INQUEST.

Evening Star, Issue 9387, 8 May 1894, Page 2

INQUEST.

; An Inquest on! the body ot Christopher William. Rumell Was held air the hospital this- morning before Mr Coroner Carew and a jury of six (Mr D, Fergusson, foreman). Mr J. F. M. Fraeer appeared to watch the proceedings on behalf of the deceased's wife.

George Wilson, lumper, residing at Fort Chalmere, said he knew deceased, who was a lumper. Witness was working with him last week. On Saturday they were employed on board the steamer Matatua, discharging cargo on to the Dunedin wharf. They were both in the employ of the Shaw, SaviD Shipping Company. Witness was foreman, ana -the deceased was working under his directions. Between nine and tea o'clock in the morning witness was on deck, and Rumell was down in the lower hold. They were discharging some .plate-iron, hoisting it in chain slings. Witness was getting chain slings fromjthe wharf and throwing them down the hold. There were two bags ealled "dummies'' in the hold to throw the slings on to, so as to prevent them from breaking. He threw a chain sling down the hold. Previous to doing so he called out as loud as he could "Stand from under." He could see below when he threw the chains down the hold. At the time he threw them down deceased ran out under the square of the hatch, with the result that the sling struck him on the head. .Witness had been employed for several hours heaving the sling into the hold. He saw that deceased was hurt when the sling struck him. He.fell down, and appeared to be unconscious. Witness did not go below, as there were seven men there. He sent down a hatch and had Rumell brought up on deck He was unite couecious when he was on deck. He. was then taken into a shed and sent to the hospital. No doctor saw hitn on the wharf. A doctor was telephoned for, but he did not arrive in time. ToMrFrascr: It was-about twenty feet from the deck to where deceased was. He was working with five chain sling?. Sometimes they heaved them down the hold, and other, times they sent them down on the hook. The officers must have seen him heaving the slings down the hold. It was as safe to throw the sling down in that way as on .the hook if people stood from under. He sent the slings down the same way after the accident occurred. He had worked the same way on board one of the Union Company's steamers. The slings were strong ones and weighed 301b or more. It was pretty noisy shifting cargo, but that would not drown his voice in calling out " Stand from under." He had seen several men struck on the head with the sling on the hook. Sarah Rumell, wife of deceased, said he was born in Greece, and had been about eighteen years in the colony. He was about forty-three years of age. Witness came up to the hospital about one o'clock on Saturday afternoon. She saw her husband and he was conscious. He said " Halloo, Sarah," and witness asked him what was the matter. He replied: "They slung the chain down and hit mc on the head." He said nothing more just then. She saw him several times after that. On one occasion she said " Who did it to you f' and he replied " George." Witness asked who George was, and he said " Georpe Wijgon." He never blamed himself for the accident. To a juryman: He said on one occasion that they killed him through carelessness. He did not use the word carelessness; but that was what she understood him to mean.

Arthur Kirby, third officer of the Matatua, said that on Saturday forenoon he was in charge of No. 2 hold. Between nine and ten they were discharging among other things some sheet iron. There were six stevedores below, and chain slings were being used for discharging. The slings were generally thrown into the hold, but sometimes they came down on the hook. He heard the foreman Wilson call out from the deck: "Stand from Everything was clear then. It seemed to witness that Rumell ran out from under the hatchway just at the time when Wilson called out. He saw the sling strike hitn, knocking hyn down. He never saw them do anything else in New Zealand but to throw the slings down the hold.

To Mr Fraser: They generally lowered the slings by a hook in London. They were more particular at Home, as there were so many rules and regulations. It might and it might not be an advantage to send the chains down on a hook. He was not quite sure whether it was a sling with a hook ou it that struck the deceased. .

In reply to Mr Carew, the witness Wilson, recalled, stated,that it was the sling with the hook on it thiit struck deceased. Mr Fraser intimated that he would like the jury to see the sling, and it was decided to semi for it. William Allan, lumper, deposed that he was ou the deck of the Matatua on Saturday forenoon. He saw Wilson throw the chain down the hold. Before throwing it down he called out "Stand from under." Wilson always called out in a loud voice. To Mr Fraser: It was the usual practice to throw the slin?s down the hold, but they sometimes sent them down on the hook. Perhaps it was not so dangerous to send the slings down by the hook.

Robert Douglas, lumper, who was working in the hold of the vessel, said he distinctly heard Wilson call out "Stand from under." ' Rumell was working in the square of the hatch, and as Wilson called out Rumell went aft to get out of the road, and was right across the tops of the two "dummies" when the chain struck him and knocked him down. He thought deceased could have gone into the wings as the others did. William Vetera, lumper, residing at Tort Chalmers, said he was working with the deceased. Two bags were placed as dummies" to throw the chains on. He heard Wilson call out " Stand from under." At that time Rumell and witness were in the square of the hatch. They were just finished making up the slings, and they were walking towards the dummy when Wilson called out. Witness said: " Bill, look out, the sling's coming." Deceased stooped and made a jump to get under the hatch, but witness stood where he was. The chain struck Rumell on the head and knocked him down. Deceased said " I'm done." On the way to the hospital he said that he did not blame anyone for it, but they had no right to throw the slings down. It was common ia some companies to throw the slings down, but he (witness) would sooner see the sling sent down by a hook. (The sling was here produced.) Witness thought it weighed between 401b and 501b. To a juryman: There was sufficient time after Wilson called out for deceased to get out of the way. He did not think it was so dangerous to send the chain down by the hook as to throw it down. Wilson must have seen them in the hold when he called out "Stand from under."

Dr M'Adam, house surgeon at the hospital, said that deceased was brought to the institution on Saturday morning. Witness examined him, and found him to be suffering from a fracture of the skull, with two severe scalp wounds. He was conscious, but was seriously ill. He went from bad to worse, and died at 2.45 a.m. yesterday. The cause of death was fracture of the skull and hemorrhage on the brain.

the sling on being put on the scales weighed

The Coroner, in addressing the jury, said that they would have to consider whether death was brought about by an accident-that was, something that happened in the execution of the work which was more or less dangerous—or wlielhtr it was caused through the negligence of the i>er.-on who threw the sling down the hold. To entitle the jury to find that it was negligence it would have to be gross negligence, but the evidence showed that the work was being done in the general way. Sometimes it was not done that way, but it seemed to him to be as frequently done in that way as in any other way. After lengthy consideration the jury returned a verdict to the effect that deceased was accidentally killed while engaged discharging cargo in the hold of the steamer Matatua. The following rider was added:—"That the method adopted <,f throwing chain slings into the hold of a ve.-sel was an improper one, and it should be discontinued."