| Otago Witness, 28/5/1902. |
CASUALTIES.
Our Roxburgh correspondent writes:— A serious accident occurred on the Excelsior dredge, Miller's Flat, early on Saturday morning by which the winchman, James Cuimming, aged 28, years, a nephew of Mr Cumming, Beaumont, lost his life. It appears they were just going to stop work on the dredge until next morning, when she was to be shifted higher up the claim. He had raised the ladder and shut off the steam on the winches, when suddenly, as though an explosion had taken place, two of the winch wheels flew to pieces. A piece about 31b weight struck deceased just above the eyes, cutting the front of his head clean off, his brains being scattered about the deck. There are also five or six holes in the roof where pieces went through. It is surmised that deceased had not put the brake on, and the whole weight of the ladder coming on the winch caused the accident; but until the inquest is over the exact cause cannot be stated. The accident is somewhat similar to one which happened on the Halfway House dredge some time ago. A fireman, named McGill, was standing two yards from deceased, but was not injured. An inquest was opened on Saturday, but adjourned till Tuesday. The inspector of mines has arrived here to inquire info the matter. -Otago Daily Times, 6/5/1902.
THE DREDGING FATALITY AT MILLERS FLAT.
OFFICIAL INQUIRY. [Millers Flat Correspondent.]
An exhaustive inquiry into the death of James Cumming (killed by a winch accident on board the Excelsior dredge, near Millers Flat, on Friday night, 2nd inst.) was held at Millers Flat on Tuesday, before Mr E. Hart, J.P., Acting coroner, and a jury of six, of whom Mr W. Williamson was chosen foreman.
The inquiry was conducted by Inspector Green, Sub-inspector McIntosh, and Constable Leece. Mr Jabez Burton, Roxburgh, represented the Accident Insurance Co., and Mr P. C. Grant represented the Press.
John McGill deposed that he was fireman and deceased was winchman on the Excelsior dredge on the night of the accident. They were to knock off at midnight, and witness banked up the fire ready to close down. He could not say what caused the accident as the winches were enveloped in steam. When the steam cleared away he saw deceased lying on the deck, behind the winches and alongside the ladder, dead.
— By the Inspector: He had 851b pressure on at the time, and thought it was sufficient to raise the ladder. Witness did not remember whether he went to the winches over the ladder or by the stern of the dredge. He did not remember speaking to deceased that night, but might have done so — if so, he did not remember I what was said.
The Inspector said witness was not giving his evidence in a straightforward and clear manner.
Witness said he was, to the best of his knowledge. He had worked a shift and a half that day, and owing to the state of mind he was placed in by the accident he could not remember perfectly what had occurred.
The Coroner, addressing witness, said they made every allowance for that, but his evidence was not as clear and intelligent as it might be. He was the only man they expected to throw any light on the accident.
By the Inspector: Witness was five or six yards away from deceased and saw sparks fly when the accident happened. He did not touch the winches. He went and turned the steam off them, but whether by putting the lever in the centre or turning it off at the valve he did not remember.
— By the Coroner: He did not consider deceased a competent winchman. Two or three weeks' experience was not sufficient.
— By the Inspector: Worked a steam winch before; did not know anything about the brake.
— By a Juryman: He did not consider the winch in thorough order as a broken tooth was replaced by three iron studs.
— By Mr Barton: He thought the winches were not in thorough order on account of allowing the drip taps to be always open and allowing steam to escape and obstruct the view of the winchman. He had experience of a different class of if winches.
— By a juryman: Nobody could see what was going on.
— By the Inspector: He did not know why the steam cocks were left open. John Wallace, the dredgemaster, said he was on the dredge at 4.30 p.m. on the day of the accident. He gave deceased his instructions for the night. The winch pinion was stripped and the connecting cogwheel broken up. Parts of the cylinder and clutch handle were broken, also the reversing rod. The ladder brake was rather slack. He could not say how the accident happened.
— By the Inspector: Deceased was three weeks in witness' employment and he considered him very careful and competent. One cogtooth had broken previous to the accident.
