GERMAN GULLY FATALITY

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 April 1933, Page 2

GERMAN GULLY FATALITY

COMMENT BY CORONER. “That the deceased, Richard John O’Connell, came to his death at German Gully, on March 31, 1933, from suffocation, caused by a fall of gravel on him, while he was working at the bottom of a shaft, at the Brian Boru dredging claim,” was the verdict returned by the Coroner, Mr AV. Meldrum, following an enquiry at the Greymouth Court to-day. The Coroner added that the evidence went to show that insufficient precautions had been taken in continuing the sinking of a shaft, without proper inspection being first made by an experienced man. That should have been done considering the fact that O’Connor had been new to the work. Deceased could not have told whether the shaft was dangerous, or not. O’Connor had gone down the shaft, and carried on with his work, taking it for granted that the shaft was safe. Something should have been done to make the shaft safe.

The inquiry was conducted for the police, by Constable A. W. Honey, of Ahaura. Mr E. J. Scoble, Inspector of Mines, Reefton, appeared for the Department; Mr F. A. Kitchingham .for the Brian Boru Gold Dredging Company; and Mr T. F. Brosnan for the father of deceased. Edward Mulcare, dredge hand in the employ of the Brian Boru Gold Dredging Co., stated that he started on the day prior to the fatality, at the shaft. Deceased was also employed there. The work at the shaft had not been continuous. He understood the shaft was being sunk for the purpose of securing water for the dam. On the day that deceased met his death, witness was working at the top. The country, so far as he could judge, was solid. He saw some gravel fall from the walls of the shaft. The shaft was timbered for six or eight feet from the top. Deceased told him there was a small tunnel driven from the botton of the shaft to an old shaft. The opening was there for the purpose of draining the water out of the new shaft. At about 1.30 p.m. witness landed a bucket of dirt on to the top of the shaft. He then noticed a small quantity bf earth fall. Witness called out, “Look out Dick!” Deceased looked up, then immediately a heavy fall buried him. The fall came from the side pearest the old shaft. A man named Spencer was standing at the side, at the time, and witness sent him for help, to the dredge. Witness went down the shaft, but all he had in his hand was a stick. He tried to uncover deceased. Witness identified the body after its recovery, as that of Richard John O’Connell. He could not say definitely whether deceased was an experienced miner. Deceased did not mention anything about the timbering.

To Mr. Scoble: Witness received word from the dredge-master, Mr. Fisher, to work at the shaft. He noticed the tunnel connecting the two shafts, but could not say much about it. He had no idea at what point below the surface, it started. He had not been down the shaft previous to the accident. His attention was not drawn to the fact that there was not a ladder in the shaft.

Mr. Scoble: I am afraid that practice is all too prevalent, —that of not having a ladder leading into a shaft. To Mr. Kitchingham: He was told that the old shaft close by had been put down about 40 years ago. Therewas a pump in the old shaft, and witness had been down to it. He had heard that the depth of the old shaft was 50 feet. He did not feel an earthquake shortly before the accident, or any the night previous. To Mr. Brosnan: He could not say whether Mr. Fisher had been down the new shaft, but he had been down for quite a time, on the.previous day, at the pump shaft. He that Fisher was not in charge on the day of the accident. From what he was told, Mr. Curnow was in charge. He did not know whether Curnow had been down the shaft. The distance between the old and new shafts, would be from six to eight feet.

To the Coroner: He did not know when the new shaft had been started. To Mr. Brosnan: On the previous day difficulty was experienced with the water, and work was stopped for two hours to permit of the introduction of a shorter suction pipe, than the one that was originally on the old shaft. Not a great deal of work had been done the following day.

To the Coroner: Witness did not know when the tunnel had been constructed. He did not know whether an inspection of the shaft had been made before the workmen went down Witness lowered deceased into the shaft. Nicholas Curnow stated that he was acting-dredgemaster for the company. He took over as dredgemaster at 4.30 p.m. on the day previous to the accident. He knew that the company had been engaged in sinking a shaft. The work was controlled by the weather. That was his opinion. Two men were engaged on the work. It was being sunk to block a. drainage shaft. The drainage)tunnel -was driven from 45 to 50 years a'go. There were old tunnels there which had been driven as air shafts. An electric pump had been installed to sink the loose shaft alongside the air-shaft. At the time of the accident the new shaft had been sunk 35 feet. Witness did not engage deceased to go on the job on the morning of the accident. When witness went to the shaft at nine o’clock that morning, deceased was working there. Witness did not look down the shaft. He was not aware that a tunnel had been driven connecting the two shafts. He noticed it. after the accident. When he learnt of the accident, he immediately went to the shaft. Witness was an experienced miner. About, four and a-half cubic yards of gravel fell on the deceased. It was found necessary to timber the shaft before the body could be removed. There would be about threefeet of gravel covering deceased, and the body was in an upright position against the wall of the shaft when found. The fall of gravel took place where the cutting was put through. The shaft was not timbered, but was logged up above the surface for taking gravel out. To Mr. Scoble: He knew that deceased was working down the shaft, because he heard him call out, when witness went there at 9 a.m. The depth of the pump in the old shaft would be about 26 feet, but the suction pipe would be lower. He considered that the shaft should stand unsupported in that ground. In the case of sinking a second shaft, a short distance away, he would timber it, and a tunnel through would weaken the ground, while a pump would also tend to weaken the ground. There was a seepage in the shaft, and that, would tend to weaken the ground. To Mr. Kitchingham: Neither the pumping or any other shaft there had ' been timbered originally. The pump 1 in the shaft was suspended on a frame-! 1

