AN EXCITING ACCIDENT

Southland Times, Issue 18985, 20 November 1920, Page 6

AN EXCITING ACCIDENT

BREAK OF CRANE COGWHEEL. FLYING STEEL IN WELLINGTON. NO ONE HURT. (Per* United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, November 19. A cogwheel in the winding gear attached to one of the big. cranes on the roof of the new Parliament Buildings broke about 11.30 this morning, and a load of sand and cement went crashing to the ground. The winding cable of the crane, with no check upon it, ran through with such | speed as to have the effect -of a catapult, 1 and pieces •of the broken cogwheel were • thrown over Parliament grounds and even on to Lambton Quay and into the Government Buildings grounds. One piece of ] broken steel, weighing about ten pounds, | sfell near a group of men who were standing | on the quay, and another piece narrowly . missed a Government messenger, Mr Frank Fama, who was in the Government Buildi ings grounds. One piece, about twenty pounds in weight, actually struck the Government Buildings, smashing the bottom'of the wall and a concrete channel. The screech of the wire and the sight and sound of the falling metal caused nervous persons to think of an explosion or a bombardment. The crane house was badly damaged by the collapse, the woodwork being smashed in several places. The cranedriver was one of the men who had cause to be thankful for his narrow escape from injury. The load of cement and sand fell between the old and new Parliament Buildings, and mMffed by a few feet the only room in the olH'-'building which is occupied, that of the private secretary to the Minister of Public Works. The tray landed on a heavy, post, which was snapped through, while the woodwork of the tray’ itself was broken into several pieces. The greatest danger, however, was from the flying pieces of the broken cogwheel. For some time afterwards these pieces, each several pounds in weight, were being picked up in the grounds and on the quay, and the finders were speculating on what would have happened had the grounds not afforded such a clear field, or had the accident occurred a little later, when crowds of people would have been leaving the Printing Office or the Government Buildings. What caused the accident it is impossible to say at present. The broken cogwheel is particularly heavy, and would appear capable of bearing a very heavy and constant