THREE HORSES KILLED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17155, 4 October 1926, Page 7

THREE HORSES KILLED

'. *rt -• WAIKAREMOANA ACCIDENT LIVE WIRE BROKEN (Special to the Herald.) / m WAIROA, this day. • On Saturday afternoon, while iWr. Jack Boylej a contractor, was shifting an iron shed, from, a position near the power house at Waikaremoana to a, site further, down the road, the shed came into contact with a live wire, which was broken. In attempting to move forward again the horses received a. shock and three of them were killed instantaneously. The shed was on skids, and was being pulled by six horses, these being, arranged in pairs. Apparently only the horses on the rear side received the shock, for the remaining three horses were uninjured. . In attempting to assist the unfortunate horses, Mr. Boyle himself received a nasty shock, which threw him to the ground, but did not injure him. • - ONLY 220 YOLTS. The line which was broken was only a 220-volt one, and was used to supply. light to a section of the works. Apparently the- current was not sufficiently strong to kill a man, but heavy enough to kill a horse. The accident, which is the first of itskind to happen in the district,) was most unfortunate in that the intention had been to switch' off the power on this particular line. when the building \vns~shiftecl, but the Contractor, arriving a little earlier than expected, commenced the work before those in the power house knew he had started. The contractor's loss is a heavy one. for the throe horsoa killed were except ionally grnd animals, being valued at £9O. The accident. will also interfere to some extent' with the progress of the work this week as the team was beino; relied upon to do a good deal of shifting that is necessary preparatory to the erection of the new power house site.