CORONER'S INQUEST.

Otago Witness, Issue 1219, 10 April 1875, Page 4

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest upon the body of the unfortunate man George Smith, who was killed on Wednesday, was held at Port Chalmers yesterday, before the Coroner, Dr O'Donoghue, and a Jury of 12, with Mr M'Kenzie foreman. The first witness examined was George Blackwell, who said that he was a labourer employed at Port Chalmers by Mr Proudfoot, and on the 31st of March was acting as ganger over a party of men employed at a cutting in George street, between Kettle's and Scott's stores. Deceased was cutting a chamber, and witness was working in the face of the cutting in front of him. Suddenly the earth cracked and slipped in, and in the twinkling of an eye, buried deceased. Witness narrowly escaped. Deceased was dug out as quickly as possible, but was quite dead. By Sergeant Neil : Deceased was working about 9ft. from the surface. Witness asked him about three minutes before the accident happened, to look and see if aU was safe, and he replied all was safe. _ By a Juror : Had been employed at excavating work for twelve months and never had an accident. The cutting waa carefully worked. W as not a practical miner. By i. Co I r ? nei 7 Ifc is nofc necessary that a lookout should be kept on the top of a cutting whilst working a chamber. By Foreman : Had ten men been on the top looking out, they could not have prevented the accident. ii£ y a , J " ror : Th ere were two chambers. Witness had finished cutting one, whilst deceased was still working his. The top soil was as safe as that underneath. Was not aware as to any rule which states what the depth of cutting should be. GAG A \, A - 3 \V r de Posed that at about 10 a.m. on the 31st March Mr Stenhouso, overseer of the works, had occasion to proceed to Sawyer's Bay with a man who had Wn injured by a fall of earth, and requested witness to look after the works during his absence. Witness did so, and, about half-past ten, visited the cutting and went into the chamber where deceased was working. Directed him to be careful, and he replied that all was right." The only part of the face witness thought unsafe was a scolloped shaped piece of earth, which would probably weigh about 200 lbs. By the Jury : Had had experience in mining

makers, and considered the face was safe at the time the work was being carried on. Henry Cherriton deposed that he was a labourer, and had seen the body at the Morgue, and identified it as that of George Smith, a workman at the Port. Deceased mas married, and had a wife and several children residing a.t Moeraki. He was a native of London, and about 54 years of age. By the Jury .- Was a navvie, and had had many years' experience of that kind of work, and considered that the cutting was too deep to be safe. Sergeant Neil deposed that the depth of the cutting from the top of where deceased was working was fifteen feet four inches, and the total depth of the face ninetoen feet four inches, Ibis closed the evidence, and, after a. short; consultation, the Jury declared their verdict as* follows .-—That George Smith was accidentally killed while working in a cutting in George street, Port Chalmers. The following riderwas added :— ln our opinion the face was too high, and we would recommend the Goyern., ment to pass an Act restricting the height of earth to say ten feet, and also that contractor* be required to provide efficient supervision over works of this kind,