DEATH AT ELECTRIC POWER HOUSE.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 134, 3 December 1904, Page 5

DEATH AT ELECTRIC POWER HOUSE.

INQUEST ON THE VICTIM. After we went to press yesterday further evidence was given at the inquest oa William Warren, who was killed at the Power-house of the New Zealand Electrical Syndicate on Thursday night. Continuing his narrative of the circumstances attending the fatality, William Hunter, engineer at the Power-house, fcaid that at 7.40 p.m. the pablic lighting was being started, and witness guve the order to start the machine. The switches X and V and the main arc switch were then in position. When the machine was started witness had signalled to one Cole, the switchboard attendant, to "ran the machine up" — which usually took a minute. While Cole was doing this witness went outside and returned in a moment to switch on the Thorndon arc, which was on a different machine. He saw Warren take hold of this switch with both hands withont gloves. Definite orders were given that switch attendants should wear rubber gloves, and theie was a printed notice- to that effect on the switchboard, as follows : "Any man found working on the switchboard, mains, or any high tension apparatus, on qr off the company's premises, without using indiarubber gloves, will be instantly dismissed." Deceased had been frequently warned by witness and others to wear th& gloves, and had been in the habit of going to the switchboard without gloves. It was a common practice of the engineers. Asked by the Acting-Coroner why he had not reported deceased, witness said it was a common thing for the engineers to dispense with gloves. The manager, as far as witness knew, was not aware that the engineers worked without the gloves. Continuing his narrative, the witness said that deceased had been holding a switch handle in each hand. The switch was "sparking" heavily as though from ■ a bad contact. Witness thought that on& terminal had twisted and that deceased was trying to push tho switch in, and couldn't get it in. Witness ran to deceased, and, as ho went, called out, intending to catch him round the body and pull him away. J-ust as he was about to< catch deceased, the latter fell full length on his back on th^ platform* of the switchboard. He seemed insensible then, and witness ordered the two greasers 16 set. to work ahd try artificial respiration, while he sent for Dr. Faulke, Examined by Mr. Myers, witness siu(J the whole affair did' not last more thaii a few seconds. The cbinpany supplied indiarubber gloves for the use. of the n'ien. li deceased had worn a pair of the glove's, the accident could not' possibly have happened, the rtrbber being a non-conductor of electricity. There was always at least one pair of gloves hanging on a rail near the switchboard ready for use. At tho •feme of the accident witness saw one p^lt on' the rails, and there were generally three or four pairs of Old gloves lying about near by. The deceaised had never worked Thorndon arc switch, before, but had frequently seen witness jworking the switch without glows. There were several of the notices, already referred to, about the premises. Witness had personally warned deceased about the' necessity of using gloves, and had been -warned himself. Witness had said to deceased^ "Don't do as I do, but do as I tell you.' 1 t There was no excuse for a man not using "the gloves. After the accident witness looked at the switch, aad there was nothing wrong with it. If Warren's hand* hod remained on the ebonite handles of the switch, and had not .touched tha na<ked metal, no accident could have happened. The accident must have happened through Warren's hands going too far down the switch and coming into contact with the metal. This contact would account for- the "sparking" already describe cd. Dr. Faulke gave evidence regarding tha condition of deceased when he- (jritaess) arrived at the tower-house. He ha<s found witness- dead from the effect of aa electric shock. Both hands were burned* Death was probably instantaneous, considering tho voltage— 2ooo volts— of th« current. George Cole, a swibchboard attendant employed by the Syndicate, a witnes^ of the accident, said that the witness Hunter's account of the accident was correct. Witness always wore the rubbei? gloves when operating at the switchboard, and had received, strict orders ta do so. To Mr. Myers . The gloves -were at tha switchboard at the time of the accident, and deceased could have used them, if he had been so minded. Witness had seen engineers at the switches without wearing gloves, but this was utnusual. It wad always possible to get supplied with gloves if needed. George S. Jf abin, manager of the Eleci trical Syndicate, said he had been advised of the accident at 5 p.m., and his first question had been: "Had Wa-rrea gloves on?" and he had been told that ha had not. It was a recognised practice all over the worM to use the gloves for all pressures over 100 volts. The notica already mentioned by former -witnesses had been issued by witness to take tha* place of one of a less drastic nature which! * -had been disregarded. Witness had not been amaw that this second notice was also disregarded. There was no excusa lor men working the switches with un-» gloved hands. j. H V. W^, Rojr .» clnei cn g">eer of workt for the Electrical Syndicate, testified to having personally warned deceased tha* he must not work the switches without wearing the rubber gloves supplied by th« company. This was all the evidence, and in summing up the Acting-Coroner said the causa of death was quite clear. Deceased had been warned of the danger of not wearina the gloves. After a few minutes' deliberation the jury returned a verdict of "Death through accidental cbntact with a live, circuit."

Messrs. Th6meon and Brown, Huntoratteet, call attention to their ehfingo ad- . vertisement of properties for pale. They aro now prepared to "Build houses in tho J. suburbs oa a small deposit,