FOUND DEAD UNDER HOUSE

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 14 June 1935, Page 8

FOUND DEAD UNDER HOUSE

Faulty Wiring Revealed at Inquest on Nine=Year=old Boy REGULATIONS NOT OBSERVED COMMENT BY CORONER (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, To-day. Delivering a verdict to-day in connection with the death of Alexander Frederick Feisst, nine, whose body was found under his parents’ residence on Marc-li 10, the coroner found that death was due to electrocution through coming in contact with a totally inefficient earth wire- made live by the inadvertent crossover of the main lead-m wires by some person, approximately 18 months ago. 'The coroner found that Frederick Ditchfield, the former occupier of the house, now employed by the Public Works Department at Arapuni, when employed by the borough council some 18 months ago, endeavoured to remedy the defective supply to the residence without authority. Ditchfield admitted replacing the service mains from the street post to the house and the coroner expressed the opinion that he was also responsible lor installing the uudergauge wire found as part of the lead-in installation and also for the a-pparently inadvertent crossover of the lead-in wires, thus causing a defective eartliwire to bo alive. Tlic coroner said that when the borough supply was changed from direct to alternating current m IJ-9 the earthing of the house installation was not in accordance with the wiling regulations. Had the looal authonty carried out periodical inspections as required by regulation, this fault in the servee must have been readily detected.