THE QUARRY ACCIDENT

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10550, 5 February 1912, Page 5

THE QUARRY ACCIDENT

RESULT OF INQUEST. | (By Telegraph—Press Association.j i [ TTMABU, Last Night. | . The- inquest ; into the • recent -fatal' premature ..Hast at>- the -Harbour. t quarry, was., . concluded-■ on Saturday,' I with r tlie evidence "of."F:"Wi- CJarke, Harbour engineer;,' .who is':still laid ; tip by an injury to has legi; \slidi' was hit by a" flying stone. The witness sarid that Calvert, the "quarry.. foren man, and deceased (O'Neill) .were 1 i the men wffib laid and fired the blia-st. He considered the men could be relied on to follow instructions. Oalvert told the witness everything •was rigblt, .and witness had no doubt. •Two feet of fuse wa;s projecting. •Witness did not see what deceased •was doing while the tools were being ■cleared away. ■ The Coroners (Mr V. ■Tr. Day. S.iM.) returned i formal verdiiet; of acddenta.l death. Commenting on the evidence of Hayes, the deceased's assistant, that deceased cut •the fuse to six indies, ■ and gampow-,-der was laid to the end of the woodI en trunk instead of stopping six feet off;,;/ithe Coroner said these were ab■solntely contrary' "io ■'nstrucbions and j dangerous to life. Hayes' moral duty was ! to report the fact to his employers, and Calvert, as foreman, i. should have watched the final acts. Counsel for the Harbour Board aiid the engineer stated that O'Neill was a man who did not need watehing. The Orroner . said eomimon-seiu-f .vhouild have inquired his oversight cf a critical act. It was a case of "farnilinrity breeds contempt." Hay/cp.. in his evidence, said he warned O'Neill of the danger, but did not think it his duty to report what his Superior had done. ■,.