WORKER KILLED BY FALL OF MANURE

Southland Times, Issue 23780, 30 March 1939, Page 5

WORKER KILLED BY FALL OF MANURE

ACCIDENT AT WESTFIELD chemical WORKS (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, March 29. Buried under several tons of superphosphate at the Westfield Chemical Manure Works, of Kempthorne Prosser and Company, Ltd., an employee received injuries from which he died soon afterwards. The victim was: — John Abraham Burgess, aged about 50 years, married, of Papakura. Quick rescue work by several of Burgess’s fellow workers prevented him from being suffocated, but he was crushed about the chest by the weight of the material. The mishap occurred at about 1.30 p.m. Burgess, who was employed as a labourer in the superphosphate shed, was engaged in operating a rotary loading mechanical plant. The mechanism, which operates in a , somewhat similar fashion to a harbour dredge, is used to convey superphosphate to loading hoppers. A conveyor scoops material from the face of a big stack of artificial manure. Burgess was shovelling loose materiaL close to the face of the stack when several tons rolled down from the top like an avalanche and completely buried him. Strenuous work by several other employees uncovered Burgess within less than a minute, and he was extricated in a semi-conscious condition. Artificial respiration treatment restored him to consciousness. , The injured man was sent to Auckland Hospital in an ambulance. He died before reaching the hospital. VAN OVERTURNS AT ORAWIA TWO PERSONS ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL A man and a youth were injured at Orawia yesterday when a delivery van, driven by Thomas Wilson Agnew, aged 16, of 86 Don street, and also containing John Powley, aged 49, of 218 Liddel street, both employees’of Thomas Powley, overturned on the road, pinning both the occupants beneath it Agnew suffered a fractured bone in his upper left arm and abrasions on his shoulder and Powley suffered several fractured ribs. When the van overturned Agnew attracted attention by sounding the horn with his foot and a resident of the district heard the noise and assisted them out from beneath the vehicle. They were both admitted to the Southland hospital, Kew, and their condition, last evening, was reported to be satisfactory. MAN COLLAPSES AND DIES IN SHOP (United Press Association) HASTINGS, March 29. After walking into a shop in Napier today and asking to be allowed to sit down, Francis Reginald Bradley, aged 61, of Napier, collapsed and died. A doctor and the ■ police were informed, but death is believed to be due to natural causes. BONE BROKEN IN HAND William Caddie, aged 27, of 213 Teviot street, had a bone broken in his hand when a road-grader, which h® was attempting to crank, back fired. He was admitted to the Southland Hospital, Kew, and later discharged.