ARAPUNI WORKS FATALITY.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 25, 3 April 1924, Page 2

ARAPUNI WORKS FATALITY.

C AIIPENTER KILLED. Accident nt the Waipa Bridge. The first fatal accident in connection with the Arapuni works occurred o:i Friday afternoon about 2.15 o'clock, Mr. William Walkington Vance, aged 57 years, a bridge carpenter, of Tc Puke, being killed while working on the construction of the Waipa bridge, on the FutaruruArapuni access road. An inquest was held -on Saturday, with Mr. R. C. Alcorn as coroner and a jury of four, Messrs. J. It. O. Lochhead (foreman), N. H. Ashford, J. Morris and W. W. Ridley. Alic R. Pearson, foreman of the bridge gang of which deceased was a member, said he he.d known deceased for 12 years, he being employed by the Public Works Department under witness. Deceased, with himself and two other men, were engaged in placing iron girders, 25ft long and weighing just on 14 cwt, in position. The girders were roughly laid across the superstructure and had to be shifted on to the “ corbels,” which were the pieces designed to carry them at each end. Deceased was using a crowbar at one end of a girder and he (wiiness) was at the other end. He did not see deceased fall, as he had turned away a second or two before. He heard one of the men call out and, turning, he saw that deceased had fallen oft* the superstructure on to the ground, about 12 feet below. He hurried down and realised that deceased, who was unconscious, and lying limp and doubled up, was badly hurt. No spirits being available, cold water was obtained, but deceased could not drink it. Deceased had apparently struck jus head on the edge of the concrete abutment in his fall. The coroner: Was the work he was doing safe or risky ? Witness: Quite safe provided a man was careful. Deceased was a very careful man, and had been working 10 years with me. The scaffolding was safe, the girders firm, and the corbels bolted down.

Constable Murphy: What do you think caused the accident? Witness: The end of his crowbar evidently slipped on the ironbark cap. Continuing-, witness said that deceased, when picked up, was just alive. A car was there, and he was immediately taken therein to Putaruru to the doctor, a short stop being- made at Mr. Henderson’s residence to advise the doctor to be ready to receive him. To Mr. Ashford: Deceased was standing- on portion of the bridge — not on the scaffolding—when he fell.

Mr. Ashford: Then, if he was not standing on a scaffolding, would he have any room to recover himself if he lost his balance? Witness: No.

Dr. S. L. Haslett deposed that shortly after 2.30 o’clock the unfortunate man was brought to his surgery, but was then dead. On examination he found that the skull was fractured and there were also injuries to the left arm and leg. Death, in his opinion, was due to shock, resulting from the fracture of the skull and was practically instantaneous. Joseph Williams, bridge carpenter, another member of the gang, said that at the time of the accident they were turning the girder over. Deceased’s crowbar slipped, he lost his balance, and tumbled head long. Deceased was half-sitting on a girder of the first span of the bridge, and was putting his whole weight into slightly lifting the girder of the second span with his crowbar when the accident happened. This position left deceased no chance of savings himself when he overbalanced. Deceased was the most careful man he had ever worked with. He (witness) considered the occurrence was purely accidental and there was no negligenc in any shape or form. The fourth member of the gang, Henry James Ross, labourer, said he did not quite see how the accident occurred, as he was not looking at deceased at the time, but he saw him falling. He had no idea as to what caused deceased’s crowbar to slip. If he himself had been in the same position as deceased when deceased was using the crowbar he would have considered himself quite safe.

“ Is there not a possible chalice that this sort of accident could be guarded against? Cannot a scaffolding or something be provided as a safeguard?” was a question put by the coroner to T. Rabone, engineer - in-charge at Arapuni, who was present.

Mr. Rabone replied that he had made enquiries and found that there was a two plank staging on the portion of the work where the accident happened. For such work as deceased was engagetl on only picked, careful men were employed. To guard! against every possibility of such anj accident would mean a very elaborate system of staging or a net right un~ (Continued in Next Column.)

derneath the full exent of the superstructure. Such, however, was evidently not considered necessary, as he had never heard of such a net being used. The jury returned a verdict that the death was accidental, no blame being attachable to anyone. Deceased leaves a widow and family of eight children, of whom five are adults, while three still reside at home.