A youth named John Harbour, aged about 16 years, and residing in Upper Woodhaugh Valley, had one of his hands caught in some of the machinery at the Woodhaugh Paper Mills, where he is employed, on Friday. Upon his being admitted to the Hospital it was found that the hand was somewhat severely crushed, and it will be some time before he will regain the use of it. -Otago Witness, 10/2/1904.
DEATH FROM TETANUS.
An inquest was held at the Hospital on Saturday afternoon concerning the death of John Harbour, who died in the institution from the result of injuries received at the Woodhaugh Paper Mills on the 5th inst. The inquest was conducted by Mr C. C. Graham, coroner, before a jury of six, of whom Mr A. Yates was chosen foreman. Mr W. L. Moore appeared on behalf of the relatives of deceased, Mr J. B. Lindsay was present as inspector of factories, and Sergeant Higgins represented the police.
Henry Harbour, father of deceased, deposed that he was a dairy farmer residing at Leith Valley. Deceased was a labourer, working at the Woodhaugh Paper Mills, and was 34 years of age and a single man. Never knew deceased to have fits of any kind, or to have anything wrong with him. Deceased never said anything regarding the circumstances attending the accident while he was in the Hospital.
Dr Hall, house surgeon sit the Hospital, deposed that deceased was admitted to the institution suffering from extensive injuries to the forearm. The skin was stripped, and some of the fingers were broken. The case was attended to by Dr Gloss, and the patient made satisfactory progress for the following 10 days, when symptoms of tetanus set in. The case being desperate, the forearm was amputated, but the patient made no headway against the poison, and died at 11.80 p.m. on Friday. The cause of death was tetanus, resulting from the injuries received.
To Mr Moore: It would have made no difference if the limb had been amputated immediately the symptoms set in. Directly the symptoms assumed a definite form amputation was performed, as the result of consultation among the medical men.
Michael O'Brien, labourer, residing at Woodhaugh, said he was employed at the mills, and knew deceased, who was also employed there. Deceased's duties were general, but were in no way connected with the machinery. Witness was not present when the accident occurred, but saw Harbour directly afterwards.
To the Foreman: It was deceased's usual duly to wash down the rollers at the end of the day.
To Inspector Lindsay: The rollers were slowed down when the washing took place. They were slowed down when he (witness) entered the room a few minutes after the accident. Deceased had been employed in a similar way for some time, and was quite accustomed to the rollers.
To Mr Moore: Deceased was a careful and steady man.
John Hunter McLaren, engineer and acting manager at the mills, stated that on the 5th inst. he was called by one of the workmen, owing to someone being caught in the rollers. The engine was stopped when he got into the room. The rollers were going at about onesixth of their usual pace when the accident happened. Harbour's forearm was bandaged and first aid applied before he was taken to the Hospital. Harbour said he was wiping the rollers when the rag caught, and he grabbed it, and his hand was dragged in. He had wiped the rollers on the running-in side; otherwise the accident would not have happened. Had he wiped the rollers from the other side it would not have been possible for his hand to have got in. No one actually saw the accident.
To Mr Moore: Deceased was a steady, competent man, and received higher wages than the ordinary labourer.
The Inspector of Factories, in reply to the Coroner, said there was no reason to say that the machinery was left unguarded in any way. He thought all that should be done was done.
The Coroner then summed up, and in doing so said it appeared that it was one of those accidents that could not have been guarded against, and might have happened to anyone. The jury would be justified in bringing in a verdict that the cause of death was the result of wounds accidentally received, and that no blame was attachable to anyone.
The Jury, without retiring, returned a verdict — "That death was due to tetanus, caused by wounds accidentally received, and that no blame was attachable to anyone." -Otago Daily Times, 22/2/1904.
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