FATAL INJURIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1925, Page 8

FATAL INJURIES.

FALL DOWN SHIP’S HOLD. DEATH OF A WATERSIDER. VERDICT AT THE INQUEST. A formal verdict was returned by the corner (Air. A. Al. Mowlem, S.M.) at the conclusion on .Saturday of the inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of George Cursons, a watersider, who received fatal injuries in falling into the hold of the steamer Tcngariro when she was being worked at New Plymouth. The coroner stated that it seemed quite unexplained how Cursons fell from where he did, unless it was for the reason that he had gone to see how much cargo there was left; and there did not appear to be any reason why he should have done that, as the evidence showed that he could have called out for the information.

Senior-Sergeant H. McCrorie appeared for the police, Air. R. 11. Quilliam for the New Zealand Shipping Company, Air. L Glover for the Waterside Workers’ Federation of New Zealand, and Mr. R. Fulton for the New Plymouth Waterside Workers’ Union.

Evidence regarding deceased’s injuries was given Iby Dr. E. A. Walker, superintendent of the New Plymouth hospital, who stated that deceased had died, as a result of these injuries, on June 13.

■William Falconer, waterside worker, of Water Lane, stated that he and Cursons were working together in the hold, discharging barrels of cement. They were just about finished on their side of the hold and Cursons went to see how much cargo was left on the other side. To do this it was necessary for him to go up on to the ’tween decks. As Cursons was going from the ’tween decks on to the tunnel witness heard him exclaim and then saw' him fall, head foremost. Witness did not see what caused the. fall. Cursons was rendered unconscious by the fall. Witness made an examination to see what had caused the accident and found a lot of timber, in bundles and loose, which the carpenters had left. There was no other watersider working on that deck at the time, so far as he knew. There was no guard round the hold. To Air. Glover witness stated that lie believed some of the timber was projecting slightly over the edge of the hold. This would be dangerous if a sling caused the timber to sail into the hold.

In reply to Mr. Quilliam the witness stated that Cursons would have been quite safe if he had crossed the ’tween decks and descended the ladder leading into the other side of the hold. It would have been possible to call an inquiry from one side of the hold to the other, but it would be necessary to shout loudlv, as the shaft tunnel was 14ft. high. Arthur Lineham, waterside worker, of Belt Road, said he was in the ’tw r een decks having a drink and saw Cursons walking from the starboard side towards the tunnel. He tripped over some timber, of which there was a good deal lying about in bundles. He fell on to the tunnel (the top of which was 3ft. Gin. below the level of the ’tween decks) and thence to the bottom of the hold. Witness heard someone. call “Throw us down a sling.” There was a sling on the tunnel. Cursons said: “I’ll throw you down a sling.” Concerning statements made by witnesses that the hold had been partly covered, Mr. Glover raised the point that to get to the sling on the tunnel Cursons had to go on to the covered part of tho hold, although if lie wished merely to get from one side of the hold to the other he could have done so by crossing the ’tween decks without going on the hatches. William James Newell, watersider, of Hobson Street, said that he was working on the opposite side of the hold to Cursons. Wanting a sling and thinking there might Ibe a spare one on the other side, he called out for one to be thrown over. Someone called out that there was one on the tunnel and he would get it. A verdict was then returned as stated.