— By Mr Burton: The brake being turned the wrong way might have caused the accident. The brake was rather slack — it was usual to have it a little slack. The dredgemaster of the Otago dredge, with whom deceased had worked previously, had recommended him and said he would make a good dredge man.
— By the Inspector: He thought that raising the ladder would reduce the steam, and that 100 1b of steam would be required to lift the hangers out of the water. The pinion and cogwheel were of cast metal, and he thought cast metal more liable to fracture than cast steel. He did not notice any weakness or flaws, but considered both pieces too light. The winches worked well.
— By a Juryman: The winches not being strong enough caused the accident. If the ladder was started with too little steam it would jerk and the winches would stop.
— By J. McGill: He had no experience of steam winches previous to the Excelsior's,
—By Mr Cummings (Beaumont): He had every confidence in deceased carrying out his instructions.
Arthur Burton, engineer of the Excelsior and Ettrick dredges, said he was on the dredge till 4 30 p.m. on the day of the accident. He had known deceased for about a week. .After the accident he found the brake slack, the ladder hanging down, intermediate and driving wheel broken, side-valve, spindle, side connecting rod, and lever clutch handle broken. He thought death was caused by broken pieces flying about, as there were several holes made in the roof.
— By the Foreman: He did not know how long the dredge had been working. He was present when taking the dredge up the river, and was engineer under the previous dredgemaster, Mr Thompson.
The Foreman: The dredge got away from the headline when taking her up the river. How did the line come off the barrel? — Mr Roberts was working the winches at the time, and he turned the brake the wrong way. — (Laughter.) On another occasion a pinion was stripped while going ahead.
Witness, cross-examined by Mr Burton, said he consulted with Mr Roberts and put in studs. The dredgemaster and witness suggested that steel castings should be substituted for cast metal but Mr Roberts did not agree. There is now a steel casting on the opposite side to that which was stripped. He was engineer and winchman on the Spec Gully dredge, and preferred its winches (Cutten's) to Roberts'. Witness had no trouble with the Ettrick winches. They were of the same design as the Excelsior, and made by Lucas Bros., Christchurch.
—By the Inspector: The Ettrick dredge had cast steel pinions, and he asked the Excelsior manager and directors to substitute cast metal with cast steel pinions. He thought 901b of steam was sufficient to raise the ladder, but if it stopped half-way up it would be hard to start again. If the taps had been closed there would not have been much loose steam. He did not think the steam would interfere with the vision of the winchman, but with the cocks open the man at the winch might be hidden from the man at the boiler.
Gerald Fitzgerald said he had worked on four dredges with the same class of winches and two with different winches (Payne's). He thought the cause of breaking was the bolting of the ladder and did not consider the winches strong enough for the work. He never had any trouble with steam about the winches, and a man at the winches could see his work right enough. Still the steam might obscure the winchman and winches from the sight of the man at the boiler. He was on the dredge when it ran away from Mr Roberts. The cause was that the winches were not properly worked. Mr Roberts turned the brake the wrong way, and the dredge ran away.
— By a Juryman: He would consider it dangerous to lift the ladder with cast-iron wheels. Steel would be stronger and safer.
— By the Inspector: He found the brake very loose and did not think it could have been turned the wrong way. He could not reach the two handles at once to work them at the same time. The brake had no right to be so loose, and and he could not tell the reason. He worked on the Excelsior right through the different shifts, and raised the ladder right up. The drain-cocks were always open while winching, and steam never interfered with the work. The light at the winches was good.
Constable Leece gave evidence as to finding the body, and after the coroner summed the jury retired and shortly after returned with the verdict already published. -Tuapeka Times, 14/5/1902.
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| Lawrence Cemetery |
James Cumming was not the only man to die while working on the Excelsior Dredge. It was bought and shifted downriver, passing under the Millers Flat bridge. In late 1903 Andrew Taylor, working on a boat and paying out a cable to anchor the Excelsior, overbalanced and fell in the Clutha. He was quickly out of reach of the other men in the boat and he disappeared. His body was found downriver two weeks later.
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