Friday March 2,1906 SHOCKING ACCIDENT On Saturday morning, about 10 o'clock, a shocking accident occurred while the thresher was working at Mr E. SANDERS' farm, Polkemmet, which resulted in the death of Mr James SWAN. Deceased, who was a nephew of Mrs H. BUTLER, but whose parents live at Moyston, was the eldest son, and only 18 years old. After the accident SWAN was driven to Dr BIRD at Natimuk, who advised his removal to Horsham, where he died late in the afternoon. An enquiry was conducted on Monday by Cr. ARNOTT, J.P., at Horsham. A. SCOTT, labourer, of Natimuk, said he was working on Mr J. D. P. WILLIAMS' thresher. He was feeding on the machine at SANDERS', and James SWAN was bandcutting. As SWAN was kicking a bundle of straw into the drum he slipped and fell face forward onto the cover over the drum, and his left leg slid down the board into the beaters. Witness shouted, and the engine was stopped. The machine had stopped before, through the belt jerking off. Witness lifted the guard, and he and Mr. WILLIAMS lifted SWAN out. They had to reverse the beaters before the beaters could be got out, and the boot was left in. Could not tell how he got in that position, for there was only about six inches when the guard was down through which a mans leg could pass. Mr WILLIAMS stated that he heard what he thought was a whole sheaf going into the drum. After laying SWAN on a tarpaulin with D. SCOTT'S help, he cut the trousers off the leg, which was so smashed that there seemed no bone left; bound the limb with towels and a sheet, sent for a Doctor, and sent SWAN in a trap to meet the Doctor. Every care was taken to avoid accidents on his machine, and SWAN must have been too far forward. A special guard was provided, and had it been fixed, the leg could not have got to the beaters. The witness SCOTT said he pulled the guard away when he ran to assist SWAN. The guard was kept in place by cleats at each end, and he did not know how deceased's leg got over the beaters. Dr READ, who saw SWAN about half past two on Saturday at Horsham hospital, said he was in a state of collapse from shock and loss of blood. The left leg and foot were mangled out of recognition and thigh crushed and torn. He applied restoratives immediately, causing him to rally sufficiently for surgical treatment. The left leg was amputated above the middle of the thigh, but the patient succumbed just as it was completed. The cause of death was shock and hemorrhage. E. SANDERS deposed that he employed young SWAN as bandcutter, he drove him to Natimuk, and than to Horsham. Deceased said no one was to blame but himself, and that in kicking some loose wheat he fell. Believed he had been warned not to wear light boots on the machine. The machine was quite safe to work on, and well guarded. Peter SCOTT, farmer, of Natimuk, gave corroborative evidence. The Coroner recorded a death from shock and hemorrhage accidentally caused by deceased getting his foot into the drum of the thresher. (Sorry for this one, a bit yukky, but that's all part of the research ) Daryl Crabtree Gladstone C.Qld Australia West Wimmera Mail extracts are on the Web www.ballaratgenealogy.org.au/goroke/index.html .