FATALITY AT OIL WELLS.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 November 1918, Page 3

FATALITY AT OIL WELLS.

VERDICT OP ACCIDENTAL DEATH. The inquiry into the circumstances of the death of Frank Salmon Drury, who succumbed to injuries which lie received while assisting with repairs to the No. 5 bore at the Taranaki Oil Company's works at Moturoa on Tuesday, October 29, was continued yesterday before Mr. A, Crooke, S.M., district coroner. Sub-Inspector Button represented the police. Mr. J. H. Quiliiam appeared in the interests of the company, Mr. P. B. Fitzherbert for the relatives of deceased, and Mr. (!. Bail for the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation. Lafayette Keith, manager for the Oil Wells Company, deposed that he was at ■work at the No. 5 bore on the date in question. There were four other mf'ii working at the bore, including deceased. They were rotating Sin. fishing rods, straightening a piece of pipe. (A plan was put in showing the position of the workmen at the time of the accident.) They worked with two pairs of tongs, one used as a back-up pair and the other for rotating. The latter was pulled round by block and tackle. At that particular time the strain liad been taken up by tho engiue. There was a considerable strain on the fishing stems. When releasing the pulley tongs the strain was all on the back-up tongs. When about to hook the blocks on to take a fresh hold the pin that holds the chain in place on the bottom tongs sheared off, allowing the pulley-tongs to swing back with considerable force. They first hit Christiansen, jnn., on the chest. They swung round further and struck Drury on the back and side of the head. , Medical assistance was at once secured, the doctor arriving about 20 minutes after the accident. He ordered tho injured man to be sent to the hospital. The tongs which were in use at the time of the accident, the pins and jaws renewed by deceased and the two Christiansens about three weeks before the accident. (Part of the broken pin was produced.) There was no flaw in the pin indicated by the piece produced. The other part could not be found.

To the Coroner: The tongs were made in America. Continuing, witness said he could not account for the bolt breaking, except for the strain upon the tongs. There was no strain from the engine when the pin broke; all the strain was off. He could only attribute the breakage to pure accident. There wa3 no blame attachable to anyone. To Mr. Qui'lliam: Witness had had about 33 years' experience of work m connection with oil wells in various parts of the world. The work being done at the time of the. accident was that ordinarily done under similar circumstances at any well. Deceased had had si:-: or seven years' e.vperience in the work. Christiansen hail also several years' experience. The other man, Warburton, had been with the company for about two years. They had all been at the same class of work for t*ie past three months. He had never seen a pin break before as that one did on the day of the accident.

[ To Mr. Fitriierbcrt: The tongs had not been used for more than a week or ten days prior to the accident, since they were repaired. The total length of pipe in the bore being operated upon was 2148 feet. The greater the length of piping the more elasticity there would be in the i: fly-back." The broken end of the pipe which was boing operated upon was engaging with the bottom piece of pipe. He did not think an extra strain was put upon the pipe by it suddenly becoming engaged with: anything. When the pipe was free one man could turn it round. When engaged, it took all the men all their time to move it round. They put the engine on to do the rotating, to save the men. The rotating tongs were in position ready to take up the strain from the others just at the time the pin broke. Witness said ho was aware there was a big strain on the tongs at the time. He had never seen any pins tested locally. He believed they were tested before they left the manufacturer. The particular pin came amongst the spare parts that arrived with the rotating machinery. He could not say what stress was likely to be met with or what pressure would have to be put on to meet such resistance. Witness was not a qualified eugineer. He had no one over him at the works. He took all his orders from the board of directors. He knew that in work such as was being done when the accident occurred very great stresses were found.To Mr. Ball: The pins in the tongs did not. often wear. The jaws were the first parts to wear, and in taking them apart for repairs the pin had to be taken out and could be inspected, although there was no actual inspection of the pins. Deceased was employed as a derrick hand. To the Coroner: He had never wad. a similar accident at any time. He could not say what amount of strain was on the bolt when it broke. He had no means of testing the strength of the bolts.

Re-examined by the Bub-Inspector: He believed the same bolt had had a greater strain on it on other occasions, when they had had more tackle in use in taking up the strain. Neils Christiansen, driller at the oil wells, gave evidence corroborative of that given by the first witness in relation to the accident. Replying to Mr. Quilliam he said he saw nothing to suggest that an accident was likely to happen. To Mr. Ball: .If the bolt had been faulty it could have been noticed when it was put in. He assisted to repair tho tongs, and put in tho bolt, which was a perfectly sound one. Neils Christiansen, senr.. laborer, working at the oil works, and Robert James YVarburton, engineer-driver at the works, gave evidence. The lattcpatated the engine was running at the*"timo of the accident, but was not connected with the block and tackle.

Br. E. A. 'Walker, medical superintendent, of the New Plymouth Hospital, deposed that deceased was admitted to the hospital at ahoul; 3.30 p.m. on Otober 2(1. in a moribund state, and he lived only a few minutes. He had sustained a fracture of the lower jaw, transverse fracture of the sternum, in the upper part, and with the sign of rupture of the lungs and large blood vessels. The right humerus was fractured, and haemorrhage from the left ear pointed to the fracture of the 'base of the skull. Death was due to shock from the injuries described. The coroner found that the occurrence was entirely accidental, and returned a verdict that deceased met his dea€h iby being injured through the breaking of a pin in the tongs that were being used, and that there was no blame attachable to anyone.