INQUEST.

North Otago Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1283, 24 May 1876, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inquiry took place at the Alliance Hotel yesterday, before T. W. Parker, Esq., District Coroner, and a jury of 13, of whom Mr T. Forrester was chosen foreman, into the circumstances attending the late railway accident. The following are the names of the jurymen : — Messrs T. Forrester (foreman,), W. J. Smith, H. Watson, Jas. Keid, Jas. M'Nab, Alex. Hendry, D. Henderson, G. W. Draper, T. Meek, J. Lemon, W. H. Collins, Jas. White, J. T. Smith, and John Maoi. The Coroner intimated that if the jury desired, an engine had been placed at their disposal by Mr Smith, Traffic Manager, in order to visit the scene of the accident. The jury agreed that it would be advisable to visit the ground where the accident occurred. After visiting the ground, the jury proceeded to the Hospital, viewed the body of Dugald Mitchell, the engine driver, and then took the depositions of the two wounded men in the Hospital, Kennedy and Campbell. The following is the evidence taken : — Timothy Kennedy deposed : I am a laborer residing at Cave Valley. Yesterday morning I was loading waggons with material for the works, assisted by Colin Campbell, William Johnson, and Alfred Robinson, at the junction of the Waiareka and Maheno lines. After loading the waggons, we were proceeding to Cave Valley to the works. On getting about 100 yards I saw the engine coming up, and we turned back with the engine to where the trucks were, in consequence of the engine driver telling us he wanted some coal. The engine stopped at the place where the trucks were standing. The other three men and I then commenced to supply the engine with coal. There was a quantity of sleepers and coal stacked on the west side of the engine. The fireman was taking the last bag of coal off my back on to the engine, when something struck me on the right side of the head, and I became insensible. On recovering consciousness I found myself some distance on the west side of the engine, covered with a number of sleepers and coal. I then found my arms were scalded with hot water. I saw a man lying on his back, bleeding, on the opposite side of the line, and near the waggons. I did not recognise him. Shortly after this I was removed in an express to the Hospital. I did not see any other men lying about. I was unable to walk. Colin Campbell deposed : I am a laborer employed on the Waiareka railway. Yesterday morning about 7 o'clock I was loading the waggons with Kennedy, Robinson, and Jobnston. There were three waggons, and we were loading them with material to go up the line at 8 o'clock. Mr Taylor came up to where we were working, and gave us instructions as to what material we were to put on the waggons. A little after 8 o'clock the engine came up to where the waggons were standing, and I coupled her on to waggons. John Orr, the fireman, jumped off the engine and toJd Kennedy, .Robinson, and Johnston to give him a hand to put some coal on the engine ; and Mitchell, the engine driver, told me to oil the wheels of the waggons, while they were putting in the coal. I had oiled the wheels on the east side and was going round the front of the engine to oil the wheels of the waggons on the other side, when I heard a loud report, and was blown by the steam six or seven yards to the west side of the engine. I struck the ground, and rose up again to my feet immediately. After I got up pieces of debris were falling around me. I savr Mitchell lying some distance on the east side of the When I was going round the engine, Orr was standing on the waggon next the engine putting coal into the engine bunkers, and Taylor was standing on the east side of the engine, cutting the strings of the coal bags as Orr emptied them. Mitchell, the engine driver, was standing in bis usual place between the coal bunker and the fire. I did not know much about the engine, but the engine driver has spoken to me about steam escaping from the safety valve. The engine driver said this was owing to the spring of the spring balance not being strong enough. I saw both Mitchell and Kennedy picked up, but did not see anything of Taylor. I was afterwards brought into the Hospital. I heard Mitchell say one day that a new valve, or spring balance had been ordered. To the Foreman and Jury: Mitchell showed me one day a piece of rope which he had tied on the, spring to keep the valve down, and said that it was an improvement. Mitchell has also told me that the engine was not strong enough for the work she had to do. After the explosion I saw fragments of the engine lying about. I have seen the indicator marking 7Olbs of steam. This