FATALITIES AT WHARF.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1962, 20 January 1914, Page 8

FATALITIES AT WHARF.

; TWO WORKERS HILLED* INQUIRY BY THE CORONER* A good deal of interest attached to the; circumstances surrounding tho death of Stafford Pattoraon, a member of tho new Waterside Union, who was seized with a fit while working coal in tho hulk Occident,on Tuesday last, and who died in tho Hospital tho same evening. The fatality formed tlio subject of an inquest before Mr. J. S. Evans, 8.M., yesterday. Mr. Goulter appeared for the relatives of deceased and. Sergeant Mullany for the police. Dr. - Fraser, senior houso surgeon at tho Wellington Hospital, stated that a post-mortem examination had disclosed cerebral haemorrhage compressing tho brain. This was the cause of death. Tho unusual position in which deceased liad been working and over exertion could account for tho haemorrhage. 'Andrew Whelan, a waterside worker, residing at 75 Hanson Street, described tho fatality. Tho men woro shovelling cd.il into baskets and witness noticed deceased with his head and shoulders jhi'.'one of the baskets, an empty one. Deceased's shovel was not in his hand, but behind him. Witnessed asked him '"What was up," but deceased made no wii and witness went over and found thit something was wrong. Witness iiFted him from tho basket and called out; that a man was injured. Deceased was'then hoisted out of the hold arid afterwards taken to the Hospital. 'Mr. Gaulter remarked that it was a watensido practice that, if a gang of workers wanted to get rid of a man, the.v put a spurt on till that man had to drop out. If a man did not constantly have liis basket ready in roia'tion he would he required to cease wtirk. In regard to the latter part of Mr. {toulter's statement witness stated that ■tho labour foreman would be moro com'petent to give evidence on that point. For his own part he thought that, if jthero were a slow man in a 'team of Workers it merely meant that there was a. chanco of a spell for the others. Edward Osborne, another waterside worker, corroborated the evidence of tho previous witness. After the basket was taken to tho top of tho hold witftws hfeard another man say: "Perhaps "the ■ r will go back to his farm ; nnd work there." Witness could not sav who mado the remark. In answer to a question by Mr. Gaulter, witness stated that the Rang were going much faster than ordinary pace. ' ' , Mr Gaulter: There was a considerable amount of ill-foeling between tlie members of tlie old and tho new union ?— '"Yes." Sir. Gaulter: Deceased and yourself "wore members of the new union, were you not?—" Yes." ' Mr. Gaulter: Was tlie object of the bull-ropo man to hasten tne pace of those whom ho contracts or to save his employer's time? —"I could not say." Mr. Gaulter: Havo you ever worked sharder than on the day in question?— '"Yesr." ' . Mr. Goulter: As a general rule, do you want to work harder?—" No.". Frederick Sukroo, labourer, stated that on January 13 he was working as bull-rope man on the hulk Occident. Ho knew deceased by sight. The first he knew of Patterson's misHap was when he saw him down in tho hold with two men supporting him., . Witness did not hear tho remark mentioned by 'the previous witness made when deceased was hoisted to the deck. At .this stage the Coroner romarked that he was satisfied that the cause of deathrWas : cerebral haemorrhage, due apparently to natural causes. If tlie remarks about deceased, mentioned in the evidence, were made, it did not indicate that there was anything particularly wrong. 1 The evidence did not show any undue hurry with the work. ' Mr. Goulter romarked that he did not make any suggestion of unfair play. A verdict was returned that deatli was due to cerebral haemorrhage, apparently arising out of natural causes.

CLANCY'S DEATH.

(STRUCK BY A BASKET OF COAL. Another'marine accident, that in which-William Clancy, a sailor, met his death as the result of an accident while unloading coal from tho Titnnia on Monday of last week, was tho subject of' nn inquiry yesterday, afternoon before Mr. J. S. Evans, rf.M. Mr. Hisiop .watched the proceedings 011 behalf of the owners of the Titania, while Serjeant Mullany appeared for the police. Dr. Fraser, senior house surgeon at the Wellington Hospital, stated that he liad found fracture of the skull and injuries to-other parts of the body. ■Frederick William Terlick, chief officer of tho barquentine, Titania, stated tha.t he was standing on the fore-deck, Snd as lie looked up he saw a basket full of coal strike the man on tho hack. IThe man who worked the crane generally guided the basket till it was over tho centre of the truck, and then droplied it there: On this occasion witness did not notice where tho basket dropped.

To Mr. Hisiop: In the ordinary course of. events, deceased should have been facing tho ship. In- this/ particular case, however, deceased had his back to the ship. This, in witness's opinion, was because deceased had not time to turn round and face tho ship, as ho was an old man. and a slow worker. The basket was not travelling too fast to bo dropped in the ordinary position. It was going no faster than usual.

Charles Teastle, wharf labourer, stated that ho was engaged in attending to the bull-rope. Owing to the rope slipping when he was swinging the basket, he did not have proper control of it. There was too much slack on the rope, nnd this was the cause of the basket swinging too far. Witness saw the basket strike deceased, but not in time to prevent it striking him. To Mr. Hisiop: Deceased might have been knocked down even if the second turn wore not in the rope. Deceased Was standing in tho place where tho basket would have dropped. Mr. Hisiop: In that case, if deceased had not attempted to look round, he would have been dropped upon by tho basket? AVitness: That would have been prevented. Mr. Hisiop: How do you account for tho turn coming off the rope?—" There was a kink in the back of the rope, and in bending down to fix it up the extra turn came into tho rope." Edward Stanley, crane driver, stated that his business was to watch the basket and see where to drop it. Ho wa's watching tho bull-rope man, and when he looked at deceased the basket had first struck him. After tho basket had struck deceased witness dropped it int-o the truck. In the ordinary course of events the basket should have dropped at deceased's feet. The baskets wore not coming too quick for those working them. Deceased, however, was not good at taking baskets; he was too old. A verdict was returned that death was due to fracture of the skull, caused bv deceased falling off a truck at tho wharf after being hit by a basket full of coal. No blame was attachable to anyone.