WORKER KILLED.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19772, 9 November 1929, Page 27

WORKER KILLED.

BLASTING ACCIDENT. 1

VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL I DEATH. '

Mr H. A. Tounjr. Coroner, held an in- ! quest at Lyueitor, yesterday into the j death of Henry Vincent Tucker, who was killed while enpagod on road con- ' struction work at GebHe °s Vnl'ey on! Thursday afternoon. Mr F. 0. Lang- , l>t-in. District Engineer. Public Works Department, represented the Depart- j merit. j Duncan MeKenzie Stewart, residing at 14 Elizabeth street, Rieearton, and employed by the Public Works Department as a labourer on the Summit road, identified the body. He had been employed on the job for three months. On Thursday Tucker and witness were preparing holes for blasting. At three o'clock, the regulation time, shots were ready to be tired. There wore two holes, one six feet and the other three leet deep. Tucker charged the holes with gelignite, and witness tamped them. Twenty-four plugs were put in the (sft hole, and six plugs in the 3ft hole. This was in solid rock, and witness considered the charges reasonable. Prior to lighting the fuses witness gave warning on both sides. There was sis feet of fuse on the big hole, and four feet on tne smaller hole. Tucker sheltered behind the blacksmith's shop, over sixty yards away. Witness went further away. Another man, Lagan, was with Tucker at the forge. The forge was a temporary building of corrugated iron about ten feet high. After the shot witness found Tucker lying dead. Tucker was an experienced man.

To Mr Langbein: Tucker was working on the job when Hubber was killed last August. The foreman had warned them, including Tucker, against sheltering behind the blacksmith's shop.

To the Coroner: The foreman gave the order to fire. He (the foreman) went down further than the forge. The fuses took about seven minutes to fire. On this occasion the foreman told Tucker and Lagan and others who were by the blacksmith's shop to go further away. This was before witness lighted the fuses. ' Edward Lagan, of Redruth avenue, Spreydon, said he was at the blacksmith's shop. The foreman gave a warning that shots were to be tired. He warned Tucker and witness to go further than the shop. They disregarded the warning, as they had sheltered at the shop on previous occasions, and regarded the position as safe. On previous occasions rock from the shots had landed near the shop. Tucker was standing right against witness. When the second shot exploded witness was thrown two or three feet against a wire stay. Witness saw Tucker lying with a badly fractured skull. It was caused by a stone weighing from twelve to fifteen pounds. The stone had smashed a three by two upright in the shop, and cut through the iron before hitting Tucker. Witness and Tucker remained behind the shop in defiance of the foreman's instructions.

Henry Cruikshank, of 132 Madras street, Christchurch, said he was appointed head man of the gang by the n<-n themselves who were on piece-work. He was not a foreman. Tucker was in witness's gang. They were working in solid rock on Thursday. Witness supervised the charging of the holes. The amount of gelignite used was reasonable. Witness gave warnings, first that thev were going to charge, then before the fuses were lighted, and again after they were lighted. Witness ordered Tueker and Lagan away before the fuses were lighted. Witness had no authority to enforce the warnings, li was not safe at the shop, and on previous occasions Tucker had disregarded warnings. To Mr Langbein: Witness had never reported th« action of some of the men to the overseer.

The Coroner: Why did you give orders for the fuses to be lighted when there were men in danger'' —Well, unless I did so the work would be held up. I had threatened to do so on previous occasions.

Witness said there were printed instructions regarding blasting, all over the place, and on the shop'itself. Robert George Chiplin, overseer for the Public Works Department, said he was in charge of 85 men at Gebbie's Pass. Witness was a certificated quarryman and inspector. Tucker was an experienced man. It had never%een reported to witness that the men disregarded safety orders. If the men disregarded witness's orders witness would have dismissed them.

The Coroner found that Tueker died from injuries accidentally received during blasting operations.