WHARF FATALITY

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 127, 31 May 1919, Page 3

WHARF FATALITY

EVIDENCE AT INQUEST VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH An inquest into the circumstances attending the death of a waterside worker, named Waldomar Loepin, which occurred during the discharge of cargo from tho steamer Baden Powell at the Queen's. Wharf, on Thursday afternoon, was held by the Coroner, Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court, last evening. Mr. A. Dunn appeared for the Wellington Steamship Company, Ltd., owners of the vessel, and Mr. L. Glovor on behalf of the Waterside Worker's Union. Detective-Sergeant Cox represented the police. Stanley Johns, an. employee of the Harbour Board, stated that at the time of the accident he was tallying cargo from the s.s. Baden Powell.. Noticing the ship's derrick suddenly give way, he shouted to three men who were standing near to "look out." They jumped clear, but deceased jumped in an opposite direction to the other men, and almost immediately the broken mast fell, striking him. Going to the assistance, witness found that the force of the blow had evidently resulted in instantaneous death. At the a sling of three sacks of potatoes,' weighing from four to five cwt, was being hoisted.-Detective-Sergeant Cox : Can you say what caused the mast and derrick to give way? Witness : No, it was not an excessive weight. Did you examine the mast afterwards? —"Yes, it was in a l'otten condition. I should say dry-rot had set in." Could 'you say if the guy-rope struck the deceased between the legs just prior to the mast striking him —"No; he was clear of all wires." To Mr. Dunn : Only one sling of four sacks had been hoisted prior to the accident. The centro portion of the mast where the break occurred could be crumpled with the. fingers; it was so rotten. There was a coating, of tar ovei portion of the mast at the point where it broke. Tacks fully.an inch and a half long were also noticeable. Walter .H/enry -Briggp, a waterside worker, was working in No. 1 hatch of tho Baden Powell, and, on hearing sonic one shout, saw the mast come down with a crash. Deceased stepped back, but the guy rope fouled the heel of his boot, causing him to stumble forward as the mast came down. It struck him on the base of the skull, apparently killing him instantaneously. . Robert Linde, a member of the Wellington Fire Brigade, related that he was a cousin of the deceased, and did not think' deceased had any other relatives in New Zealand. The deceased was a native of Riga, but witness did not know whether the relatives were .still there, as .correspondence he had. written had been returned. Constable R. Anderson, who was called to the scene of the fatality, said he removed the body to the morgue, and there found that deceased's skull had been fractured, his left arm broken at the elbow, and the right leg broken below.the knee.. On examination of the broken mast he found it to tie decayed by dry rot, while numerous nails were driven through the tin covering that portion of. the mast. From an ordinary inspection the mast. would not appear to bo rotten. , „ ' ' To Mr. Glover: The nails had been driven into the mast in a straight lino around the ■surface. This may ha.ye tended to'weaken the mast if->vater had got into the holes. .' . .-""'■ ..'" Alec James Jackson, master of the vessel, said that the ship was overhauled about six months ago, and would be entitled :to run for another*, sis months before further overhaul. The coating of tin, .with asbestos underneath, .was put on the mast to protect it from sparks from the funnel. By its outward ■' appearance it would be impossible to say if the mast was rotten. After .the accident witness and the Government surveyor bad examined the gear, and found everything to be in order. The derrick had lifted heavier weights than that at the time of the accident. It was possible that the accident might ha.ye been caused through the bags of potatoes touching the combing of the hatch as they wera being lifted out. If this occurred it would throw an extra strain on the gear. Witness did not thing the nails would affect the mast, unless' driven in the same place each time tho tin was replaced, when, they might have a tendency to weaken the mast. To Mr. Glover : The vessel was awkward to work, but he had heard no complaints. It was the only way in which tho vessel could be worked, and was, in his opinion, quite safe. Witness ' did not think that masts or derricks should be painted. If the bags had been kept clear of the combings the accident might not have happened,' but he would not suggest that the bull-rope man did not do his work; in a competent manner. The hatohman, in speaking of the mishap, 'did not say that the sacks had jambed. The coroner returned a verdict that the deceased met his death through .injuries received as a result of a portion of the mast.of the Baden Powell falling on him. The evidence showed that the mast was rotten where the break had occurred, and that this rottenness was not detected at the time the vessel was last'surveyed, if it existed'then. It was also .shown that the mast broke when a load of less than six cwt. was being lifted, and there was no evidence of any negligence on the part of anybody, engaged in the working of the cargo.