CASUALTIES.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15793, 8 January 1917, Page 8

CASUALTIES.

ELECTRIC LINESMAN'S DEATH

.\n enquiry was held on Saturday in the Courthouse, before Mr H. W. Bishop, Coroner, into the circumstances relating to the death of John Benton. Blackburn, electric linesman, employed by the Waimairi County Council, who fell from a pole the previous day and died from his injuries. Mr Don gall represented the Waimairi County Council. Thomas Shannon, employed by the Waimairi County Council as foreman in charge of a gang that was running wire from Webb's road to Jeffrey's road for the. electric service, spated that two men besides himself were doing the work, deceased being one. . The- lastmentioned was sin experienced man. Witness arrived on the scene a few minutes after the accident, and did not exactly know what the deceased was doing at the moment of the fall. Men employed on the kind of work being done by deceased had received special instructions to.wear a body belt.

To Mr Dougall: The wire was being paid out towards Jeffrey's road, and the men were almost twenty chains ahead of him, carrying the wire along.

Mr Dougall admitted that deceased was not wearing a ljody belt at the time of tlie accident.

The Coroner: Who is responsible for the carrying out of this work? Witness: I am.

The Coroner then remarked that if, a. foreman was responsible for the work carried out, it was a question as to tho extent of the responsibility. Mr Dougall said that lie thought. in suc'l a case each man was operating more or less on his Own. 1

The Coroner disagreed, saying ha thought that when work was being carried out, the foreman should be engaged in supervising, instead of also doing work.

Mr. 3>ougall pointed out that if the foreman was responsible for individual work, he would practically have to stand over each man.

The. Coroner explained that he did not mean this, but that if the foreman had been on the spot at which his men were working, he would have noticed that Blackburn was not wearing the belt.

Alfred Davoy. linesman employed bv the Waimairi County Council, stated that he was an experienced man. Deceased, at the time of the accident, was taking the wire across the cross poles, while witness was on the ground, looking on. Ho saw deceased take a wire up the pole, and get his head between tho two live wires. Hp next perceived that deceased must have received a shriek, a* he fell off the pole to the ground, a distance of approximately 25 feet. Deceased struck a ladder as he. fell, and then hit tire ground, striking it on the back of his head. When working between live wires it was n6ual to wear a bodv belt. Witness stated that he had notice'd that deceased was not wearing one, a nd had told him to be careful. Witness had not, however, considered the precaution alway rf necessary. Blackburn did not appear to be at all conscious when ho reached the ground, but all that was possible was done jn the hope of restor-, ing him to life. •

To Mr iVougail: Blackburn had done such work before.

The Corner remarked that it was a case of "familiarity breeds contempt." Risks were continuallv taken uutil something serious occurred. He had noticed this in all walks of life. John Templin, electrical engineer to the TVaimairi County Council, said that lie had given instructions to the Council inspector to carry out the work. Witness saw deceased within a few minutes of the accident. The posi-' tion of deceased and Dav'Ov was shown in a diagram handed in to" Mr Bishop. The strength of the current running on the wires wa 6 230 volts, wbilo it was possible for a man of average constitution to receive 400 volts without fatal results. He had given instructions that body belts should be worn, not so much to prevent .shock as to save men from falling. "When witness saw deceased working without a belt-, he thought that the current had been cut off, but finding it otherwise, reminded the men of the instructions. He had employed men from the city who had. refused to wear the belt, which they had termed as "childish." He explained that the men when working on ' city wires sat on at sack laid over them, but the "VVaimairi wires were lighter than the city ones, and men' could not do it on these.

Richard Blackburn stated in evidence given at deceased's house, that he was a; brother of John Benson Blackburn, and that he know the latter to be employed on electric work by the Waimairi County Council. He, however, knew nothing of the circumstances of his death.

The Coroner remarked that lie would not like to sit on a iivo wire covered only by a sack. The engineer in charge wa« taking a great risk in. employing men -without seeing that necessary precautions -were observed. Ho further said that all possible precautions should be taken "where human life was at stake, but if men refused to observe them it was hardly possible to force precautions upon them. He would record a verdict that deceased had met his death from a fracture in the base of his skull, caused by a fall from a wire, which took..place while he was in the employ of the Waimairi Couaty Council. He did not consider that blame was attachable to auyone.

A man named M. Robertson, who resides at Addington. was taken to the hospital on Saturday evening suffering from a fractured right arm, the result of a collision between the motor-cycle he was riding and a car. ■> An accident, resulting in the death of Terence Charleston Burrowes, the nine-year-old son of Senior-Sergeant Burrowes. of the Invereargill police force, happened on Fjyday. Burrowes and anotlier lad about his own age. were playing in the railway enclosure near Messrs Dalgety and Co.'s stores wljile shunting operations were in progress. The boy, not noticing a line of trucks approaching, backed on to the rails in front of them. He was knocked down and severely injured, one of his legs being sevcrad at tlie thigh. The little feliow was ;iumediatcly removed to the hospital, where he died early the same afternoon.

A somewhat peculiar accident bcf'-l Private Andrew Scoullar. a member of D Company, 2L'nd Reinforcements, :;t Dunedin on Saturday morning. He had been engaged on Friday in clcan-

ing out a small bore rifle. He took down the rifle again 011 Saturday morning. and when tho barrel was pointing towards his feet his fingers came iu'contact- with tho trigger. Tho rifle was loaded, and the bullet went through hi s right foot. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment. It is not expected that the injury will prove of a serious nature. Private Scoullar was to have left for Trcntham 011 Saturday.