was the highest I ever noticed it at. I can't say that the steam gauge marked correctly. I heard Mitchell say one day that the boiler leaked. I did not notice yesterday morning the pressure of steam on as shown by the gauge. I have seen the engine blowing off even when the safety valve was lashed down. I understood that there was not much pressure placed on the valve when tied down. The engine ran for several days with this rope on the safety valve. Mitchell has been employed lor about six weeks as driver. I never noticed any rope on the valve when the two men who drove the engine before Mitchell had the engine in their charge. j The jury then left the Hospital and ■ returned to the Alliance Hotel, where the following evidence was taken : — John Morgan deposed : I am a laborer residing at the White Rocks. Yesterday morning I wu employed near to the junction of the Waiareka and Maheno railways. I heard an engine come up from Cave Valley and stop. This was about 8.15. I heard a loud report about 5 minutes afterwards, and on looking up I saw a number of pieces of iron and other things in the air. I also saw the body of a man in the air, and noticed the clothes flapping as it fell. The body was blown up about 50 or 60 feet in the air. The body fell on the railway line; in the cuttmg on the Maheno line, Ongoing

down to the cutting I found the body of Alex. Taylor lying on the line. He wa* lying about 30 yards from where the engine had been standing. I saw a man in the paddock (Alfred Bobinson) and asked him how many men were on the engine. I saw the engine driver lying on the Maheno line, and went and picked him up. He was lying face downwards, with his hands thrust out before him. He was bleeding and groaning. I placed him on his back, and went to look for the other men. I saw another man lying near the waggons on the Waiareka line. This was John Orr, the fireman. I lifted him up, placed him against the bank, and put some straw under his head. He was bleeding very much about the head. Alex. Simon deposed: I reside at Oamaru. From the 3rd April up to Saturday night I was in the employ of Mr Cormack, contractor for the railway. I was employed as fireman on the engine during that time. The name of the engine driver was Dugald Mitchell. The engine was not a very good one. The boiler leaked near the furnace door. The steam guage was not true. When there was about 100 lbs steam on, the guage would show only about 80lbs. When the steam guage indicated lOOlbs, we calculated that the actual pressure was 80lbs. When we started with four trucks we waited till the steam guage indicated 98 to lOOlbs steam. I have seen it more than 100 The gauge registers up to lOOlbs. The boiler has never been inspected during the time I acted as fireman. I cannot say what was the certified pressure on the boiler. There was no plate on the boiler showing the certificate. The spring balance on the safety valve would not act. It was too weak to act. The steam would blow off at 30. The safety valve was in a very bad state about two weeks ago. .It used to leak, and the driver obtained some emery powder, and rubbed the value with it, which caused the joints to fit closer. When I left, the spring was no good. I have seen the driver tie the valve down with a piece of rope. He did this to obtain more steam. The rope was twitched up with a piece of stick, for the purpose of tightening it. The way in which I saw the safety valve tied down when I left was quite safe — that is, in my opinion. I never heard of the engine driver receiving instructions to tie down the valve, nor do I know that he was ever instructed not to Lie down the valve. Mr Cormack was in the habit of travelling by the engine, and could scarcely help seeing the rope tied on the safety valve. The stick was put on as a sort of twitch, as the rope could not be sufficiently tightened by tying it with the hand round the bar. I have heard conversations about the unsafe state in which the spring was, and the bad state of the boiler. When the rope was put on, the steam would blow off at about 80. Before the valve was ground down, a screw jack used to be attached to it. The screw jack was put on by me, at the orders of the engine driver. I do not know whether Mr Cormack was aware of the screw jack being on. It remained on about a week. The screw jack weighed about 70 or 80 lbs. A piece of fencing wire about 2ft long was hooked on to the bar of the valve, at the top, and the screw jack hung on the wire at the bottom. I considered it quite safe to travel with the ■screw jack on the valve, as the steam used to blow off. I think it would have taken about 3 or 4 cwt. to keep the valve down. Mr Cormack brought a new spring for the