SYDNEY DEATHS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 727, 30 December 1933, Page 3

SYDNEY DEATHS

WOMAN COLLAPSES W1IILE HAVING HAIR WAVED CHILD KILLED ON ROOF Twio deaths from electricaly occurred in the Sydney suburhs recenitly. lOne victim, a woman, fell dead while using an electric hair-waver on a customer at North Sydney. The i other, a girl, aged nine ye,a.rs, was ( killed through touching a live wire j on a xoof. ( The cause of the North Sydney tragedy is something of a mystery; a City Council expext was unable to j trace any fault in-either fhe wire or I the mechanism being used. QVCarjory Wakefield (27), a partner in .a hairdressing saloon in Mount Street, North Sydney, was treating | the hair of Mrs. Gladys Balcer, of Arthur Street, North Sydney. ■She had completed the first part of the operation, and was manipulating the electric iblower to dry the hair, when, it is believed, she tripped and fell. ■She screamed, and her head bumped the pedestal of the ma.chine, which a'lso fell over. JHiss Wakefield was holding the cord, aeeording to the police, when the current passed through her body.

Switched Off Cui'rent. Mrs. Baker leaped from her chair, and switched off the current. 'In touching the apparatus Mirs. Baker experienced a tingling in the hands and a twitching of the axms, hut the fact that she wore rubbersoled sho:s probably saved her life. She had left home wearing leather shoes, but something prompted her to return and change them. Miss Bishop, the other partner, ran into the eubicle and removed the hlower from Miss W\akefield's hand. .She was then unconscious, but w.a.s thought to he still alive. /Central Ambulance ofiicers and Sergeant Clarke (North Sydney) were brought and artificial respiration was applied for half an hour, but withno success. It was continued during the journey to the Mater Misericoriae Hosipital, where it was found that Miss Wakefield was dead. No Burns Fuond. An ambulance officer declared that death undoubteclly resulted from an electric shock, though the only mark on the body was a bruise on the forehead, prob.ahly received in the fall. A close examination failed to reveal any burns.

iA City Council electricity ofncer, woh was rushed over, thoroughly examined the appartus and the wiring, but could find no fault between the machine and the switch. It is possible that a short circuit occurred as the woman was falling, and that her hand then touched the wire. Sparks Not Se/en. There were no sparks when Miss Wakefield fell, nor was there any spluteerir.g, which usually accompanies an electric discharge. A Govermnent medical officer — probably Dr. Palmer — will conduct a, post-mortem examination. lThe machine wag removed from the premises by Sergeant Clarke, and to-morrow a City Council expert will overhaul it in search of faults. M!iss Wakefield, who lived in Pacific Highway, Crow's Nest, was always a healthy and robust girl. Sergeant Glarke at fiirst thought she might have had a heart attack, but there was no evidence to support this view. Roof Tragedy. Joseph Tumeth (5) risked his lif*3 yesterday afternoon in trying to release his none-year-old sister from a

' live wire in which she 'had become entangled. The girl, Florence Ann Tumeth, of O'Riordan Street, Alexandria, was ' fatally shocked. Despite the efforts ' of South Sydney Ambulance officers, who applied artificial respiration all the w,ay to hospital, she was dead on arrival. With Percy Myers (9), of Victoria Street, Alexandria, and Joyce Tumeth (6), the children climibed to the roof of a factory near their home. ' lOnce on top Florence took the lead. She - touched a live' wire, and in an instant flames played around her. She collapsed with a scream, unable to get clear of the wire. "Florrie. Florrie!" shouted Joe. "Come away!" Boy Shocked. By then the girl had become unconscious. ( Brushing pas.t the others, her littie brother tugged at her clothing, and when he could not pull her away he [ grabbed her hand. The . current immediately passed through to his body, and he was hurled backw,axds. "I couldn't get near her again, so ' I climbed down to get "someone to come up," he explained later. "I knew she was hurt." The ambulance officers had to break ,the wire before they could approach the girl, who was then apparently dead.