TRAGEDY AT WAITAKI

Northern Advocate, 18 August 1933, Page 8

TRAGEDY AT WAITAKI

DEATH OF TWO MEN. EVIDENCE AT INQUEST. ACCTDENTAL HAPPENING. (Per Press Association.—Copyright.) OAMARU, Today. The adjourned inquest concerning the deaths of John Muir .and George Todd, both of Dunedin, who lost their lives as a result of a fall of earth and concrete in the coffer dam at the Waitaki hydro-electric-works on August 3, was continued by the coroner, Mr. W. H. Frith, yesterday, at the station. Todd was killed instantly, his neck being broken and his skull fractured. Muir suffered a compound fracture of the leg, and died in hospital from shock and injuries the same night. Evidence was given by workmates of the deceased. The witnesses stated that they were engaged putting in shots in a rock face when a concrete block, ten feet above, fell doAvn the face, striking Todd on the head. A carpenter said he was cutting a tram rail alongside the concrete block, when the block shifted and the rail snapped off. He was of the opinion that the cutting of the rail had nothing to do with the shifting of the concrete.

This view was supported by a ganger and other witnesses. In giving his verdict, the coroner stated that some of the witnesses were rather confused, but that did not alter the fact that the cause of the accident was that the block of concrete, which was resting on conglomerate which the men wore attempting to remove, rolled over by some means that, no one seemed able to explain, and crushed the two men. IT is verdict was that the men wore accidentally killed by the falling of the concrete block.