FATAL ACCIDENT AT KAIWARRA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4943, 25 January 1877, Page 3

FATAL ACCIDENT AT KAIWARRA.

An inquest was held before the Coroner (Dr. Johnston) and a jury of twelve, yesterday at the Provincial Hospital, on the body of Hans Petersen, who was killed by a fall of earth at the reclamation works, Kaiwarra, on Monday last. ■ ■ ; . • The jury having been empannelled and sworn, the Coroner explained what the jury had to inquire into, and said it was a very important inquiry, and it was to be hoped some practical good would be obtained from it. He must confess he had been astonished at the number of accidents which had happened since the reclamation works had been going on, and he really began to think attention ought to be turned to the matter, to see if the works were being carried on properly whether they were not being carried on recklessly for the sake of economy. Scarcely ten days ago a man was killed at the same works. He : (the Coroner) had a great objection to inquests, and as the man when brought into the Hospital was so sensible that he could speak as to how the accident had occurred, and said the accident was not caused by carelessness, therefore, it had not been deemed necessary to hold an inquest; but another accident coming so shortly after rather stai tied him. Frequently he had ■ seen the men working, and they appeared to him to be like flies on a wall, and that any false step would result in a serious accident. If the evidence,showed that there was grea t danger, some recommendation might be made to the contractor. Doubtless if there had been any fault on the part of the contractor, he might be liable to an action-at-law fay deceased’s relatives, if he had any. The,folio wing evidence was then 08 James Ahem deposed : l am time-keeper at the reclamation works, Pipitea, and am employed by the contractor, Mr. O’Malley. I knew the deceased. He was a workman under me, and had been employed on the works since the sth of this month. He was at pick and shovel work. He was not a regular navvy. He was at work on the face of the embankment on the Kaiwarra-road, about fifty or sixty feet, above _ the trucks which received, the earth. The incline is in 1. A man could pick with a pick at that incline. A rope ran up the face of the excavation, as a means of going _ up and down, and as a means of safety if a man fell. I have seen men get up the bank without a rope. The practice is for men to make a standing-place before commencing to work. Men generally work on the hill four hours at a spell, coming down four or five times to assist in loading the trucks. They get down by the rope, but sometimes without its aid. I last saw deceased alive on Monday, 22nd inst,, at ten minutes to six in the afternoon. He was then picking to undermine the face of the hill where he stood. No one was above him working with a crowbar. I heard a fall and saw deceased falling on his hands and knees. The Coroner : What was the quantity of the earth that fell—twenty tons? I cannot say. Only a little fell upon him ; he was at the end of the earth. The Coroner : I may say at once that the injuries to the man were such that I should not be surprised if I were told a hundred tons had fallen upon him—his body was entirely broken in. , rn Witness ; I have seen heavier slips, iwo other men were working with him. One man named Connell was knocked down at the same time, but he got up, and was so little injured

that he came to work next morning. Slips seldom occur as this did without the u ,e of the bar. When the bar is used, of course the men keep away from under the earth above being operated upon. No regular watch is kept-to give alarm in cases of an impending nature. There had been some wet weather previous to the slip. This man had never expressed himself as afraid to go up. I don’t think any measure could be taken to avoid the men working on a hill as they now work. If worked interraces it. would be more dangeious ; the banks would be steeper. If worked from the top there iwjuld be less danger, but the earthwould not come down. I have been at work there nine months, but I have never been up the face of the hill. The men who are constantly there do not think the work dangerous Some men after trying it a few hours have left, as they did hot like to work 'in such a place, because they could not stand ; -hut I find when men have worked for two or three days they get used to it. The men are paid Is. an hour as a general, rule ;. some get more, some less, according to skill and industry. Deceased was to get Is. an hour ; he had been at work over a period of seventeen days, but the pay-day had not occurred while he was there. He was a good workman. . To Sergeant Monaghan : Four or five tons came down; a portion, of it fell on deceased. Andrew Connell deposed : I am an employe at the reclamation works. On the day of the accident I, v-as from six to ten feet away from deceased. We had just filled the trucks below, and had just started work again on the hill._ I cannot say much as to the accident, having myself been carried 'down a certain distance. I have not been timid on account of apprehending danger. Deceased did not appear a regular navvy. He did not seem to understand danger,’and took no precautions. He could speak English a little.' Another foreigner went up with deceased to work, and I told him to see if'there were any cracks , about the earth. He said there were not. From the mouth !of the shoot the men can get up the face of the hill without a rope. >l* do not consider the work dangerous, but- I have no doubt some men would be too timid to work there; Peter Jansen deposed : I am a laborer on the reclamation works, Kaiwarra-road. I knew deceased. I lived near him at home.' He came from about fourteen miles from Copenhagen. I lived with him up to the time of the accident. He was twenty-four years lof age, and unmarried. He left a father and mother at home, to whom I intend to write.; I saw him at work on the day of the accident an hour before it occurred. He was at work. I knew nothing about the accident. I have worked at the reclamation about nine months. I do not think the work dangerous. It is easy enough to work on the slope when you get used to. it. Deceased had been working there seven months before this last occasion. He was used to-the work. In the interim he had been working for McKirdy. l and my countrymen who work there are satisfied that the work is being carried on carefully. James Anderson gave evidence as to the fall of earth and the crushing of deceased. Witness believed the fall was owing to the men having got on to a change of soil, into another vein. Of course there was danger, 'oiving. to .it being a steep siding. Had been ganger at the job almost ever since the work began,-and had never had men leave because ■of-the danger. Men had sometimes refused to work on the job because they got giddy in the headr ’ Had been a miner, and had seen far more accidents at mines than had occurred there. - He did not think there had been many accidents. Between sixty and eighty men are employed on the works. The works were carried on properly, but the men were careless. Charles O’Malley, the contractor, being called, said The men never work without gangers. We are continually cautioning the men. The Coroner summed up, and the jury returned a verdict of accidental death, adding a rider to the effect that greater care should jbe taken by the contractor by employing' more gangers.