The enquiry into the circumstances attending the death of James Martel, late of the ship Lydgate, was resumed at H.B.M.'s Police Court yesterday morning.
The finding of the body was proved by a boatman belonging to the mandarin lifeboat ut Woosung.
W. M. Murdoch, chief officer of the Lydgate, said that on Monday the 25th ult. he was forward looking after the cargo and the steward rushed up to him and sai that the deceased had fallen overboard. He (witness) ran aft with the intention of jumping after'him, but the third mate informed him that deceased had been three minutes in the water then. Witness got into a boat and pulled round for ahint haitan-hour, but could see nothing but deceased's cap: witness made enquiries on board a Chinese man-of-war astern, but those on hoard had seen nothing.' The third mate was near deceased when he fell overboard but did not see im fall. Witness grappled for the body until late at night, but without success, Dr. R. H. Cox, sworn, said that he examined the body of deceased and was of opinion that death was due to drowning. Witness could see no marks of violence on the boily.
Robert Graham, third mate of the Lydgate, said that deceased and another npprentice went into a sampan at 1 o'clock on Monday week to scrub under the port quarter. About 10 minutes after witness went on the poop and told them that he was couling down, and threw the end of a rope down. As witness was going down the rope, deceased was in the fore-part of the sampan, hauling it forward. The painter of the sampan wxs hooked on to the bumpkin guy. Witness heard a splash and looking round saw the sampan two or three fect away. The painter had apparently become unhooked from the guy. Witness could see nothing of the deceased in the water. He apparently never rose again. Deceased was cautioned several times before he went into the sampan to be careful. He was not able to sivim.
Reginald Stonelake, an apprentice on board the Lydgate, said that he was in the sampan with the deceased at the time of the accident. Deceased was hauling the sampan forward when the painter came unhooked and he fell overboard. Witness
away the stern line, when he heard a was at the after end of the ho my slacking splash, and looking round saw deceased's heels disappearingin the water. He never came to the surface again. There was a sampan-man in the sampan atthe time, but he.was in the after end with witness.
Inspector Mellows, of the River Police, gave evidence as to receiving the body and having it conveyed to the Pootung mor-
The jury returned a verdict that deceased came to his death by accidental drowning, and added a rider to the effect that it was inadvisable to have put an inexperienced Ind, who was unable to swim, in a position of danger, without having an able seaman in charge.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.