FALL OF A ROOF.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 464, 24 March 1909, Page 4

FALL OF A ROOF.

THREE MEN INJURED. AT THE GEAR COMPANY'S WORKS. A serious accident occurred at the Gear Company's works,! Petone, yesterday afternoon. At about 4.30 o'clock the roof of the new building, which,is to bo used as manure works, fell in and precipitated ton workmen to tho ground. The brick walls of the'building (which measures 112 ft. x 70ft.) wore completed about a month ago, and attention was then turned to the roof. ' Tho eleven steel principals, each weighing two tons, were in position, tho last having been hoisted up on Monday. All the stays wero fixed, and at .the time of the accident yesterday the men were .engaged putting on tho purlins. 1 The cause of the mishap is not clear; it may be that the excessive heat caused tho huge principils to buckle and break one or moro of tho stays. ' The whole of them went over simultaneously, and fell into the building. Fortunately no one was below ivhon the roofing fell;' nothing could have saved anyone in the'building. Considering that the walls are 20ft. high, and tbo highest part of the principals must have been something like 35ft. from the ground, it is remarkable that tho results were not more serious. As it is, one man was badly injured, and two others escaped nioro lightly; tho rest, most of whom were only sliphtly bruised and cut, were able to walk to their homes. Word of the accident went quickly round the works, and medical aid was summoned immediately.. Drs. Harding, Perry, and Ro&s attended to tho injured ones. Samuel Wilson, labourer, was tho most severely hurt, and, on examination, tho doctors decided that it was a case for the hospital. He was accordingly taken on the company's ambulance to .tho railway station, tjiencc to Wellington by train. Wilson sustained a compound fracture of the right leg, and it is feared that the limb will have to be amputated. His wife and fairiily reside in Richmond Street, Petone.. Thomas Cross, well known as a New Zealand representative footballer, was also injured rather severely, sustaining bruises on the side and back. He was taken homo on the St. John ambulance stretcher. Cross is a married man, with a family. Another of those injured was Stanley '['owner, a carpenter, who has three rib 3 broken, besides injury to his thighT Dr. Perry, after attending to the sufferer at tho works, took him home in his motor-car. A pathetic scene occurred in Nelson 'Street... As. the car approached his house, Towher noticed his wife at the gate and. endeavoured to wave to her. The movement caused him ncutfi pain, and his arm dropped helpless to his side. His.'wife was not prepared for such a home-coining,' and , kM*- , fell on tho verandah in a faint. Late last evening both Cross and Towner were doing as well as could b? expected, but both are suffering from shock. Mr. and Mrs. Towr.or arc recent arrivals from the Old Country. Some of tho labourers who wero engaged, on tho roof are Wellington men, and are not known in Petone.

. Tho news circulated quickly, and at 5 o'clock anxious inquiries wero being made on all sides as to the condition of the injured men. In Petone last evening the. eccident formed the one topic of conversation, and sympathy was expressed for the sufferers.

A thorough examination of the building will bo made to-day, to ascertain, if possible, the cause of the fall.',lt will be a big undertaking to straighten' the steel principals (which have a span of 70ft.), and realaco them securely. , • • v- ■