LIFT ACCIDENT

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 34, 10 February 1913, Page 11

LIFT ACCIDENT

DEATH OF JAMES HANRATTY • MATTER OF A SASHWEIGHT. On Wednesday last an old and valued employee of E. W. Mills and Co., in the person of James Hanratty, was killed in a lift accident in tho Victoriastreet premises. An enquiry into the circumstances was held by the City Coroner, Dr. A. M'Arthur, S.M., on Saturday, at the Magistrate's Court. Mr. 'A. W. Blair appeared for E. W. Mills and Co., Mr. A. E. Atkinson for the deceased's relatives, and Mr. E. A. Simpson for the Wholesale Storemen's Union. Senior-Sergeant Mullaney represented the police. Medical evidence as to deceased's injurieß was given by Dr. W. Kington Fyffe. Deceased's chest was crushed, and one leg broken. Archibald Forbes, in charge of the grate department at E. W. Mills's, dpposed to finding Hanratty jammed between the lift and tho brickwork at' the entrance to tho lift-well. With assistance, witness wound the lift down by hand, and released the body. To Senior-Sergeant Mullaney : The machinery part of the lift was in perfect working order. Deceased had been in charge of the lift since the building was erected — about eight years ago. This was the first accident with the lift. Witness, before the body was released, observed a small sashweight attached to the controlling handle. It was explained by Mr. Blair that this was a contrivance used to operate the control handle when the lift hand .did not wirii to travel up with the left. Witness Forbes added that tKe sashweight had been in tho lift a fortnight. To Mr. Atkinson : Although deceased was in charge of the lift, others were accustomed to work it. He knew that others had operated it that morning. There was no supervision of the lift on the part of anybody employed by the firm. Witness saw no danger in the use of the sashweight. To Mr. Blair : The lift would stop 'when somebody above pulled the sashweight off the lever. Otherwise it would ascend until it stopped automatically. When the lever was at "neutral" position the lift stopped and the lever locked. Deceased had left the, sashweight hanging on the lever. Frederick Petersen, driver for J. O'Brien and Co., stated that deceased had gone up in the lift to get sever . barrels of plaster of paris, which wei'<

to he loaded on to witness's express. Deceased lowered the lift to the ground, and put a board from the lift on to the back of the express. He then raised the lift till it was level with the bottom of the expiess. This was done so that tho barrels could be easily lolled off the lift. While on his knees deceased pushed one barrel along the plank, and witness caught it. Then the lift started to go up. Witness dropped the barrel and rushed to the lift, but when he reached it deceased had been jammed between the masonry of the entrance to the lift well and the bottom of the lift. J. W. Townseiid, Inspector of Machinery, said that he examined the lift after the accident, and found that it was not in perfect condition. He had not examined it previously. To Senior-Sergeant Mullaney : It would be dangerous, in his opinion, to use the sashweight on the controlling lever. To Mr. Blair: The defective condition in which he found the lift would probably be the result of the accident. The control gear was in perfect woiking order. ' Tho Coroner returned a verdict that death was due to an accident, and as far as could be seen no blame was attachable to anyone.