FALL FROM A WINDOW.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1463, 11 June 1912, Page 3

FALL FROM A WINDOW.

. COIiONER'S INQUEST. As a setjnel to tKo fatal accident which occurred in /Grey Street.. 'on ; .Saturday morning- -an. jiiqiies'ts wa's ■ licifl yest-erdav afternoon,, before Mr. W. ,G., Biddrll, S.M., concerning the death of Robert M'Aleer, the - '.yindov.- eieaner who fell from a fifth story windo%y iii ■ Nathan's Building, -and:, sustained injuries fro.iri wliicli ;be. died '.a't-:the. hospital very -soon afterwards. ■ '

Sergeant D.arby led eviden.ee on behalf °f the jvblice; Mr.. K. ,1. appeared fiir .the .(lee,ea'sed's. relative's, and Mr. G. 1-:.; Sipifh, later Mr,. If. 11. Ostler, for tlip;' I'liblie. TA 7 oi'ks. Department, wlljcit was interestecl in tha.t deceased- wa's..' s ph tile v.-ir.doiv-eli.anins staff of the Public Works. Ueparlmeht, ensased at the liino of the accident in eleanin;,* the wir/dow* of r6onis occupied by the i'ost and Tele(,'rapb •Do'p.-trlmor.i-. " ■■■ : ' ■.", : \'v-i

Arthiii'lParkerj forctnarL of the- wiridbw-: clenniiig; gang to which- :flec'ea.sed belonged, descril.M'il the aceident. Deceased had pot .' L window .in- order to ieleah' .it when his. foot :siijipe:i oji : the: slciping sill and hetfsUi- •••Arjtiwg® stated" !!ii\t[ ; dtceased had Plp^an'pd^.windo.ws : ■ih:■'^'^ lny bciore, but had : iiot .liad' : to' gd'' oiitside to d 0..50. ... " ."'

lo Mr/.Eitzgibbon;: Quite a common p.rScH'cp for men cleaning windows to go outside; 'I'ho ■Cc-parirmenfi' 'fiirhislkefl. : 110 appliances' jyi.tli which windows might bo denned from ithe, outside with safety, and wstliess /knew: of. iio such: apjiliaiiee;. To Mr;;.§pilt-n-.r .S.ciiiic ivimloivs'. iit public;, bnilflihgs.s'iil 'Wellington "'iVere iuhprbtcctpd: — tlu>: I'uWk Tnnt nm! Cu=. Toms Building?.. lii case, a window could not be cieaned with safety, it was .tliii duty of. the foreman cleaner to report to the Departmeiit,- :,: AVi(ncs-i had been forenian for only a week, but his predecessor had reported. ■poiiio 'cases, and the defects had, he )jelicy<'"fl, bccß reinedied. ffilc-iihevs. were to-go p'ptsidp-'iv.jlU.Hihliiry--if to 4 If windows could fvpt: ;Tje-.;sa.ff;]y' cleijixed lihiey >vpre left,, In thisXcase jt 'wits 1 f.i Bsolutely' ,'u nncciSsary' tor the cleaner to. go outside. Tho -jirias. :(k£.crib'6.d:' by :wjf„ nesses ' George Ghri'stio isnd'. 'Frederick Atkins'.' .. Dr. Pi I'. Woodhouse, who examined deceased, at. the hospital, said ...that ."death was duo to compression of the brain, due to. haemorrhage. Tho • inquest was adjourned .at . .this' stage, ::ana;. resumed -iii' :tK«. aftehlriou. On resuming," /Jlr. Ijizgibbon' said .'that. ;ho' had, di's--covered from .inciuiries made. that tiie window nil which M'Aieer was! .engaged' could n«>t lie eleanwl from tho. jji'si'de, because 'a. .projecting .shelf, preyeuied 'its being opened. . It had. also been impossible for. some time to open tho window*;. Arthur.linker, recalled, stud that Mr. Fitzgi bboms st atements wire. true. Oh tho lnsL''o'ccasi : (Vn,.\vhe!V: thewincloTVs -ijij* tho ofiiccs had heeii cleaned, this particular -window had been left untouched. To -ilivvOstler:. 'Nov ono orderod . dpceased to. go- outside, arid) as lie had hail experience, lie" must have known that ho C<J* <lb *£ Jlr. Ostler s :sfca'tieflthtit- ho.jva's; iprepared' to call - evidence, if his Worship desired, to prove that, although there were windows iiiVp'uljlic '.'biiildingS:,' jiinm'otscfe'd, thev eon id lip. cleaned i'rora tho inside with safety. ' /. ■ ..... His Worship, decided that suph; evidence was In delivering his 'hiding, his Worshipsaid: '-Af'terj'hearing', .tho evidence, ou.'o. 'can only,';sayr! -that! this iiv.as .'an unfprtiir uate accident:. that. l>efei. deceased. . Apparently lie -must have had some .know? ledge of the dangers, attaching to going' outside of a: windo>r:in ; order to clean it, but evidently:'; : hei; .'did. .foot w-ogiiiso the extreme';'daiigff-.i-.iri; this:, case.. It' wis most unfortunate' 'for him.- : took;. ; c. risk which. apparently. the- leading "witness would' "not ;'haye 'takeihi" The verdict was that death was due to injuries, accidentally received.