FAULT IN SYSTEM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 263, 5 November 1932, Page 7

FAULT IN SYSTEM.

WARO MINE ELECTROCUTION.

BREAK DOWN IN INSTJEATOR.

VOLTAGE OF 400 THROUGH WIRE,

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

WHANGAREI, this day,

The inquest into the death of Harry Parr, aged 30, the miner who was electrocuted in the Waro mine on Tliursdav, was held at Hikurangi befoie .Mr. K. Macbeth, J.P., and a jury of four to-day.

A miner, William Graham, said he "was working with Harry Parr, preparing a face for hewing coal. Paul Hart, who was working nearby, gave a shout, ana Parr put his hand up and gripped the bell wire. He said: "Oh, Bill, they are alive." "I slashed the wires with my shovel, and that was the last I knew about it,' said witness. "When I came round I was in the middle of the road." Witness said he then called for help, and when it arrived got out of the mine. In reply to a member of the jury witness said they were wet with perspiration, and were standing in a puddle. Paul Hart said Graham and deceased were working a short distance away from him. Witness caught hold of the wire to ring for the skips to be pulled up. Ho received a shock and was knocked back against the coal rib. He looked up and saw deceased hanging on the wires. He caught hold of them to try and release him, and was knocked out.

An electrician at the mine, Frederick Raymond Meyer, saicl he was told by liis brother, Arnold Meyer, that the bell would not ring, and that they were getting a sllock off the wire. He investigated and found the engine driver had the main switch out. Witness started to look for the trouble, and found it in the relays. He changed them, and just when that was finished a man came rushing out from No. 6 level and asked him to ring for the doctor and the manager, as there had been an accident. He went into No. 6, and found deceased lying on the ground, and attempted artificial respiration. Parr did not recover.

The inspector of mines, William Barclay, said he had examined the -working place. The wire normally carried 20 volts, but on the day of the accident apparently the full voltage of 400 volts passed through the relay on to the wire. Mr. Meyer was asked to replace the resistance coil of the relay which he had removed to give a practical demonstration of the actual use of the system on the day of the accident. When the old coil was reinstalled the armature failed to operate, and the 400 volts passed through the coil back, on to the signalling system, indicating there was a serious fault in the resistance coil.

Mr. Barclay produced a report prepared by Frederick Charles Purvis, superintendent of the Wairua power station, who said he had examined the bell-ringing relay which had apparently caused the fatality. He found that the insulator had broken down.

Mr. Barclay said there was no doubt that the faulty coil allowed 400 volts to pass through the bell wire.

Dr. D. F. Armstrong, medical practitioner, said artificial respiration was tried on deceased for about two hours, but he failed to respond. Death was due to the passing of an electric current through his body.

A verdict was returned that deceased met his death while handling the bell wires, through which a 400-volt current was passing, through a fault in the electrical system.