work. ' To Mr. Brosnan: The other shafts were all air shafts, but the one where the accident occurred was not. Patrick Moran, labourer, stated that lie had formerly been in the employ of the company, for three weeks. He had been engaged in making the dam for a start, and then Fisher put him into the shaft in which the accident occurred. Witness worked four] shifts there, deceased being on the opposite shaft. The shaft was down 25 feet before water became troublesome. Witness told Fisher that the water had beaten him, and Fisher decided to put a hole through to the other shaft. Fisher worked with witness in the shaft, after receiving the complaint about the water. A crowbar was used to make the hole. February 17, was the last shift that witness worked there. So far as he knew, he was the last man down the shaft prior to the accident. The tunnel would then be eight feet through. As the new shaft was being sunk, the tunnel was being cut for drainage. Witness spoke to Fisher about the matter, in the hut, about three weeks after the work had stopped . Witness asked him whether he intended again starting the shaft. Fisher replied that he did not know anything about it. Witness told him not to allow any man down the shaft unless he was an experienced miner. Witness did not want to see a “new chum” go down. The shaft was safe when witness left it. As a miner, witness would examine it after it had been standing idle so long. He would certainly have timbered it. The tunnel was eight feet in depth when witness left it. The approximate distance between the two shafts would be six feet. To Mr. Scoble.: ' Witness was a thoroughly experienced miner, having had 40 years at mining. The length of the new shaft would be five feet three inches. Witness would have timbered the shaft had it got bad. There was no timber there at the time. He would not have continued working the shaft when he went back, if he had thought it required timbering. To the Coroner: Witness did not regard O’Connell as an experieced miner. Deceased’s only experience in a shaft had been the four shifts he worked with witness.

To Mr. Kitchingham: The cuttingdown of the tunnel was about eighteen inches in width, not five feet. To Mr. Brosnan: Witness went down to assist in the recovery of the deceased. The shaft was then timbered to get the body. Timber would have prevented the fall of earth. Witness left on February 17, and work was recommenced on March 31, the day the accident occurred. Witness felt an earthquake on that day. He was not now in the employ of the company. He felt only the one earthquake, and none on the previous night. He did not know what time the accident occurred, but the earthquake occurred at a quarter to one, he understood. Witness was sitting at home at the time, and he mentioned it to his wife who also felt the earthquake. To Mr. Kitchingham: Witness was at Nelson Creek on the day of the accident. He heard of the accident at about 2.30 p.m. Constable Honey stated that Mr Fisher was now in Christchurch.. It had been hoped to have him present at the inquest, so that he could give evidence as to the condition of the shaft. The constable suggested that an adjournment be allowed, so that Fisher could give evidence. The Coroner said that it was not yet clear that all possible steps had been taken to ensure safety. The witness Moran had shown that, in view of the fact that the shaft had been idle for some time, and somebody was to blame for an inexperienced man being sent d'own. Fisher would be the man to explain that. Constable Honey: Mr Fisher had been discharged the previous day, and he would not be responsible for deceased going down on March 31. The Coroner considered that some evidence should be brought to show the condition of the shaft on March 31, whether an inspection of it had been made, and why an inexperienced miner should! be sent down to do the work.

Constable Honey said 'that Mr A. Donnellan was present in Court, and he was the Chairman of Directors of the company. He had been present at the dredge "when the accident occurred, but was not present when O’Connell went down the shaft. Mr Kitchingham remarked that Fisher had sent O’Connell into the shaft on the Thursday, and probably O'Connell simply carried on 'with the work the next day.

The Coroner pointed out that O’Connell had worked an the shaft the previous day, but there was no evidence that an inspection of the shaft had been made, following on its idle weeks. As the witness Moran had said, the shaft should have been inspected by an experienced man, before a workman went down. It was difficult, on the evidence, to say what had caused the fall of gravel. The evidence proved only the cause of death, and that was clearly enough given by the medical certificate. Mr Donnellan could not give evidence that would help. The Coroner then delivered his verdict as above stated. The funeral of the late Mr O’Connell will take place at Karoro Cemetery to-morrow morning.