FATAL LIFT ACCIDENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15884, 3 April 1915, Page 9

FATAL LIFT ACCIDENT.

INQUIRY CONCLUDED.

ELECTRICIAN'S EVIDENCE.

CORONER RESERVES FINDING.

TilS inquest into tho circumstances of the death of Miss Margery Evelyn Dewes, who was killed in a lift accident at the Hobson Buildings on March 26, was concluded at the Magistrates Court on Thursday before Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., district coroner. Mr. J. R. Reed, K.C., appeared for the relatives of deceased, Mr. W. K. Mooro for Messrs. Turnbull and Jones, who erected tho lift, and Chief Detective Mc.Mahon for the police. Stanley Eric Lawson, an electrician, employed by Messrs. Turnbull and Jones, Ltd.. said that, under an agreement, it was his duty to examine the lift twice a week. The night before tho accident he repaired a fractured contact, tested the lift, and found that it was working satisfactorily. When he inspected the lift, shortly after the accident, he found that the contact bad again broken. This defeit could only cause the lift to run slowly, anfl he could not say what caused the cage to drop. Other than the moving of the controller, he could give no reason for the accident.

in reply to Mr. W. E. Moore, witness said that his firm had the maintenance of some 40 or 50 Auckland lifts, and many of these were of the same typo as the one in question. As regards breakdowns, the one in the Hobson Buildings compared more than favourably with any of them. The more frequent defects were the breaking of contacts and the blowing out of fuses, none of which could have any bearing on this accident. Under no conditions could the cage sink with the handle at neutral. lie regarded Renner, who was lent rratuitously by his firm, as a very capable and intelligent bov.

To the coroner, witness said that anyone could work a lift, hut mistakes we're made by drivers every day. If the boy, when the lift was dropping, instead of putting the tiandla at neutral, had endeavoured to make the lift rise, the situation would, in his opinion, have been saved.

The coroner said lie had quite made up his mind as to the finding, but, in view of the extensive use of lifts,' he considered it was bis duty to state very clearly the reasons for his derision. The verdict would be announced on Wednesday.