MAN ELECTROCUTED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17351, 16 May 1924, Page 11

MAN ELECTROCUTED.

INQUEST ON J. E. WILLIAMS. The inquest touching the death of James Ernest Williams, tv ho met his death by electrocution as the result of coming in contact with an expose L cable at the State Coal Depot Harper Street, was resumed before Mr H. A Widdowson, S.M., Coroner, this morning. Frederick Atkins, labourer, residin'! at Moorhouse Avenue, employed at the State Coal Depot by Weavers, an 1 Kane, said that be was present when Williams was electrocuted. On thevening of the accident, deceased and witness were about to saw some wood. Williams attached the cable and then put on the switch. He was coming back to the saw. and had arrived between the saw and the post to which the pullev was attached, when he heard Williams shout out. “Cut it off." Witness was some five or six yards away at the time. When deceased called out. witness and Weaver ran over to him and found him lying on the ground with the electric cable in his hand. Weaver then ran towards the switch, which was about thirty yards away, and turned off the power. To the Magistrate: The cable was over his body? What happened aft’jr Air Weaver switched off the power?—l saw the cable fall out of bis hand. What happened when the cable fell from his hand?—Mr-Weaver returned, and deceased was still lying on hi, had;. I lizard him give two deep breaths before Mr Weaver got back. AV itness said lie then got some water and poured it over the body and endeavoured to bring Williams round. To the Magistrate: Air Kane arrive l after the switch had been turned off and rubbed deceased arms. Weaver then went off to ring for a doctor. About ten minutes later the ambulance arrived. From the tilde he had noticed deceased give the two deep breaths until the time he was taken away in the ambulance ho had seen no sign of life in deceased. .In witnesss’s opinion. Williams was a fairly strong man and a steady worker. He could do a good dav’s work. Did you see him fall after he called out?—Yes. he was stooping forward and he fell immediately after he shouted out. To Air Johnston: Witness hacl been working in the yard for 30 years, hut Williams had only been there for about two months. A log of wood had fallen on the saw about three years ago and since then men handling,the cable had received shocks from it. About a fortnight ago witness-received a shock himself.

To Afr Johnston: It was customary to shift the cable with the current on and it was also done when the Government haul charge.

Was there a dent or a mark where the log of wood fell on th© cable?— Yes there was a slight dent. Mr Kean was foreman of the yard whep the Government had charge, but witness did not think that he knew of the log falling on the cable, because the wood cut early in the morning and late in the evening and the foreman would not be there then. The Magistrate: Didn’t you ever notice anything besides the dent in the cable; wasn’t there a break in the insulation?—l didn’t notice it. To Mr Upbani: The cable was the same one that had been there when he started. G. W. Weavers, contractor, of South Brighton, explained the contract with the State Coal Department. He hath been connected with the coal depot since its inception in June, 1906. The electric motor Had been installed for about four years. He did not remember the log of wood falling on the cable, but he was aware there was a dent. He aid not know the cause of the dent. It- had been there for about three years. The metal sheath of the cable was not broken, but since the accident he had noticed that the wire inside the cable was exposed. Frederick Atkins, recalled, said that before lie loft three years ago there was an earth wire attached to the post on which the plug was placed. When he returned after having been absent from the yards during a slack season there was no wire. Weavers, continuing his evidence, said that all his machinery was in order 1o the best of his knowledge. The Magistrate : Have you ever had rv shock from the cable?—Yes; a few months ago. Did you have the cable in your hand?—No fear! I. just happened to touch the handle of the machine. Williams. continued witness, had been working for witness for about six or seven weeks. He was a firstclass worker and could do a good day's work. On the day of the accident witness Avas standing behind the saw bench. While witness was there Williams sang out for them to cut the current off. Witness ran towards deceased. between the post and the machine. He Avas then lying on the ground. To the Magistrate : He could not I say if his back was on the ground 1 Witness ran to the shed as fast as ! he could to turn the current off. When i he returned Williams was still on !.ne ground. He could not stvear whether deceased had the cable in his hand or not before he turned off the poAver. \\ hen he returned he thought the cable was over deceased’s legs. To all appearance, he Avas then stone dead. Mr Johnston : Whose property is the electrical plant? Yours or the Government's ? —lt is the property of the Government. The Magistrate : Do you have to keep it in order?—There is no contract t' keep it in order. Mr Johnston: You take it, then, that it is the duty of the Government to keep it in order?-- Yes. Mr Johnston : Were you there whet some municipal or Government official* came down the morning after the accident?- I Avas there Avhen three 01 Were you aware that a piece oi leather aajis wrapped around tli# cable? —Yes; it aaas put on about thro*oi- four months ago. It was a pie.'* e.f boot, I think. Is it not a fact that the earth w»r«. was missing long before you became contractor?—That is right. llow long Avas it missing?—l don’i remember ever seeing one there. To Mr Upham : The leather was stil around the cable at the time of th« j accident. He did not know why i was placed there. Did it not arouse your curiosity t< , see it there?—No. , After the accident when the win vas being examined didn’t someom take t lie'-leather off?—Yes; he cut i off with his knife. Did he make immediately for th cable and rip the leather off? —No. When Mr \ avian, the Governmen Inspector, inspected the cable. Vi-se-raped the wire. Then there mus have been a surface Arhich he couh scrape? Yes. And having done so he said, “there’ > the wire"?—Yes. To Sergeant Simpson : He did no kr.o'-v the cause of his receiving i shock. He took no notice of it. Joseph f.vthgoe. City Electrical F,n gineer. said that he had examined th

cable at the coal yard. He found 1 !:at at some time it had been damaged by either a cart wheel passing over :t, or a log of wood having been allowed to lall on it. Under the circumstances it would be possible for a person handling the armoured cable to receive an electric shock of 230 volts. \\ it ness continued that in the major- ! ity of cases the person might be saved j it prompt measures were taken at re- | suscitation. J 'dr Johnston : There is no way of \ cutting the power off gradually?—No, I that cannot be done. 1 -Mr Upham: Would it have been apparent to tnyone looking at that cable, that it had been damaged?—Oh yes if the covering had not beeit on. It was quite possible that the cable could have fJiown no outward sign of damage and yet have been live from contact inside. To the Coroner: Jf lie had touched the wire itself he would have received a shock of 230 volts. But this case was aggravated as the result ol there being a damp ground on the day of the accident. Dr A. B. Pearson, pathologist at the Christchurch MospitaL, said there was nothing to indicate that death was due to disease, but it was quite in kcepl irig with an electric shock. In his j opinion heart failure following shock ! was the cause of death. There were ; no indications of burns on the legs, I hands or trunk. The thyroid glands i were normal, but the lymph glands ; were slightly enlarged. The muscles | of the heart were healthy. The posti mortem examnation revealed the body !of a well developed and apparently J healthy man. The unusual feature j was the persistence of the thymus ; gland and the Unusual enlargement ol , j the lymph glands. There was nothing jto ‘indicate that death was due t > , ! disease. The appearances were in , j keeping as a result of an electric 1 I shockj To the .Magistrate : Owing to the , i condition of the deceased’s thymus and i lymph glands he might be more susceptible to death from heart failure . following shock than a man without these gland conditions. In witness’s I opinion the cause of death was heart failure following electric shock. Ho . believed that the latest opinion, but the point had not definitely been de- - eided. was that the electric shock eaus- , ed a heart failure and not respiratory failure. Some authorities, however, . i had held otherwise. 3 * CProceedingj