valve. It was too large. Mr Cormack took it away, and said he would get another, but he never brought another. To the jury : The engine was washed out once a week. The driver appeared to be a very careful man. I was given to understand that he was a practical engineer. The boiler leaked about the tubes, and also near the furnace door. The water at thetubosleaked so much that some times we could hardly get the fire to burn. On Saturday night we filled up the boiler with water, so that it shewed seven or eight inches in the glass, and on Monday morning we would not be able to see any water in the glass. This occurred very often. It took more than five bucketsful of water to fill her up on Monday morning, but I would not like to say that it took twelve buckets. I left Mr Cormack's employ on Saturday night. There was no quarrel between us. I intended to have given Mr Cormack notice had he not paid me my money. I did not like the job, as there was always something going wrong with the engine. I have heard Mitchell complain to Mr Cormack several times about the boiler leaking. He used to tell me that if he could get another job he would leave, owing to the state the engine was in. I was glad to get away. I heard that it was intended to caulk the boiler, and caulking chisels were made for that purpose, but it was never done. The engine could draw about two trucks loaded, without the rope or weights on the safety valve. She would only be able to proceed about 300 yards with the steam blowing off at 30. when we would have to stop, and get up more steam. After the weights had been put on the valve, the engine would travel about four miles, with two or three loaded trucks. At 7 p.m. the jury adjourned for an hour. On resuming at 8 o'clock, John Mainland deposed : The deceased, Dugald Mitchell, was a brother-in-law of mine. He was a married man, and his wife resides in Oamaru. He was a native of Glasgow, and has been in the colonies 8 or 10 years. He was an engine fitter. It was only since he came to New Zealand that I have known him. He was about 41 years of age. John Cormack deposed : I am a member of the firm of W. D. Morrison and Co., railway contractors. We are the contractors for the formation of the Waia - reka line. I have seen the bodies of the deceased (Alex. Taylor and Dugald Mitchell). Those two men were in the employ of our firm — Taylor as book-keeper, and Mitchell as engine-driver. I lit the fire in the engine at 5.15 a.m. yesterday. At 6.15 a.m. the fireman, John Orr, came to the engine ; and at 7.30 a.m. the engine driver, Dugald Mitchell, came. We then filled up the boiler and the tank on the engine. At a few minutes to 8 o'clock, Mitchell and Orr started with the engine to go down to the junction of the Waiareka and Moeraki lines. I did not go with them. About a quarter to 9 o'clock a man named Johnston, in our employ, came running up to my residence, about two miles from the junction, and said that the boiler of the engine had burst. I hurried down to the scene of the accident. On arriving, I found the body of Taylor lying on the side of the Moeraki line, and the injured men were being taken away to Oamaru. I found the engine in fragments, scattered about the place. Ithen hurried into town in company with Dr Wait. We have been working the engine referred to 11 weeks on the Waiareka line. It was built in Dunedin about the 28th September last. From the time it was built until it came up to us, the engine was employed by the Government on the reclamation ground, Dunedin. I have reason to believe

that the engine in question was built for the Government about two months previous to the one built for our firm, and sent to us by the Inspector of Works (Mr Cairns) instead of our own. This information I received from the Provincial Engineer (Mr Arthur"). When the engine arrived here it was taken charge of by Mr Amos, Provincial Locomotive Inspector in this district. About ten days afterwards we took delivery of the engine to run on the Waiareka line. We had one driver before Mitchell. The first driver was Fred Gatwood, and he had with him as fireman a man named John Robinson. Seven weeks yesterday Mitchell succeeded Gatwood. At that time the engine was not working well. The engine was inspected, but not the boiler. When Mitchell took charge of the engine it was in a- very bad state, the cylinders had to be re-bored, fresh piston heads put in, and the engine had to be generally repaired. I was told that the spring balance of the safety valve was broken. Gatwood, the former driver, told me this. There was nothing the matter with the valve. There was nothing done to the spiing at that time, but Mitchell received instructions to put everything right in