THE LATE JAMES DUNCAN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16545, 19 November 1915, Page 8

THE LATE JAMES DUNCAN

VERDICT OP ACCIDENTAL DEATH.

The adjourned inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of James Duncan, who met with fatal injuries through falling down No. 3 hold cf tho Karamea at -Port Chalmers on November 5. was held in the City Police Court yes- j terday afternoon, before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M. (coroner). Senior Sergeant Dart represented the police, Mr A. S. Adams the deceased's relatives, and Mr A. C. Hanlon the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company, whose local representative (Mr J. E. Galbraith) was also present. Henry Hornby, labourer, stated that on the 15th inst. he was working on tho Karamea together with the deceased, his brother (Jeremiah Duncan), and Christian Christensen. Witness was in charge oi the squad. They were cleaning out No. 2 hold. Deceased was cleaning the shelter dack beams over No. 2 hold with Christiansen just before the accident. He knew ' of no reason why deceased went to No. 3 hold. Witness could have seen deoeased at his work at the beams had he looked up. _ Witness went up to the shelter deck to lift some hatches off, and ho heard a groan coming from No. 3 hold. He called out to the men > below in No. 2 hold that someone had fallen down No. 3 hold, and then went on deck and called the officer's attention to this, tihinking it was a member of the crew. One of the sailers slipped aft and took off one of the hatches on No. 3 hold, and then called out that,it was one of witness's gang of men. On the deck where deceased was working there were no protections, except that there were some combings Ho could not suggest why deceased went into this hold.

In reply to Mr Adams, witness said there was no direct light going into No. 3 hold. There was a bale of flax near this hold, but deceaJed could have got round it and then have fallen into the* hold. To Mr Hanlon witness said two sections of tho hatches were off No. 2 holds, on the shelter deck, and a similar number off No. 3 hold. Deceased had been working !n ships' holds for a 'couple of years, and he would know where No. 3 hold was, but not exactly the distance it was away when working 'tween decks.' He would certainly know sufficient to take precautions to avoid it. It was tho rule that these hatches were not guarded. There were no artificial lights burning in the shelter deck, and no light was shed round No. 3 hatch except what came from No. 2. It would not got into No. 3. It was customary to leave tho hatches off in meat holds when they wero empty and wore not being worked.

Christian Ghristensen, labourer, stated that the deceased and he were engaged in cleaning the beams on the shelter deck of No. 2 hold. Ho went below about 9.45 a.m. and left deceased still cleaning the beams. This was the last ho saw of him before the accident. On the shelter deck the' after section of the hatches were off No. 2 hold. The hatches on the' shelter deck of No. 3 hold wpre also open; but the hatches on! the upper deck, over No. S hold, were' closed. Deceased might have gone to get a broom. When witness left him working at the beams deceased had a piece of a broom, and he might have gone to get a whole broom. witness understood that Kennedy, a wharf labourer, told deceased to look along in No. 3 hold and lie would get. a broom which he (Kennedy) had left there the day before. This was in reply to a request for another broom. There was hardly any light in No. 3 hold where deceased fell. There was sufficient light over No. 2 hold to enable the men to work. To Mr Hanlon: Lamp trimmers did i.ot always take the brooms away when a hold was cleaned. Witness would have asked someone on deck for a broom had ho required one, but he would not have gone to No. 3 hold of his own accord.

The Coroner said that the evidence showed that deceased was engaged working on No. 2 hatch and that the the shelter deck were off No. 3 hold, and this was the practice -while work of this nature was being done. Tho whole of the evidence pointed to accidental death, and his verdict would be that the deceased died through accidentally falling down No. 3 hold on tho Karamoa, on which steamer he was temporarily employed as a labourer.