KILLED BY A MAST

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 211, 31 May 1919, Page 9

KILLED BY A MAST

FATALITY ON THE WHARF ■ INQUEST ON A WATERSIDER The circumstances of the death of a cargo worker named Waldemar Ltpin, who was killed ou-tho wharf on Thursday afternoon through one of tho masts of the eteamer Baden Powell collapsing and falling on him, wero investigated by the Coroner, Mr.' F. V. Frazer, S.M., yesterday. Deceased, who was a native of Riga, was 29 years of age, and single, and had a permit to work on the waterfront. Previously, ho had been a seaman. 'Detective-Sergeant'Cox conducted the proceedings on bohalf of the police, Mr. <A. Dunn represented tho Weilington Steamship Company, Ltd., owners of the Baden Powell, and Mr. L. Glover appeared for the Wutcrsido Workers' Union. . .: Stanley Johns, Harbour Board employee; stated that on Thursday afternoon he was tallying tho cargo of the Baden Powell. About 2.10 , p.m. tho dorrick suddenly gave way, and witness shouted to tho men standing near to "Look out!" As ho shouted the derrick struck the wharf, nnd almost immediately tho top of the mast fell, striking the deceased on tho head. There were three men on tho wharf when witness called out, and deceased jumped in the opposite direction to the other two men. At the timo of .the accident threo sacks of potatoes were bein» hoisted .in the sling.-The weight of the sacks would be i to scwt. . ' . . ■ _ ' ' Detective-Sergeant Cox: Can yon say what caused the mast nnd derrick to give Witness: No;.it was not an excessive you exaiuino the\mast afterwards? —"Yes, it was in a rotten condition. I should say dry rot had Bet in." Could you say if the guy rope struck the deceased'between the legs ]ust before tho mast fell?-"No, he was clear of all wires." . To Mr. Dunn: Previous to ,the accident, four sacks.wero being hoisted in the sliiig. The centre of the mast could be crumpled 'between the fingers, so rotten was the wood. . The portion of the mast facing'the funnel was protected with tin. ■■' ~ Walter Henry Bnggs, t waterside worker, who was working at the tfaden Powell at tho time of tho "accident, said that the mast came down with a crash. Deceased was trying to get out of the way of tho falling mast by stepping back, but tho guy ropefonled the heel of his boot, causing him to stumble lorward as the mart fell. He was struck on the base of tho skull and appeared to have been killed instantaneously. Robert Linde, a member of the Wellington Fire Brigade, said he was ~a cousin of the deceased, and as far as he knew Lepin had no other relatives in New Zealand. Witness added that he. did not know whether deceased s relatives were still at Riga. Thousands of people had been killed there, and the letters which witness addressed to his own relatives, who also (belonged to Riga, had been returned to luin. Condition of the. Mast., Constable R. Anderson, wh6>removed the body to the morgue,. said, the deceased's skull was fractured, his lett arm was broken , at the elbow, and the Tight leg was broken below the knee. Witness examined tho mast and found that it was decayed by_ dry rot. A number of nails were driven into tho tin sheathing. The tin was nailed on at a. weak spot and seemed as if it had been fixed to strengthen the mast. Ihe wood underneath the tin was decayed. To-Mr. Dunn: The mast was abaft the funnel, and the tin might have been nailed on to protect it from the'smoke. The rottenness was in the centre of the mast and also on. the surface underneath the tin. From an ordinary inspection the mast would not appear to be T °To D Mr. Glover: The nails had been driven into the mast in a straight line around the surface- That might tend to •weaken the mast by allowing moisture to creep in. . Alec James Jaokson,, master of the Baden Powell, called by Mr. Dunii, said the shipwas overhauled by the Government six months ago. He was. not in charge of the ship then, but had received a certificate to the effect that the overiaul had taken place. Tho mast was. protected by tin to prevent the sparks from the funnel burning the. wood, and underneath the tin there was a packing of asbestos. Looking at the mast : from the outside it wild be impossible to say that it was rotten.' ' In'■ company with the Government surveyor, witness inspected the gear after the accident, anjl everything was found to be in order. The derrick had been worked m Lyttelton the day before and lifted". Bcwt.- of hides without any trouble. The accident might have been caused through the bags of potatoes touching the;; combin" of the hold as. they were being lifted out. This would throw an extra' strain on the gear..' ; ■'■ To.Detective-Sergeant Cox: Lvery ship in the harbour had tin- nailed on to the masts. If the nails were driven into the same place each time the tin was replaced it would have a tendency to ■weaken the mast. • Masts Should.Not be Painted, . In reply to Mr. Glover, witness said he believed'that the mast , had been inspected six mouths ago. He could not express an opinion whether the tin had been removed for the last overhaul. An examination once every twelve months was quite sufficient. The after hatch of

the vessel was awkward to work, but he had never heard any complaints on the point, He considered it was quite 6afe. Witness was opposed to masts and derricks being painted, as "by so doing it was not always possiblo to suspect that the wood was decayed. He had not drawn the attention of tho owners of (lie Baden Powell to the fact that tho masts were painted, because that work was done before he joined the vessel. Tho witness did not think that the bull rope had been slackened so as to cause a jamb, or that the sacks had jambed. If the bage had been kept clear of the combing witness did not think the accident would ~ hnvD happened. Ho himself did not see them touch the coml>ing , , hut the hatchmnn told him that they had done ao. Had tho bags touched the combing he would not say that that was the fault of the bull rope man. Ho did not suggest that the bull rope man performed his work in an incompetent manner.. The hatchman did not say that, the sacks jainbed. . The Coroner returned a verdict that the deceased died from injuries sustained through a portion of the mast falling on him. "The evidence shows that the mast was rotten whore it broke, and that this rottenness was. not detected at' the time the vessel was Inst surveyed, if it existed then," enid Mr. Frazer. "The mnst broke when a load of- less than Gowt. was being lifted, and there is no evidence of any negligence on the part of any person engoged in working the cargo."