CRASH OF MASONRY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21601, 23 March 1932, Page 7

CRASH OF MASONRY

PORTION OF WALL COLLAPSES TWO WORKMEN KILLED THREE OTHERS INJURED (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, March 22. Two workmen were killed and three others injured when part of the old Government Life Insurance building in Brandon street, now in process of demolition, collapsed this afternoon. Several tons of debris had to be shifted, in the course of which a man was injured by a falling brick before the last body had been recovered. The names of the victims are: DEAD HARRY BYFORD, single, age and address unknown, but believed to have lived in Main Karori road. RICHARD HAROLD WILSON, single, aged 19; resided at 9 Caprere terrace, Melrose. INJURED Leonard Walter Lang, married, aged 39, residing at 15 Apuka street, Brooklyn, fractured elbow and shock. James Summers, single, aged 28, residing at 58 Ira street, Miramar, head injuries and shock. Alexander Donald, single, aged 38, residing at 40 Abel Smith street, bruises and shock. Lewis Ham, aged 36, residing at 54 Ira street, Miramar, hip injuries and shock.

Those who were working on the job state that there was no warning of the impending disaster. Standing at the rear of the building on the level of the first floor stood a large and very sub-stantially-built strongroom. A gang had been working in that vicinity for some days, and was making preparations to demolish the stout 12-inch walls of the strongroom. The walls had been deeply scarfed all round, and the roof was strongly “ tommed ” to prevent anything in the way of a preliminary fall. No one knows precisely what happened, but at 2.50 p.m. there was suddenly a loud crack, the thud of crashing masonry, and a cloud of dust, and where formerly stood the strongroom was an ugly heap of jagged masonry and brickwork. It was known at once that human life was imperilled, as five men had been engaged in and about the room. Fortunately some of the men were outside, the wall of the room, otherwise all must have been crushed to death by the weight of masonry in the walls and roof. One of the injured men was pushed over the edge of what remained of the floor, and fell some 15 feet to the ground. This was James Summers. He was so badly knocked about that he was practically stunned, and was taken to hospital. Mr Lang, builder, of Brooklyn, foreman of the work then proceeding, had an arm broken, and received a lacerated face by falling masonry, and he, too, had to be despatched to the hospital with Mr Donald, who was also badly bruised and had injured his back. Mr Byford, who was buried by the debris on the outer edge of the wall, was released in an hour. He was severely crushed, and died on the way to hospital. The saddest of all was the case of Mr Richard Wilson, son of Mr Harold Wilson and grandson of Mr Robert Wilson, of the firm of undertakers, who was literally buried alive. It seems that Wilson, who was a member of the Poneke Football Club’s third fifteen, was serving an apprenticeship to the building trade with L. Laing, of Brooklyn, and when the latter became a foreman for the contractor of the building under demolition he secured a job for the young man about a month ago. It is understood that Wilson was standing out on one of the walls away from the strongroom when he was asked to take a rope to the workers in the strongroom, and when delivering it the whole place collapsed and he was entombed. When the injured men were got away to the hospital the contractor, Mr Clement Capill, and his men started at once to recover the body of the boy. How awkward was the situation working among concrete blocks some half a ton in weight, chunks of brickwork and tangled ironwork, could only be appreciated, but the fact that the work involved over three hours shows the great difficulties with which the rescuers were confronted. Mr Capill’s men willingly responded to the call. Great pieces of masonry had to be shifted by wire ropes actuated by a manual winch, and for three solid hours the men below toiled ceaselessly at the greasy handles of ihe winch, while Mr Capill and his men attended to the adjusting of a rope on an elevated floor 150 feet away. Gradually the rocky debris was cleared from the floor, of the strongroom, but even after part of the body was uncovered it took another hour to free it entirely. It was then carried down through the gloomy passages of the old building to the yard, where in a rough tarpaulin cover the mangled remains were taken away to the boy’s home by his father. It was a deeply touching scene. Mr Capill, who woi'ked hand to hand with his men right through the rescue job, when seen this evening said he much regretted the tragic accident which had occurred, and he felt deeply for the relatives of those who had suffered so severe a loss. Up to the present there had been few accidents on the job to speak of and none was serious. How this one occurred he had not the slightest notion. As a rule they took all reasonable precautions against accident, and most of the men employed had gained experience in the task of lowering the walls of the building. He knew, of course, that preparations had been made to pull down the strongroom walls, but the job was in capable hands and he was not on the spot or within sight, but was standing in the yard where the lorries load up with the debris. What happened exactly he could not say. Possibly none could say. There was no warning. It simply happened, and within a few minutes he had to get into the job of clearing away the fallen concrete and brickwork. “ I work with the men, and if there is risk I share it with them,” he added.