DANGEROUS SMASH.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1920, Page 5

DANGEROUS SMASH.

A WELLINGTON SENSATION. About 11.30 on Friday morning a crane smash, which might easily have had very serious consequences, occurred at the new Parliament Buildings, Wellington. The cause of the accident was the breaking of a cog-wheel in the winding gear of one of the big cranes on the roof of the building. A heavy load of sand and cement crashed to the ground, fortunately missing the roof of the office, in the temporary Parliament House, occupied by the private secretaries to the Hon. J, G. Coates (Postmaster-General and Minister for Public Works), and landing in the passageway between the two buildings. Left with no check upon it, the winding cable of the crane ran through the sheaves at such a speed that it acted like a giant catapult anil projected pieces of the broken cogwheel, several weighing from seven to ten pounds, 111 all directions over Parliament Grounds, and then as far as Lambtou Quay .and the grounds in. front of Government Buildings. One of the larger portions of the wheel fell dose by a number of men who wore chatting on the quay. Frank Fatna, a Government messenger, who was in the grounds of Government Buildings, was nearly hit by another portion, while a third, weighing some 2ft pounds, struck the buildings, damaging the foundation wall and the concrete channeling. ! The cogwheel broke with a loud report, and this, together with the thuds of the falling met&rand the loud screech of the winding cable as it ran out, caused a number of people to believe that an explosion had taken place. The wooden "house" attached to the crane was considerably damaged, but the crane-driver happily escaped unhurt. The tray, carrying the load of cement and sand, smashed through a heavy post, and was itself broken into many pieces. Pieces of the cogwheel were picked up in Parliament Grounds and in Lambton Quay for some time after the accident, and there was no little speculation as to what might have been the result if the breakage had occurred when the numerous employees at the Government Buildings and the Printing Office were leaving for lunch. The cause of the accident is at present unknown. , The cogwheel was of very solid construction, and i calculated to stand a very heavy and constant strain.—Times.