connection with the engine. I frequently travelled with the engine. About the 18th April Mitchell told me it would require a new spring balance for the safety valve, and I immediately telegraphed to Dunedin for one. Next day a new one was sent up, but it was too large. As I was going to Dunedin a few days afterwards, I took it with me for the purpose of getting one that [would fit. Messrs Kincaid and M'Queen tried to get one, but failed, and they promised to make one, and send it up, but they never sent it. I returned to Oamaru three days afterwards. I have repeatedly travelled with the engine since then, but no further complaints were made to me. On my return from Dunedin, I noticed two or three screw wrenches hung on to the valve by a piece I of cord. I also saw a screw jack hung on by a piece of wire. It would weigh about 25 or 30 lbs. I knew that it was placed there for the purpose of keeping in the steam, the spring balance having been broken. Even when this was on, the engine used to blow off at from 60 to 70 lbs. I have seen the steam gauge indicate 100 lbs, when the actual steam on would be about 82 lbs. About ten days ago I asked Simon why he took off the screw jack, and he aaid Mr Amos wanted it, so he took it off, and laid it down near the Moeraki line for Mr Amos. After that the piece of rope was put on the safety valve. [The safety valve with lever was here produced, having the rope still attached to it.] A stick was placed through the rope to act as a twitch by tightening it after the rope was put on. I have seen the gauge indicate the pressure a little above 100 This would be an actual pressure of about 18lbs. less. I never saw the gauge indicate more than 1 or 21bs past 100. Mitchell was highly recommended to us as a driver. He and I never had any conversation as to the safety or otherwise of travelling with the engine when the valve was fastened down. The engine has taken six loaded trucks from the junction to Cave Valley. The rope was then tied on the safety valve. The same number of trucks have been taken without the rope on thevalve. Therope was tied on the valve when she left my place. When the rope was taken off the valve the engine would blow off steam when the gauge shewed 40 or 50 lbs. I asked Mitchell one day if it was safe to put the rope on the valve, and he said " Oh, yes, perfectly safe ; we go by the steam gauge." I was solely guided by him. According to the specifications (produced) from the builders (Messrs Eancaid, M'Queen and Co.), the working pressure was to be 901bs to the square inch, and the test pressure equal to 180 lbs. The certificate produced from Mr Alex. Crawford, Government Inspector of machinery, shows a working pressure for the boiler of 65lbs. The certificate is dated September 16th. I am not aware that any examination has since been made. To the jury : There was a leakage from i one or two of the tubes. I put water in the boiler on Monday morning until it shewed two inches in the glasB. As far as I saw, Mitchell appeared to be a very good driver. Alex. Taylor was a native of Aberdeen, and was 33 years of age. He was unmarried. I showed the certificate from the Inspector of Machinery to the engine driver (Mitchell) so that he might know the pressure allowed, and he said it was only a matter of form. Two I of the tubes leaked, and there was another leak near the fire box.

The evidence of Dr Wait and Mr Amos Inspector of Permanent Way was then taken, the evidence of the latter not being concluded until 1 a.m. Owing to its length we have no alternative but to defer its publication till next issue.

VERDICT. [After going to press, we re-open our columns to insert the Verdict.] The jury retired at a quarter to 1, and at a quarter to 3 returned the following verdict : — " The Jury find that Alexander Taylor and Dugald Mitchell met with their death on the 22nd May, 1876, by the explosion of the boiler of the locomotive lately used by Messrs W. D. Morrison and Co., on the Waiareka line, near Oamaru. " The jury also consider that the explosion was due to the fact of the safety valve being tied down, and severe censure i is due to the proprietors for the fact of their knowing the deficiency of the steam gauge and spring balance, and not having them replaced by proper appliances, and continuing to run the engine while in the imperfect state shown by the evidence. "They desire to suggest the great necessity for the establishment of a system of examination of engine-drivers, so as to ensure the employment of competent persons for this work. "It is also suggested that a lock-up valve, free from the control of the driver, should be put upon all boilers, as a means of preventing the recurrence of such accidents."