FATAL ACCIDENT AT AKATARAWA RIVER.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 684, 4 February 1881, Page 2

FATAL ACCIDENT AT AKATARAWA RIVER.

An accident happened yesterday at the Akatarawa Bridge works, near the Upper Hutt, resulting in the death of one man and the Bevere injury of two others, Some Scaffolding has been erected preparatory so the continuation of a threespan bridge across the river, the main support for such scaffolding being Borne felled trees used as girders, and placed at about 25 or 30 feet above the bed of the river. On these trees, which stretched from bank to bank, and were supposed to be perfectly secure and capable of carrying all the weight necessary to be placed upon them planks had been put, and at 8 a.m. yesterday, five men, named G. Walker, Johnston, R. Griggs, D. McDonald, and J. Peterson commenced work as usual. All went well, until about nine o'clock, when Griggs and Walker came on to the temporary, platform with some more planks, which they thumped down with a jerk. This, it is said, caused the girder on the aide they were standing to give way, and the whole of the scaffolding slid away, carrying with it these two men down on to the shingle bed of the river, with.a fall of 30ft, and!there they lay crushed beneath the "fallen timbers. Johnston, who was standing on the other side of the platform when ;the accident happened, in his sudden fright, made a. spring, and fell head foremost, breaking his neck in the river bed. McDonald and Peterson, with more presence ot mind, kept their position, and thus escaped, injury. Mr W, R. Brown, the contractor, who was on the river bank at the time, and witnessed the accident, called .for the assistance of others at work there, and got the two injured men up from,the bed of the creek withall possible speed. Walker was found to be suffering a severe scalp wound, and bleeding from both ears, and Griggs was 'severely injured about the legs. The assistance of settlers living in the neighborhood was given, and the injured men, asalso the body of the unfortunate Johnson, conveyed to the railway station, and subsequently the two survivors of the catastrophe wore brought to the town by the 12.30 traiu. Walker, on examination at the Hospital by Dr Gillon, was found to be very much injured about the head, and Griggs was found Jo have suffered a fractured thigh and ankle. The body of the deceased man Johnston was left at the Upper Hutt, where an inquest will be held today. We regret to state that he leaves a widow and three young children • very insufficiently unprovided for. A full enquiry will be made as to the cause of the accidont, and which will bliow whether it arose from a flaw in the material used, or fault in the construction of the scaffolding.