Power Board Engineer On Charge Of Manslaughter

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27640, 22 April 1955, Page 14

Power Board Engineer On Charge Of Manslaughter

(New Zealand Press Association) WAIPUKURAU, April 21. The hearing of a charge of manslaughter, a sequel to the deaths of two employees of the Central Hawke s Bay Power Boaijd from electric shock and the death of another employee from injuries, was begun m the Waipukurau Magistrate’s Court today. The accused is the board’s engineer, " riC Peter Du Fresne, aged 47, married. The charge is being heard by Messrs W. G. Bryce and w. H. L. Williams, Justices of the Peace. The case for the prosecution is being presented by Mr A. O. Woodhouse, of Napier, and the accused is represented by Messrs H. W. Dowling, of Napier, and B. W. Johanson, of Waipawa. Mr C. H. Arndt, of Wellington, is appearing for the relatives of the dead men, and Mr h. J. Davidson, of Waipukurau, for the power board. . , The three men who were killed were members of a gang Working on a highvoltage line during shutdown on March 6. The accused is charged with the manslaughter of Graham Wilson and J. H. Hastings, “being the person having control oi the transmission of electric power through certain power lines.” In the original charge Du Fresne was also charged with the manslaughter of Hugh Wilson, father of Graham Wilson. At the request of the Crown, this charge was withdrawn. , Dr. A. G. Bell, of Waipukurau, said in evidence that when he arrived at the scene of the accident he found tnat Graham Wilson and Hastings were dead. Hugh Wilson was severely injured, and was removed to the Waipukurau Public Hospital, where he died that night. Hugh Wilson had suffered fractures of the spine and other bones. He had two small burns on a The witness said that the deaths of the other two men were caused by paralysis of the heart and respiration, resulting from an electric shock.

Faultman’s Evidence Arthur Maxwell Chapman, a power board fapltman, said that on March 4 he was given a work sheet that said that power would be shut off from 1.15 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Mardh 6. On March 6 he went to Hatuma, where work was to be done. He tested the radio-tele-phone with the yard at Waipukurau, and was given a clearance by Du Fresne, who said that the feeders were clear and the gang could .go ahead. The witness passed this information on to Hugh Wilson, the foreman of the gang. Wilson then told Sid Love to put earth sticks on a four-pole structure. Love did so. This meant that there was no current on the line on which they were working. The gang then went ahead with the work. Du Fresne came out, went back to Waipukurau, and then returned, said the witness. Du Fresne said that there was work to be done on a three-pole structure in the next span along. Du Fresne said that as the gang was making good progress he would like to see the second job carried out that day. If it was not done it would mean that there would have to be another general shut-down. During the afternoon John Morris and Hastings arrived. Du Fresne asked for the second job to be done, and Morris and Hastings went over to the site. They were joined by Graham Wilson. , . After work had started on the tourpole structure Du Fresne went back to the depot to get some insulators and wire for the job on the three-pole structure. The foreman was asked by Du Fresne to “keep an eye” on the men on the second job. Some time after 3.30 p.m. Du Fresne went back to the depot, and said he would wait for a clearance given by the witness over the radio. . The witness said he was sent in to the depot to get a high-tension insulator. When he arrived at the yard and asked Du Fresne for the insulator Du Fresne said to him that “If we couldn’t have completed the job we shouldn’t have'started it” or words to that effect. Du Fresne gave him the insulator. The witness said that Du Fresne told him to give him (Du Fresne) a clearance when the second job was done. The witness told Du Fresne he would do so, -and then went back to Hatuma.

Power Switched On It took him about 10 minutes to go from Hatuma to the depot and back to Hatuma. When he got back to Hatuma Milo Wilson came running over and said, “Someone has switched the power on.” To Mr Woodhouse the witness said he could not see how the power had come on without his clearance. Mr Woodhouse: You gave no clearance? The witness: That is correct. The witness said that the method of giving the clearance was over the radio in his truck. The only other method would be for one of the men to go to the nearest telephone box. The clearance would be given by the. foreman to the witness, who in turn would give it to Du Fresne. Mr Woodhouse: Did you get a clearance from Wilson? The witness: No. The witness said his radio was on all the time. This was the usual practice. He had no conversation with Du Fresne over the radio before the accident. After he saw Milo Wilson he heard Morris call out that some of the men had been electrocuted. The witness ran back to the truck to telephone Du Fresne. He told Du Fresne that someone had switched on the feeders, and

that three men were electrocuted Fresne said, ‘Come again,’ and I Du peated it,” said the witness. * *** The witness said that he then t back to the four-pole structure found that the earth wires were • 4act and that the air breaks wiJ’ open. This indicated that no was coming from the WaipuhnL er feeder.

