Railway Employee Killed

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 10, 4 August 1930, Page 5

Railway Employee Killed

ACCIDENTAL DEATH. INQUEST ON H. W. KELLY. The inquest in the death of the late H. W. Kelly, engine driver of the East train was held in Whanganiomona on Saturday before Mr. M. Geevei'i J.P. «»d a jury, Tll ° I{alhvi,v was i"e4>resented> by Mr. Pascoe, Traffic Manager, and the deceased man's family by Mr. Coleman, Stratford. Constable Whiting conducted proceedings on behalf of the police. James R. Bain who was fireman on the engine with deceased ,said that they reached Tahora about 7.23 p,m. on 31st July, and with guard Worthington uncoupled the ' waggons from the carriages and pulled up to the water tanks. After taking water driver Kelly got off the en. gjno and waved me out over the main line with his hand torch; lie then got on the main rear waggon of the train and signalled me to hack into the yard. I started back and when about to stop I saw the body of a man under the engine. I immediately stopped to see who it was and found driver Kelly, his body lying across one rail which the train had passed over, he was then quite dead.

Tn reply to a question by Mr. Pascoe, Traffic Inspector, witness said he was aware of the Department' instructions for both men to remain on the engine, and that it was voluntary arrangements between the men concerned to render assistance in the shunting to save time. In reply to Mr. Colemanfi witness said it ;was essential for the engine crew to give assistance in shunting to get the train away to time, and that this practice was going on at' rahora and intermediate stations to Stratford to his knowledge for two years. In further reply to Mr. Coleman, he said it would take lo to 3lo| minutes to get away from Tahora over the time allowed if the engine crew did not give assistance in shunting, while the guard was delivering parcels anid good s at the van. Thomas Worthington. guard on the train, on the night of the accident, said that when the train got to Tahora at 7.2<3 p.m. he cut off the waggons from the carriages to allow the) engine driver to take Water, and then went 'to the van and emptied it of parcels and' goods; he then went to the yard and saw that the engine and waggon § were in the siding; he met Fireman Bain, who told him the train had run over Driver Kelly. He then Went to where the body was lying and found him quite dead. He then got in communication with the Stationmasteriflt Whangamomona who reported to/Constable Whiting, who . arrived at Tahora with drivers Foreman and Parker and took the body by train to Whangamomona. A verdict was returned to the effect that deceased met his death by being accidentally run over by a train -while shunting at Tahora, no blame being attachable to the rest of the train crew. The jury expressed their sympathy with the family.