INQUEST

Southland Times, Issue 19124, 17 December 1923, Page 2

INQUEST

THE LOCHIEL DAIRY FACTORY FATALITY.

VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH RETURNED.

The Coroner (Mr G. Cruickshank, S.M.), concluded the inquiry on Saturday into the circumstances surrounding the death of Alexander Gordon Rose, who met with a fatal accident while working in the Lochiel Dairy Factory on December 2. With the exception of the evidence given by the Inspector of Machinery, the depositions were taken at Lochiel on December 11. Mr Eustace Russell watched the proceedings on behalf of the Dairy Factory. The manager of the factory, William Kilgour Sawers, stated that on December 2, Alexander Stanley Gordon Rose, first assistant, was working in the factory He went for his dinner at 1.15 p.m. and at 2 p.m. witness decided to stop the engine in the factory. He instructed Stewart, third assistant, to stop the separator by throwing it out of gear, as he was going to stop the engine. Stewart was to put the belt on the overhead shafting when the shaft stopped. Witness was at the doorway and saw Stewart at the separator as he had instructed. He had just turned round the engine doorway when he heard a call “Stop the engine!” He pushed the belt off with his foot and ran out into the factory’ to see what had happened. He found Rose hanging up by his coat to the shafting, which was ten feet from the ground. The left sleeve was well round the shafting. Witness had to cut off Rose’s coat to get him down. Rose seemed to be choking from the strain on the coat. He also appeared to be blue and black in the face, but was conscious. Rose was carried to witness’s house and a doctor sent for. Dr Gow was out and after trying to get several other doctors from Invercargill they eventually succeeded in getting Dr McCaw who arrived about an hour after the accident. Rose said to witness: “I was in too big a hurry, I should not have gone up there with my coat on.” He also said that he did not put his hand on the belt. Rose was removed in the ambulance to the Southland Hospital soon after Dr McCaw’s visit. Rose had been working in the factory since August 21. He was careful and conscientious in his work. He had had some years’ experience with machinery. To put on the belt on the overhead shafting the usual thing was to stand on a trestle four feet high. It was not part of Rose’s duty to put this belt on and witness had never known him to do it before. This was Stewart’s duty. This belt was put on every’ day to drive a portable kurd mill. The majority of the factories had the overhead shafting arranged as it was in the Lochiel factory. A set screw on the collar of the shafting caught in the sleeve of Rose’s coat. The set screw projected two inches from the collar of the shaft. As far as he knew this was the screw which had been supplied with the shafting. Witness never saw the belting put on by a man with his cokt on or his shirt sleeves not rolled up. About twelve months ago this belt ran on a loose pulley and was then pushed on to the fixed pulley. There had then been an accident which had caused Stewart to be thrown over the shaft when transferring the belt from the loose to the fixed pulley when it slipped in on edge between the two pulleys. After that witness took the loose pulley off and instructed Stewart never to try and put the belt on until the shaft stopped revolving. The engine was stopped, the belt put on one of the pulleys and then witness turned the flywheel by hand so as to assist the belt on to the other pulley. When he saw Rose hanging from the shafting the belt was not on the pulley. He was not aware that Rose had returned from lunch when the accident happened. It was his practice after stopping the engine to wait about a minute to prepare the belt. Then he turned the fly wheel several times by hand to assist the putting of the belt on the pulley. He then called out from the door, “Is all clear” and on getting an answer, “Yes,” he restarted the engine slow’ly. Rose did not suggest that any other but himself was to blame. Witness was alongside the engine when he heard the cry “stop the engine!” Whenever this belt was being used there was always someone at the engine, usually himself. This belt was only used for five minutes daily for each of the six vats. The belting was changed from pulley to pulley once for each of the six vats.

George Houston Stewart, third assistant, stated that at 2 p.m. Sawers told him to stop the separator and to be ready to put on the belt for the kurd mill when he stopped the engine. He told witness not to put on the belt until the engine had stopped. Sawers then went to the engine room. Witness shut off the separator and heard a scream. He looked round and saw Rose hanging to the shafting. Witnese was standing on the trestle when Rose came into the factory. Rose had his coat on. Rose got up on a table while witness got down to shut off the separator and while thus engaged he heard a scream. It was not the duty of any particular one to put on this belt, generally the one who was milling the vat did so. He had never known Rose to put on that particular belt before. It was the practice to have the shaft stopped before the belting was put on. It was also the practice for employees not to wear a coat when working in the factory and to have their sleeves rolled up. If Rose had not had his coat on the accident would not have happened.

Thomas A. Cooper, Inspector of Machinery, stated that he visited the Lochiel factory on the Wednesday following the accident. He saw the set pins which hold the collar on the shaft. They were of the usual kind. The practice of the manager in stopping the engine to allow tha belt to be put on the shaft was a safe and a customary one. Rose acted unwisely in attempting to put the belt on while the shaft was revolving, especially in doing so with his coat on. In attending to machinery in factories it was usual for all employees to have their sleeves rolled up. The prompt action of the manager in foroing the main drive belt off the driving pulley was very commendable, although he took a personal risk in doing so. The Coroner returned a verdict that the deceased died on December 8 at the Southland Hospital as the result of injuries received by being caught by the revolving shaft in the Lochiel Dairy Factory o® December 2.