The witness said he then put a safei belt on and climbed up the ladderS‘ with Morris's assistance, brought Wi’ son, jun., down. Morris applied artf ficial respiration. The witness moved the ladder to another pole 3 went up to Hastings. Du Fresne tSJ arrived, and the two of them brouou Hastings down. Du Fresne ap3£i artificial respiration. To Mr Woodhouse the witness saw he was not concerned that it was nea/ ing 4 o’clock and the job was finished. Sometimes it was after E advertised time of power behj turned on that a job was finished. 8 “No Earth Sticks Connected” The witness said there were no earth sticks connected to the feeder until after the tragedy. Th»re were some sticks in his truck. Mr Dowling: Did you receive a re. quest for earth sticks from the man? The witness: No. If the power came on and the W had been earthed the men would have been safe, said the witness. He agreed that it was mandatory for the menu earth the line for their own safety John Robert Hill, manager of th e sub-station at Onga Onga, said that Du Fresne advised that he (Du Fresne) would take the cleartmces for the Waipukurau and Burnside feeders, and Mr Garriock would take the WaipaJJ clearances. He said he gave verbal in. formation to Du Fresne and Garriock that the lines were clear after he shut the power off. At one minute past four he received a clearance from Du Fresne enabling him (Hill) to turn on Onga Onga Burnside, and Waipawa feeders. Fresne said that work on the Waipukurau feeder was not finished, and would wait for five minutes. He thought that all feeders should be turned on together. Garriock and the accused had a discussion on the telephone. and Du Fresne told the witness that Waipukurau was to be left out At 4.10 p.m. Du Fresne rang and told him to open the Burnside and Waipukurau feeders, as there had been an accident The power was turned on again at 5.10 p.m. John Morris, a linesman, of Wai. pukurau, said that on the day of tha accident he and another man weft working in Waipukurau before leaving for Hatuma. While they were working in town Du Fresne asked whether the lines had been earthed. When told that they were not, Du Fresne said it would not matter, as the power was off. The witness said that about 3.30 p.m. the gang went to the Burnside feeder. There were ho earth sticks on the three-pole structure. Nothing wai said by Du Fresne about there being no earth sticks. About 3.50 p.m. Hugh Wilson was told to arrange for an insulator to be brought out. At 4 p.m., witness said, he and the other two —Graham Wilson and Hastings—were still up the pole. He had just put his crescent on the crossbar when the power came on. Mr Woodhouse: How do you know the power came on? The witness: There was a fizz and then a scream. The witness said he did not havt a safety belt on. As soon as Hugh Wilson saw what had happened be ran over to the pole, climbed the ladder and reached out to drag his son off. As soon as he touched his son Hugh Wilson was thrown to the ground.

To Mr Dowling the witness said that Du Fresne was never at the site o! the three-pole structure. To Mr Woodhouse the witness repeated that he told Du Fresne that thi gang had no earth sticks, but Du Fresne said it did not matter, as the power was off. “Heard a Roar’’ Another linesman, John Sydney Love, said that Wilson, sen., and he were working together a short distance from the three-pole structure. They heard a roar from a high-tension arc. He turned and saw a sheet of flame enveloping Wilson, jun., and Hastings. Wilson, sen., ran over and climbed the ladder. The witness seized a rope and safety belt and ran after Wilson, who by the time the witness reached the pole had been flung to the ground. The witness said it was usual on jobs of this kind for the power to be switched on only when a clearance had been given. As far as he was aware no clearance was given on the day of the tragedy. Noel Stacey Kenward, State Hydroelectric Department district engine*! of Pahiatua, after giving evidence for the prosecution, was questioned by Mr Dowling. He said that he had never heard of a person being killed by comin? into contact with a pole m dry weather if the pole was properly earthed. Mr Dowling: Would the chances of the men in the present case being hurt have been remote if they had applied earth sticks to the pole? The witness: I’m not prepared to say that. The Court rose at 5.30 p.m. and will resume tomorrow morning. Du Fresne was released on bafl.