GIRL’S DEATH.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 June 1925, Page 4

GIRL’S DEATH.

TANK i-K< OMKS ELKCTJI IKIED. SYDNEY. .lunc ii. A girl named Iris Handley mol. ii*.•; death at (: i ; 11> u rti in a si rouge m:!M IH*r this wwk. Sl;,' ivu> electrocute, through touching a galvanised in): lank lI m t hall become surcharge, with clef tricitv.

,\!r> Handley, :1m girl's mother, said that, on tin' morning ol the latabiy. she hersell had rocoiveil a shuck v\ !u'tl she woul to the tank In tiet water. When lief daughter came home tor hineli she v.as [old ul the oeeniTenae ami warned nut to go near the tank. The girl Went outside. On tt'iiih.: out he saw her daueditei

grasping: a piece of fencing wire thai encircled the tank, .liter a terrible struggle. tlie I'ranlie mot her snereeded in treeing Lite ..irl's hands from ih' elect rirfied wire, hut by this time her daughter Was imeoiiseioils, dting shortly afterwards. I’. Handley. latlmr ul' the deceased. said that ahum It! months ago, with the assistance ul a man named Divall, h.e had added two extra points to the eleetrie light installation. He admitted that neither lie nor Dimll had had any pievious experience in eleeirittil work. The electric engineer 01' Goulburn '.Municipal ( otineil testified that additions of the installations had been unsuccessfully carried out. Through faulty wiring leaks had occurred and the roof of the hack verandah had become electrified. Through its conneetion with the roof, by means ol the downpipe. the tank was also alive. He emphasised the extreme dancer of people having additions effected to their electric light installation without notifying the council as in Handley’s case particularly when unskilled labour teas employed. The maximum voltage available at the house was 250 volts, which 1-8 regarded as being perfectly safe.

Hr 1!. 0. Williams, Government medical officer, said: " This is a unique ease, iva not been able to find any record of death when the voltage was less than 58ft volts.” 11l recording a verdict of deatn from shock, after touching an electrified wire, the coroner emphasised that he was compelled to probe deeply into the facts in the interest of the safety of others who vised electric light.