A “LIVE” WIRE

Northern Advocate, 15 June 1935, Page 9

A “LIVE” WIRE

CAUSE OF BOY’S DEATH INEFFICIENT INSPECTION METHOD [Special to "Nortnern Advocate ”1 THAMES, This Day. Delivering his reserved verdict concerning the electrocution of Alexander Frederick Feisst, a. pine-year-old. boy whose body was found under, his parents’ residence in Beach Road, on March 10, the- coroner, Mr. W. Bongard, yesterday found that death was due to electrocution on March 9, through coming in contact; with a, totally inefficient “earth” wire, which had been made “alive” by the inadvertent cross-over of the main lead-in wires by some person approximately 18 months ago. / The coroner added a rider strongly advising that a more efficient system of inspection and attention to defective electrical installation be adopted by the borough ' authorities, also ' that stricter enforcement of the regulations governing electrical supply and wiring be instituted forthwith. : ' : The coroner found - that Frederick Ditchfieid, a former occupier of the bouse, when employed’by the Borough Council some eighteen months ago, endeavoured to remedy .a; defective supply to the , residence without authority. Ditchfieid had admitted replacing the service mains from the street pole to the house, arid the coroner expressed the opinion that he was also responsible for installing an undergauge wire found as part of the lead-in installation, and also for the apparently inadvertent cross-over of the lead-in wires, thus causing the defective “earth” wire, to be “alive;” The coroner said that when the borough supply was changed from direct to alternating current in 1929, the earthing of house installation was not done in accordance with the wiring regulations. Had the local authority carried out periodical inspections, as required by the regulations, this fault in the service must have been readily detected.