TRAMWAY WORKER'S DEATH.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 72, 24 March 1906, Page 6

TRAMWAY WORKER'S DEATH.

An inquest "in eoHseetitra "with" the death of Thomas GUbert Bojd, who fell from a ladder -while repairing the overhead tramway -srires at Xe-wmarket on Thursday, -vvasheld by the coroner, jtfx T. Gi___a, at the Hospital, tliis morning. The Auckland Tramway Company was represented by __Ir T. Cotter, while Mr C. J. Tanks appeared for the deceased's relatives. George Hemy Boyd, father of the deceased, said he was slightly short--jghted. Questioned by the coroner as n whether his son used rubber gloves a his work on the electric wires, Mr Boyd said the deceased told him it was sometimes more dangerous to use shockproof gloves than to work without. He had received burns owing to defective gloves. Dr. Dudley, who attended the deceased after the accident, said there were indications of a fractured skull, and he ordered him to the hospital He had examined the body, and could find no marks of recent burning from electrical shocks excepting a slight one on the left wrist. There might, however, have been a slight shock without a mark being caused. Dr. Blair, resident physician, at the hospital, where Boyd died a few hours after admission, said that the cause of death was a fracture of tbe base of the skull. He had made a minute examination for electrical burns. but found no Teeent marks on the body. , Alfred McGuire, driver of the Tramway Company's emergency waggon, said he drove to Newmarket on Thursday evening owing to the fall of a guard wire. Boyd ascended a ladder placed against a trolley-wire near the break. The guard wire was clear of the trolley wire. Deceased worked on the ladder for ten minutes, and witness saw him taking a turn of the guard wire around the span wire. He was not wearing gloves, and accidentally put his right hand on the trolley wire. Immediately he shouted, "It's got mc," turned right around, and fell to the ground, a distance of 20 feet. Questioned by the coroner, the witness said that if Boyd had worn the -rubber gloves provided by the company, the accident would not have happened. He was satisfied that Boyd's ladder did nomove. To Mr. Trmks: The use of a tower waggon might have prevented fatal consequences, because Boyd might have fallen upon the waggon instead of to the ground when the shock was received. MeGuire's description of the accident was corroborated by Herbert Ernest Forde, a jeweller. The witness stated that the deceased's cry wa3 agonised, as if he was in pain before he fe_V Miekwell F. Carey, the Tramway Company's engineer, said that the deceased had been engaged in overhead repairing for a year, and was an ordinarily careful man. Definite instructions were given that live wire_ should not be handled without the use of rubber "gloves, whitwere supplied to "emergency men" such as the deceased. If gloves were renorted defective, a new pair would be ax once supplied. There had been no previous accident of the kind on the system.

The jury returned a verdict of "Aeeidentallv killed."