SCALDED TO DEATH

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 7, 3 October 1929, Page 11

SCALDED TO DEATH

BURST STEAM PIPE Dominion Special Service. Auckland, October 2. The verdict of accidental death by scalding was returned by the Coroner, Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., at an inquest into the death of Cyril Percival George Hobbs, a young man employed as a fireman by the Public Works Department on the Westfield railway deviation, whose death occurred in the Auckland Hospital on September 15. Hobbs received severe scalds when he was working an engine on the deviation, his face, neck, back and arms being enveloped in a cloud of steam when a steam-pipe in the cab of an engine burst and deceased was penned m. The driver of the engine, Arthur William Everest, stated that Hobbs acted as his fireman at the time of the accident. He was driving a tram consisting of five tip trucks, the truck next to the engine bein gloaded with timber.- The engine was proceeding in reverse) pushing the trucks. Approaching Panmure station the train was stopped near the bridge to pick up a number of trucks and witness alighted to couple up, leaving deceased in charge of the engine. “Suddenly I heard a rush of steam and saw steam coming from the engine, continued witness. “A man called Hensley shouted to me at the same time, and I ran back to the engine. I then saw that a cement mixing board on the truck next to the engine had caught on the screen beside the line x and bad been forced through the woodwork of the cab. pinning deceased against the reversing gear, while it had broken the pipe on the boiler, allowing the steam direct from the boiler to escape.” Deceased was seriously scalded. Trevor Edward Lambert, who said he had loaded the truck, admitted he knew the screen was on the line, but had thought it would be clear of the board The train was going at only about two miles an hour at the time and the extreme edge of the bonrd caught an upright on the screen. That was the first train he had loaded to pass the screen, which he had not passed previously. An overseer on the line stated that it was common for drivers to couple up and leave the firemen in charge of the engines. The accident was the first one of its kind he had seen in 40 years’ work on the railways.