, and had gone about a chain, when he seemed to lose control. The tractor started to skid, and the chaffcutter and hut ran on to it. The front portion of the tractor turned into the bank. The deceased twisted it round, and it then turned over and toppled over the side of the bank, together with the chaffcutter and hut. The deceased was thrown clear, but the tractor rolled over on top of him. The tractor continued rolling, and left the body of the deceased clear. The deceased breathed for about five minutes after the accident, but did not speak. There was an efficient brake on the tractor. It was a hand brake, and witness thought it had been used. There was no breaking gear on either the chaffcutter or the hut. The wheels of the tractor were shod with rubber, which had been put on by the deceased for use on the road. Originally the wheels were of iron, with grippers. The deceased had been driving the tractor for about six months, and was a capable driver. He had never previously had an accident. He was a strong, healthy man, and was not subject to fits. A brother of the deceased, hearing the crash, came upon the scene and went for Dr Rawnsley, who arrived half an hour later and pronounced life to be extinct. As far as witness knew nothing could have been done to prevent the accident.
Stanley George Ross, labourer, residing at Otekaieke. stated that he was a brother of the deceased. He had been employed in the chaffcutter on Mr Brown's farm at Waikaura. He was present when his brother was driving the tractor down the hill, and saw the accident. He corroborated the details given by the previous witness. Witness was walking behind the hut when the accident occurred.
Constable Coppell, of Duntroon. stated that about 9.15 o'clock on Wednesday morning he was informed by Dr Rawnsley that a man named Sidney James Ross had been killed in an accident at Waikaura. He went to the scene of the accident, and found the deceased's body lying near an overturned tractor and chaffcutter. He examined the body, and found extensive bruises about the head and body, and a deep wound at the top of the right hip. It looked as if the latter wound had penetrated right into the body. The wounds were of such a nature as would be caused by a tractor falling on him. The tractor had been traversing a grass paddock when the accident occurred.
The coroner said it was quite clear from the evidence that death had been caused by the accidental overturning of the tractor, and he returned a verdict accordingly. -Otago Daily Times, 6/7/1928.
Oamaru Cemetery.
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