THE MILBURN FATALITY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13894, 4 May 1907, Page 142

THE MILBURN FATALITY.

CONCLUSION OP THE INQUEST.

Tho inquest concerning 'the deaths of William Casser'y and John Fyffc was coneluded yesterday morning before Mr Somcrvillo (acting coroner) and a jury cf six. 1$ will l)o remembered tint tho evidence, with, tho exception of that of Patrick Casserly, ono of tho men injured, was taken at Mil- : hum. Casserly has been iu the hospital, and •was unnblo to appear until ye>;teiday.—Mr W. C. MacGrcgor appeared for the contractors (Messrs Henderson and Grey), and Mr «J. 33. , Callan, jun., for tho relatives o! deceased, j William CVserly. j Patrick Casscrly deposed that on the Dth February, when tho accident took place, ho v;a« working, at tho Milburn quarry, and was ; employed with ono Robinson luring a. holo near tho bittom of tho face.' After 1 finishing tiio hole Charles Taylor sent down for the explosives for the big hole. "Witness got rack-a-roek and gelignite, which Taylor and witness carried up. Taylor was ' putting the charge into the hole—raok-arrcok . and gelignite mixed. Witness had about 1 1001b of gelignite steeped in oil for that hole. • Witness was squeezing it down with an j ordinary iron cleaning road. The hole was j fihoui 13fl deep. After about 20lb or 301b , iii© tr-.'Josivcs ha£ been put down witness J noticed it was blocnod on one Hide—the explosives wero not going to the bottom. Ho told, Taylor lit was blockcd, and the latter Eaid*. " We'll soon shift that." Taylor pulled tho clcaner up to the top of the explosives* and both ho and witness commenced to raui> tlicm down. When tho block would not wove, tho cleaner was reversed, the other end being used. Tho other end had no «yo; it wan sharp and broken. About two or thrco minutes- after ho reversed tho cleaner tho explosion occurred. Witness did not knew anything mere about what happened. Had "b-2on working in the quarry for about uino years, and had Romo experience \Titli ex- i plosives. Asked as to his opinion of tho cause of tho explosion, witness Raid Taylor 1 was siiiokins over tho hole. "Was suio his pipo wa.s lit. In any caso too much forco whs used with the cleaning rod Until after the block witness was using only ono Land tamping down tho charge. Tho end of tho rod W33 only a few inches higher than tho rock. When tho block took place Tavlor pulled up tho cleaner to whero tho block occurred (iho end was then about Gft above the level of the rock), and both of them stood 1 up and used both hands to ram it down. . As far as ho could remember, it was tho ; unusual forco used t'lint was tho caiiso of tho ! explosion. Taylor said if ,th«y could nob f get tho block clear with tho broken end of the pleanor' ho would get - the jumper ! (which is used to' bore tho holes) to work. •' Threo or four men wero required to use tho juniper.

To Mr MaeGrejor: Ho had assisted ou and ; off in firing shots for eight or nino years. ; Ho had dono a considerable amount of ! dangerous work there, and had never had an \ accident before. When Taylor stood up and i caino to witness's assistance ho took tho i pipo out of his mouth. Witness did not rotico any srooko coming from the pipe. Tho accident occurred two or thrco minutes alter that. Certainly, smoking a pip© was dangerous. Ho had not told Taylor to tako tho pipo out of his mouth, nor did ho warn him that ho was using t°° much force. Witness's reason was. that ho thought the foreman knew more than he did about suck jv mattrsr. Tho cleaner did not pass through tho block when {hey pulled it up.

'J be Coroner, in summing -up, said the question was what caused the explosion. Suggestions hud been made that Taylor was srnok* ing at t'liD lime, and that some live ashes might have fallen. It had also been attempted to, show that sparks were struck fronr tho liircetono rook by tho cleaner. There was. however, evidence to tho contrary—that tho sto«io had never bson known to give off sparks from steel, and that tho explosivo u?cd could not bo exploded by a spark. Xeitbcf Tnck-a-rock nor gelignite could ba exploded by a- spirit, tho evidence said, and f.o theymust give up tho suggestion that tho explosion v/ns caused by sparks or by the pii>e. The' expert evidence showed that the explosive was ordinarily exploded by a porcus-, fiion cap,' ana might bo exploded' by extra, forco being used. Extra' foTco would make •any of tho explosives go off. Greater forco than wag u?ed might previously have been Used without accident, but explosives were 31 ot always alike in spnUvoness. On some dr.vs they might bo mofo sensitive than on others, .and on tho day in question and tho day Moro it was very hot." They liad been told that heat drove tho mtro-glyccrine out ar.d umde it more likely to explode. It was. shown that moro than a groat deal of force v:m used in driving it home. Although Taylor Lai denied Ihpt more than crdinaiy forco was used, still it must bo evident to tho jury that, a good deal of forco was used, mid ho did noi think tlilit the jury could oarae to any other conclusion than that it was from tjic* force by- tho two men tluit tho Accident occurred. .

The Jury returned a verdict that the two men mot their death by an -explosion at, ( tho Mllbum- works*. Tho cause of the explosion thov found was duo to the charge gottin* blocked in tho hole, and forco bsiug used to clekr tho block.