BURNED TO DEATH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21396, 20 October 1934, Page 15

BURNED TO DEATH

YOUTH INSIDE BOILER EFFORTS TO EFFECT RESCUE EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST VERDICT OF THE CORONER An inquest into the death of the young apprentice, Stuart McDonald Simpson, who received fatal burns on October 11 while working in a boiler used for the storage of oxygen at fhe foundry of Mason Brothers' Engineering Company, Limited, Freeman's Bay, was concluded by Mr. Wvvern Wilson, S.M., coroner, yesterday. Deceased, who was 17 years of age, had been living at 9 Ring Terrace, Herne Bay, and his parents reside in Wilson Road, Warkworth Sergeant P. C. Felton represented the police. Mr. Inder appeared on behalf of deceased's employers and Mr. Elliott for the parents of deceased. Dr. J. Fitzsimons said he had arrived at the foundry between 4 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. and saw the body beilng removed from the boiler. Life was extinct, death having been due to severe burns. The body had been burned severely all over. George Harold Mason, a partner in the firm, said deceased had been employed for 10 months as an apprentice engineer. His duties were in the oxygen department and included work in connection with preparation of the oxygen container, which was formerly a steam boiler, for Government inspection. The inspection had to be Inade on October 12. and to enable this to be done, the oxygen had to be pumped out. On the previous day, when preparations for the inspection were being made, witness was in the yard, when he was told that Simpson was burning to death in the container.

Attempted Rescue Fails "I climbed up the ladder and got through the manhole," said witness. "When 1 got in the boiler I saw the boy below me, jammed in between the tubes and stays and a mass of flames. There was no movement as far as the body was concerned." Witness then came out, and after a sack had been procured, went inside again. He had got within three feet of Simpson when witness caught fire himself, and had to come out. Water was then thrown into the boiler, and after one of the lower manholes had been opened, compressed air was forced in. Later the body was removed by means of a rope. Witness had suffered burns on his arms and back. Questioned by Mr..lnder, witness said the method was a usual one of storing oxygen. To. Mr. Elliott, witness said he was at a loss to understand what had cs.used the fire. David John Best, boilermaker, said he had found the deceased in a partlystanding position inside the boiler after the flames had been extinguished. There were no clothes on the body. Finding of Match Box John Murtagh, a general hand employed at the foundry, said he had found a part of a safety-match, box inside the boiler a few days after the fatality. He had also found one match about half-burned. He knew the deceased did not smoke. John Gall Lockie, Government inspector of machinery, said he knew the method used to refhove the gas. Before making his inspection he would have taken the precaution of testing for the presence of gas. George Ernest Franklin,, an engineer, said that on the day prior to the fatality he had pumped air through the boiler for two hours or longer. It was the first time the boiler had been emptied since it had been converted into* a container about two years ago. He had warned deceased not to use a light: Witness had been inside for two hours before the deceased had entered. The verdict of the coroner was that death had been caused by the deceased being accidentally burnt while working in a boiler that had formerly been used fo! the storage of oxygen.