DEATH BY MISCHANCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13812, 28 January 1907, Page 6

DEATH BY MISCHANCE.

. The Coroner (Mr C. C. Graham) held an inquiry on Saturday morning into tlio circumstances surrounding tho death of Hairy Thomas Brown, who died at the Hospital on Umrsday as the result of slipping while employed at the Ciiy Gasworks on the 14th inst. Jit S. Solomon appeared on behalf of deceased's family.

Dr Ferdinand Stanley'Batchelor stated that he attended deceased at the Hospital on the 15th inst for strangulated femoral hernia When questioned as to the cause of the hernia, deceased said he gave a- cough and it came down. Witness .performed an operation that evening and reduced tho hernia, and operated again on the 22nd inst, for peritonitis, the result of hernia. He showed jio external injuries.

To Jlr Solomon: It was not an unusual thing for hernia to ho caused by tho carrying of a heavyweight in an awkward position" If a I'Erfcctly healthy man, with no disposition to weakness, slipped while carrying an awkward and heavy load, or felt somo trouble, and hernia appeared immediately afterwards, he _ would conclude that the strain o£ the weight was the cause of the trouble.

Alexander 2feil, works foreman at the Dunedin City Gasworks, stated that deceased was employed on the 14th inst. bending and carrying the tramway rails used during the horse service. He was earning one end of a 24ffc rail, weighing 2cwt, and bent to a. radins of about 10ft. It was rather an awkward load, as deceased was taking it up an incline of about atJdeg to a height of about Oft from the ground. When near the top the dcceisid stumbled, but made no complaint to witness. The time was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Witness heard next morning that deceased was in the Hospital, To the Coroner: He was supporting the roil on his right shoulder. He was going up a heap of hardened dross.

To Mr Solomon: It was a heap of unburnt coal about 9ft high, and there would ho about 150 tons of it altogether. The rail was being taken up to form a light railway round tho retort house. This was the first mil taken up. The work was done according to witness's instruction.

Charles Patterson, labourer, employed at •ihe gasworks, deposed that on the 14th inst., by ins l ructions from Mr Neil, deceased and ho were carrying a bent rail up an incline. As tho slope was not sharp and the path was pretty good, witness thought there was no risk incurred. A short timo before, on the same day, witness had carried a rail down the samo path. Witness did not notice deceased stumble, nor did ho hear him make any complaint.

To Mr Solomon: Witness did not slip; he had enough to do to look after himself, and did not notice deceased stumble. Witnoss and. another man carried a seond rail up all right next day. Robert M'Kiltricl:, labourer at tbe gasworks, gave evidence that while working with him just before 5 o'clock on the evening of tho accident deceased complained that he had hurt his inside in some way carrying the rail. Hβ said his foot had slipped back, and complained of pain in the groin. Later in the evening witness saw him at his home, when Dr Evans was present, and afterwards helped to take him to the' Hospital in a cab.

The Jury, without retiring, returned a, yt-r----dict that the causo of death was jcritonilis, tho result of hernia, caused by" the deceased accidentally slippbig; no blame being attachable to anyone. *